Heineken Cup - Semi-final a contest to savour

THE mouth-watering prospect of a semi-final clash between Munster and Leinster in the European rugby championship is tempered only by the fact that just one of Ireland’s provincial teams will reach the final in Cardiff.

It was a weekend of contrasts, with one team putting on a display of scintillating rugby and the other surviving through sheer guts and dogged determination.

It promises to be a contest to savour when the backs and forwards of Ireland’s Triple Crown team face one another.

The many pundits who predicted that Leinster would be beaten by outgoing champions Toulouse, had to eat their words as the Blues put on an outstanding display of open rugby.

For the first time in years, there was fire in the belly of a richly talented team that has promised much but delivered little.

Similarly, enthusiasts who had forecast an easy Munster win over Perpignan also got it wrong as the Reds survived through a display of raw courage. Below-par Munster showed the brand of never-say-die rugby that continually lifts this team above the ordinary. Being underdogs will suit them.

It will be easier to find gold dust than tickets for the semi-final at Lansdowne Road.