Startled Lions up for Sale

IF you had to bet your house on the likely winner of Heineken Cup Pool 3 before last weekend, it would have been difficult to see beyond Leinster.

In a group with struggling Cardiff, unpredictable Biarritz and middle-of-the road Sale, a side with 12 international players and nine points on the board looked by far the safest option for your bricks and mortar.

Sale’s single-point victory at Lansdowne Road last weekend has changed all - instead of a cakewalk to the quarter-finals of the competition, Leinster now have a couple of minefields to negotiate. On January 31 they face a crucial tie against Biarritz in the South of France, but in order for that game to have any significance, they need to beat Sale tomorrow afternoon at Edgeley Park.