Leicester Heineken Cup favourites

LEICESTER’S back-to-back victories over Heineken Cup champions Wasps has helped make them favourites to win this year’s title.

On a day when European Rugby bosses finalised dates and details of television coverage for the remaining two rounds of the pool stages in January, Leicester are 4/1 favourites to win the trophy for the third time.

But, while the Zurich Premiership side and French giants Toulouse head the field with the bookmakers, Leinster and Munster are garnering support at 5/1 and 13/2 respectively.

Champions Wasps have drifted to 33/1 and Newcastle, despite an unbeaten run in pool five, are 28/1 shots.

The potential Pool one automatic quarter-final qualifying clash between Leicester and Biarritz will be one of eight Round 5 matches that will be screened live when the Heineken Cup resumes.

Sky will feature Ulster’s game with Gloucester on Friday January 7, RTÉ will show Munster’s clash with Neath-Swansea Ospreys in pool four on Saturday January 8 (5.15) while Leinster’s game with Bath at the Rec will be shown on Sky at 1pm that day.

In the final round, all matches in each pool kick off simultaneously with Munster facing Harlequins at Twickenham at 1pm. It will be televised on Sky but the Ospreys/Castres clash is not due to be televised.

Leinster’s game against Treviso at Lansdowne Road will be shown on RTÉ (5.15) but Ulster’s final match against Cardiff in Wales won’t be broadcast live.

Round four of the tournament provided more records for a competition going from strength to strength. The 12 matches pulled in a staggering 107,116 spectators with five figure crowds following the fortunes of Toulouse, Leicester Tigers, Munster, Bath Rugby, Cardiff Blues and Perpignan.

The total eclipsed the previous round four high set in the 2000 / 2001 season, by over 14,000.

On the individual front last Saturday was a red letter day for Ronan O’Gara. The Munster marksman celebrated his ERC Elite Award for 50 tournament caps by becoming the Heineken Cup’s top scorer, his nine points in the victory over Castres Olympique taking him to 649 points and ahead of Diego Dominguez (645).