Possibility of an all-Irish Lansdowne shootout
The big news from an Irish viewpoint is that Leinster and Munster will clash at the semi-final stage at Lansdowne Road IF they defeat Toulouse and Perpignan in the quarter-finals.
Until then, they’ll be keeping their own counsel.
However, should Toulouse beat Leinster, it will mean yet another away semi-final engagement for Munster.
The dates and times of the quarter-finals have also been announced with three of the four listed for Saturday, April 1.
The programme gets underway at 12.30pm with the all-English clash of Leicester and Bath. They are followed at 3pm Irish time by Toulouse and Leinster and the clash of Munster and Perpignan at 5.30pm at Lansdowne Road ends a fascinating day’s rugby.
The last of the quarter-finals between Biarritz and Sale kicks off on Sunday, April 2, at 5.30pm Irish time. The Leinster and Munster games will be televised live by RTÉ and all four quarter-finals by Sky Sports.
Although Munster earned their home quarter-final because they led one of the most competitive pools in the qualifiers, it still wouldn’t have happened without Leinster’s defeat of Bath on Sunday.
Leinster aren’t likely to let their keen Irish rivals forget it for some time and at yesterday’s draw, flanker Keith Gleeson remarked that “this is the second time Munster will have been looking to Leinster for a favour".
"I think that if we beat Tourlouse, then we will have earned ourselves a home tie but the visit to Toulouse promises a great game of rugby.”
Munster’s Frankie Sheahan also spoke first of how “huge the quarter-final game against Perpignan is for us” but also conceded that “there will be plenty of Munster people shouting for Leinster against Toulouse to set up a great semi-final.”
With all due respects to Leinster and certainly not forgetting their heroics in Bath on Sunday, not to mention Perpignan, the real possibility that Munster will have to travel once again to take on Toulouse raises memories of the three previous meetings all played in the south of France.
The first was in 1996/97 when Toulouse handed out a 60 points to 19 hiding. It took more than four years to avenge that humiliation but when the opportunity came around, Munster were more than ready.
Mind you, they weren’t all that enthused when the news of the draw broke. A number of players were attending the christening of John Langford’s baby in Anthony Foley’s house in Killaloe when the news came through.
Mick Galwey’s immediate reaction, as he admitted in his autobiography was, “oh, God, no” but he also revealed that Peter Clohessy’s view was exactly the opposite.
“So what, bring them all on,” declared the Claw and how right he was! Sunny Bordeaux was the venue for Munster’s greatest performance on the road in the Heineken Cup as they thrashed mighty Stade Toulousain on and off the pitch.
The players won by 31-25, the fans revealed themselves as nothing but the best the game of rugby could hope for. They next met in the semi-final of 2003 when after hammering Leicester at Welford Road, Munster went down to another agonising defeat by 16-15.
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