Toulouse flyers to stretch Perpignan

THE staging of the Heineken Cup final at Lansdowne Road today may seem to be a most bizarre decision by the ERC committee, but as recently as last Wednesday, when Celtic played Porto in Spain in the UEFA Cup final, we saw its parallel in another sport.

Unfortunately, the match between Perpignan and Toulouse is unlikely to evoke the same passion, especially among Irish rugby supporters and the French supporters are unlikely to travel to Europe's most expensive nation in sufficient numbers to fill the ground.

Played at the Stade de France, the match would surely have been a sell-out, with the financial benefits to the ERC sufficient to compensate for any losses the IRFU may have incurred due to shifting the match away from Dublin.

The other suggestion was to have staged the match in Barcelona, not too far from both French clubs and an ideal way to promote the game in Spain, a developing rugby nation.

No matter the venue, it still makes for a great match. The contrasting styles of the teams is very akin to Munster v Leinster. Perpignan will play with a solid forward pack and look to try to control the game through their out-half, and Toulouse will look to the speed of their backs to give them a winning advantage.

There is no doubting that both teams deserve their place in the final. It is only fitting that Perpignan, who won the pool containing the Celtic League winner and the English domestic cup and Zurich League finalist, should be represented. It was a fact that Leinster appeared to overlook as they planned their cakewalk to the final.

Toulouse is the Manchester United of European rugby with all the stars money can buy and a prolific winning history in French domestic rugby.

The French clubs have taken a very positive view of the Heineken Cup and place it well above the French championship. To this end both teams have been able to rest key players at times throughout the year to ensure maximum performance in the big European games.

The French championship, where away wins are rare and only specific matches are targeted, aids the player rotations as some matches away to tough opposition are sacrificed in order to guarantee a good result in the next home or European encounter.

In a match that must be a godsend to French coach Bernard Laporte as a national trial the result could well be decided by an Australian. How Perpignan outhalf Manny Edmonds controls the game will be a critical factor.

The front five of Perpignan will hold their own. The hulking front row of props Nicolas Mas and Renaud Peillard and hooker Michel Konieckowicz have been hugely impressive in all their matches to date. The introduction of former international hooker Marc de Maso as an impact substitute has proved most effective and it was his try that effectively killed off the Leinster challenge in the semi-final. Behind them, they have physical second-rowers in Jerome Thion and Rimas Alvarez Kairelis.

Once the ball is won, Edmonds will need to find field position without giving the Toulouse fliers Xavier Garbajosa, Vincent Clerc, Cedric Heymans and Clement Portrenaud the chance the counter-attack. Then again, like Munster, it will be the patience and power from loose forwards Bernard Goutta and Phil Murphy recycling the ball in close until Edmonds chooses to move the ball wide.

TOULOUSE will feel confident at line-out time with Fabien Pelous and loose forward Jean Bouilhou the normal targets, although they would be foolish to underestimate Thion, who gave Malcolm O'Kelly a torrid time in Dublin.

Once the ball is won, Toulouse must speed the game up. They prefer to set up the second phase wide, away from the Perpignan forwards who will look to slow the possession.

Trevor Brennan and in particular Christian Labit are adept at carrying the ball quickly over the gainline to release the speed out wide. The plan will be to move the Perpignan pack from side to side as often as possible.

The loss of scrum-half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde means Frederic Michalak starts at No 9 and Yann Delaigue goes to out-half, as they did against Munster. However, it was when Michalak replaced Delaigue at out-half during that match, that the Toulouse backs gained control. The lack of that option for today has definitely dented the potential of the Toulouse side.

Who wins is of little interest to the neutral observer, but how the win is constructed should be highly entertaining. Will it be forward power and control or the speed and flair of the three-quarters? The match should give an indication of France's potential for this autumn's World Cup and present young players like Mas and Thion with the opportunity to impress Laporte.

Either way it is the showpiece of northern hemisphere club rugby and we want to see plenty of action and hear very little whistle.