High noon in the Heineken Cup

WITH the shadow boxing of the past few weeks done and dusted, Ireland’s representatives are gearing up for Heineken Cup High Noon.

Ulster are all but eliminated at this stage, and both Munster and Leinster face major battles to make the quarter-finals.

Munster have enjoyed mixed fortunes of late. Under the circumstances their victory over Edinburgh in Murrayfield last Saturday was more admirable than the tight one-point victory suggests. The Gunners lie second in the Celtic League and have also performed well in the most difficult pool in the Heineken Cup. Munster’s victory was the ideal platform from which to relaunch an assault in Europe. Given that they have contested every Heineken Cup knockout stage since 1999, the pressure to advance is obvious.

While the FA Cup demonstrated once again that there are no certainties in sport, you can take it that Sale with beat Newport Gwent Dragons on Sunday and will, in all likelihood, collect a bonus point in the process.

Therefore, Munster must treat Friday night’s game against Castres like a cup final. Defeat will render their season unfulfilled. Despite losing only once in the pool, their present situation has arisen due to the lack of bonus points accumulated. By way of contrast, Leinster, having lost twice in Europe, lie just one point behind Munster due to the accumulation of four bonus points. Munster have only collected one.

The task facing this Munster side should not be underestimated. While Castres are out of the competition, the rivalry between the teams over 10 years will ensure they will make it as difficult as possible.

Of more practical concern to Declan Kidney is the form shown by Castres for the past few months. They lie fifth in the French championship having won six of their last seven games. Their only defeat was by a five point margin away to Toulouse, the Heineken Cup favourites.

In their four Heineken Cup seasons, Castres have only lost once at home. Tellingly that was against Munster in 2000, although Anthony Foley’s men have lost on their last two visits to the Stade Pierre Antoine, most recently last season when Paul Volley over-exposed his vocal cords in an effort to antagonise Ronan O’Gara.

Already this season the battle lines have been drawn. Munster accounted for Castres in Thomond Park last October, scoring four tries in the process. Former All Black Kees Meeuws promised a warm reception on their return in January. It now looks as if he is set to miss this clash.

With victory essential, Munster must return to basics and adopt the pressure game that has stifled so many teams in Europe for the past decade. The key factor is that their all-international pack exercise the dominance of which they are capable. It was hugely encouraging therefore to see Paul O’Connell play so well in Murrayfield.

While Castres are particularly strong in the scrum, the absence of Meeuws would dilute that. Their line-out is suspect and merits close scrutiny on their own throw. Despite the presence of Lionel Nallett, who played in the second row for France in the autumn internationals, Munster look stronger out of touch.

Playing against basement side Montpellier last weekend, Castres also looked vulnerable against the rolling maul. Given Munster’s strength in that area, it is imperative they make that advantage count.

The battle at half back will also prove crucial. Peter Stringer has responded magnificently to pressure on his international place and looked back to his best in recent games. Outside him, O’Gara has been off colour of late but always responds when the chips are down.

Castres received a minor scare last weekend when France out-half Yann Delaigue took a knock to his neck but finished the game. His presence is a major psychological issue for Castres. When he cried off from the corresponding fixture in Limerick, the visitors subconsciously conceded victory. His half-back partner Alexandre Albouy is one of the most underrated scrum-halves in French rugby.

Castres also possess a major threat out wide in the form of flying wingers Brad Fleming and Laloa Milford. In that respect Munster’s defence must continue the improvement shown against Edinburgh. The midfield combination of Trevor Halstead and Barry Murphy deserves the opportunity of playing together again on Friday.

The other key factor is discipline. The French are notorious for winding up the opposition on home soil. Full-back Romain Toulet is an outstanding place kicker and will punish any indiscretions. Munster will be pleased England’s Chris White is refereeing this one. He is one of the best and will not be intimidated.

In order to make Sale’s visit to Thomond Park meaningful on Saturday week, Munster must win this one. The character of this side is such that you can just about see it happening.

Leinster are also fighting for their European lives but face a less daunting challenge against Glasgow in the RDS on Saturday. Having already secured a four-try bonus point when defeating their Scottish rivals in Hughenden, Leinster will be favourites to repeat that feat. Victory will set up a showdown to top the pool when they face Bath at the Rec the following weekend. Bourgoin could also do Michael Cheika a massive favour by beating Bath in France on Friday night.

Leinster’s form in the domestic challenges over the festive period has been excellent. Successive victories over Ulster and Munster is no mean feat. However, they undid much of that achievement with a poor performance against Llanelli last weekend.

On that occasion Leinster’s fluent game betrayed them because they forgot the basic principal of establishing control. One could understand how Cheika was so vocal in his disappointment afterwards.

Leinster have made too much progress in recent months to lose this one. While the return of Brian O’Driscoll has generated a fresh impetus, the star of the show is Felipe Contepomi. Given his current rich vein of form, anything but a home victory would be a major shock.