Cup fever in both hemispheres

TWELVE months ago this week, the whole of Munster was engulfed in a state of rugby hysteria never before witnessed in the province.

There was just days to go to a third Heineken cup final appearance in Cardiff. It proved to be Munster’s finest hour.

One year on and the curtain was drawn on a disappointing domestic season for all the Irish provinces last Saturday. While both Ulster and Connacht have been particularly erratic since January, Leinster retained some hope of attracting silverware to these shores when they fought for the Magners League title right to the death.

However the manner of their surrender to the Cardiff Blues last Friday has cast a shadow over their season. Munster — with four consecutive league victories culminating in an impressive performance against Glasgow Warriors on Saturday — have finished the season strongest.

When Munster opened the defence of their Heineken Cup against Leicester with an excellent victory in Welford Road last October, the odds on Declan Kidney’s men retaining the title shortened considerably. Unfortunately it was the Tigers who learned most from that defeat and turned the tables on the holders in Thomond Park last January with a performance characterised by pace and power.

That victory and the confidence derived from it has seen the Tigers develop into the most complete side in Europe this season. Victory in the Guinness Premiership final last weekend sees them on the verge of an unprecedented treble, having already won the EDF Energy Cup. European glory now beckons for the first time since 2002 when they face arch-rivals London Wasps on Sunday.

Of even greater significance than the final itself is the likely confirmation later this week that the future of the competition will be secured. When both the English and French clubs signalled their withdrawal from the competition, the future of the professional game in the northern hemisphere was called into question.

But the recent confirmation by the RFU that their entrants for the Heineken Cup will be drawn solely from the Guinness Premiership has satisfied a key requirement for the independently-owned English clubs. With the likelihood that those clubs will now be offered a slice of the RFU’s shareholding in European Rugby Limited, an announcement could come later in the week to coincide with the all-English Heineken cup final in Twickenham. The key issue remaining to be resolved is consensus over the release periods available for preparation of English players for the international game.

The spotlight will then turn to Serge Blanco and the LNR in France to confirm their participation in Europe next season. Despite the suspicion that a withdrawal from the Heineken Cup next season suited the French with a cluttered fixture list due to the World Cup, one hopes that they will be true to their word to return to the fold once agreement has been reached between the warring factions in England.

On the field of play it is difficult to predict anything other than a win for Leicester. Irish rugby followers at least retain some interest in the final with the potential involvement of up to eight Irish players in the match-day squads in Leo Cullen, Shane Jennings, Ian Humphreys, Frank and Geordan Murphy for the Tigers and Peter Bracken, Eoin Reddan and Jeremy Staunton for Wasps.

Over the last three months, Leicester have gone from strength to strength with the depth in their squad paying dividends. What is also clear is that they possess a team ethic and unity that overrides individual egos. Nowhere was this more evident than in the gesture by Martin Corry to allow Cullen and Jennings to receive the Premiership trophy on behalf of the squad. With the two Irish men returning to Leinster next season it was the captain’s way of acknowledging the contribution made by the departing duo over the past two years.

Despite the loss of the Premiership player of the year, Italian prop Martin Castrogiovanni to injury, the Leicester scrum has provided the platform for much of their dominance this season. It was a major factor in their defeat of Munster in Limerick and the absence of Wasps international loose-head Tim Payne for Sunday’s final is likely to be significant once again.

If selected to start, Argentina-bound Irish tourist Peter Bracken faces a stern examination from Tiger’s loose-head Marcus Ayerza who has already been named in the Argentinean squad for the opening test against Ireland in Santa Fe. Bracken’s performance could well determine whether he receives game-time on this tour.

For former Munster scrum-half Frank Murphy, the recent injury to Harry Ellis has afforded him the opportunity of two cup final appearances on consecutive weekends. Against Gloucester last Saturday he survived a nervous opening and made a significant contribution to Leicester’s cause, scoring their first try. Having been largely confined to AIL duty with Cork Constitution last season, the contrast could not be greater. How ironic. Having missed out on Munster’s match-day twenty-two for Cardiff, he now stands on the verge of winning a Heineken Cup medal on the field of play.

Finally as a pointer to the World Cup, it may be worth tuning in to the Super 14 final between the Blue Bulls and the Sharks (Northern Transvaal v Natal to the traditionalists) in Durban on Saturday. The victories by the two South African sides over New Zealand’s Canterbury Crusaders and Auckland Blues in the semi-finals have lifted the veil of invincibility that seems to surround the All Blacks.

Springbok coach Jake White will be thrilled that the trophy is sure to rest in South Africa and provides a timely boost for their test series against England and more significantly, for the Tri-Nations.

The power and defensive organisation of the Bulls allied to the attacking flair of the Sharks and the Stormers has presented a blueprint for the make-up of the national team should White choose to go down that route.