Ibanez backs Ulster to join Euro big guns

HEINEKEN CUP winner Raphael Ibanez believes that three Irish provinces will create history by making it to the last eight of the tournament this year.

The ex-Wasps and French hooker reckons Ulster will join Leinster and Munster, who are six and five points clear in their pools respectively, in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals this time around.

“When they beat Clermont at home in round one, that must have given their confidence a massive boost and although Clermont have the potential to qualify they have so many injuries that it could play into Ulster’s hands,” says Ibanez.

Toulouse, Saracens and Cardiff Blues will join the Irish trio as other likely pool winners, he reckons.

“The team I would really like to see in the knock-out stages, because they epitomise what Welsh rugby is all about after the World Cup, is Cardiff Blues, although Edinburgh have done really well and have given themselves a real chance of progressing.

“While predicting the two best runners-up is very tricky, I think those places will be between Leicester Tigers, Harlequins, Edinburgh and Biarritz.”

Meanwhile, Northampton lock Courtney Lawes could miss his side’s last two Heineken Cup clashes after injuring his knee.

The 22-year-old England international is yet to have a scan on the injury, but Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder does not believe the injury will keep him out of the Six Nations, which gets under way on February 4.

The potential absence of Lawes could be good news for Munster, who take on the Saints in Milton Keynes on January 21 in their final Pool One clash.

Next up (Round five)

Friday, January 13

Pool 2: Racing Metro v Edinburgh, 8pm (D Pearson, England); Pool 4: Ulster v Leicester, 8pm (R Poite, France); Pool 5: Ospreys v Treviso, 8pm (JP Doyle, England).

Saturday, January 14

Pool 1: Munster v Castres, 3.40pm (A Small, England); Scarlets v Northampton, 1.30pm (A Rolland, Ireland); Pool 2: London Irish v Cardiff Blues, 3.40pm (N Paterson, Scotland); Pool 3: Montpellier v Bath, 1pm (D Phillips, Ireland); Pool 4 Aironi v Clermont Auvergne, 1.30pm (L Hodges, Wales); Pool 6: Toulouse v Connacht, 3.40pm (W Barnes, England); Harlequins v Gloucester, 6pm (P Gauzere, France).

Sunday, January 15

Pool 3: Glasgow v Leinster, 12.45pm (N Owens, Wales); Pool 5: Saracens v Biarritz, 3pm (G Clancy, Ireland)