Heineken Cup: Leicester coach feels sorry for Munster

Big Dean Richards tried valiantly to keep the smile from his face but it was clear that a Heineken Cup semi-final draw against Gloucester was OK by him.

Indeed, this most formidable of players, now coach of the famed English midlands club, allowed his familiar intimidating mask to slip long enough for him to admit that he felt a certain degree of sympathy for Munster having to travel to Stade Francais.

"I pity Munster having to go over to take on Stade Francais in France, Stade are the favourites and rightly so, but let's be honest, there are no easy matches at this stage," said Richards. Never one known for his sense of humour, the former policeman turned rugby coach quickly responded "Leicester" when asked for his favourite venue for the Gloucester match before adding: "

That option isn't open to us and we'll be looking at venues over the next couple of days. Whichever way you look at it, taking on Gloucester is going to be very difficult."

Somebody plucked up the courage to point out that Gloucester played a similar game to Leicester — in other words, forward-driven, a strategy close to Deano's heart during his own playing days. Remember, this man once scored three pushover tries for England against Ireland at Twickenham.

"They've got a very good pack, of course, but they also have good backs so I expect it will be a match between two very evenly matched sides," said Richards. "As for Munster, they wouldn't be where they are today without being a reasonable team. That said, Stade Francais were my favourites from the outset but they're not playing in Paris."

Nevertheless, Richards struggled to conceal his pleasure at the draw and when it was put to him that the odds are now very much on for a Leicester-Stade Francais decider, he cracked: "We'll just have to wait and see."

As for Gloucester, this famous club has been struggling to cope with the demands of the professional era but the emergence of billionaire Tom Walkinshaw has enabled them to come up with the kind of money that attracted the likes of superstars Jason Little, the Australian centre, and All Black second-row Ian Jones to Kingsholm, a ground renowned for the fervent support of fans located in an especially passionate area known as The Shed.

The Madejski Stadium, just off the M4 in Reading and home of both the local football club and London Irish, is the most likely venue for this game, although Ashton Gate, home of Bristol City AFC, and Vicarage Road, where Watford AFC and Saracens RFC perform most weekends, have also been mentioned.

"Never mind," said Gloucester captain Kingsley Jones, "It doesn't make much difference at this stage. Playing Leicester in England is best for our supporters and we'll bring a good Shed with us. I wouldn't have fancied going to France or Munster."