Richards braced for tough tie

Dean Richards today underlined the huge task facing Leicester in their bid for an unprecedented hat-trick of Heineken Cup crowns.

The Tigers, European champions for the past two seasons, face Munster in a mouth-watering quarter-final clash at Welford Road tomorrow.

The sell-out tie, a repeat of last season’s Millennium Stadium final, will once again test Leicester’s quality to the maximum.

And rugby director Richards has no doubt that the Heineken Cup continues to set new standards of excellence with every passing season.

“It does get harder every time you play in it, but that’s the beauty of this tournament,” he said. “It’s such a good tournament to play in.

“I would say it’s probably the best club tournament in the world. The intensity improves and increases each year, and this year it has probably increased 10% on last year.”

Munster will arrive in the East Midlands determined to avenge their 15-9 defeat last May, a game still remembered for Neil Back’s illegal hand-in-the-scrum manoeuvre that helped guarantee fresh final heartache.

Munster, beaten finalists in two of the past three seasons, possess sufficient quality to end Leicester’s reign as European champions and a classic encounter lies ahead.

Ultimately, the tie could be decided by one flash of individual brilliance - or an individual error – but Richards knows his players are ready.

“The boys are pretty strong. A lot of them have been in a lot of big matches before,” he added.

“They do get nervous, but they know how to control their nerves pretty well and use that to the best of their advantage.”

Richards has made three changes, including one positional switch, from the side that defeated Premiership opponents Sale Sharks last weekend.

Australian centre Rod Kafer returns to the side in midfield, so Freddie Tuilagi drops to the bench. England star Ben Kay is back at lock, meaning a move from second row to back row for Martin Corry and Josh Kronfeld joins the replacements.

Munster coach Alan Gaffney, in his first full season at the helm, knows that a Welford Road full house – more than 17,000 – will guarantee a fever-pitch atmosphere.

“Playing at Welford Road is an enormous advantage to Leicester, but Munster have proved they can travel well,” he said.

“Our preparations have been quite sound – we have had a lot of players back from injuries – yet just like Leicester, there were a number of players battered and bruised from the recent international matches.

“Key areas in the game will obviously be in the set-pieces. The Leicester set-piece has been astounding over the years. They have an exceptional lineout with Kay, Martin Johnson and Corry, while our lineout has improved quite significantly from where it had been.

“The scrum will be another strong contest, but we are looking forward to that, just as we did in January when we played Gloucester.

“Maybe the side that wins the game will need that little bit of luck, the rub of the green on the day.”