Make or break weekend for provinces in Heineken Cup

With three-quarters of the Irish Heineken Cup contingent occupying second place in their pools entering the second week of the crucial back-to-back fixtures, Penney, Schmidt and Elwood will be aware that this weekend could make or break their European season.

With three-quarters of the Irish Heineken Cup contingent occupying second place in their pools entering the second week of the crucial back-to-back fixtures, Rob Penney, Joe Schmidt and Eric Elwood will be aware that this weekend could make or break their European season.

Saracens trailed Munster by nine points when referee Pascal Gauzere awarded them yet another penalty as the clock ticked into the final two minutes at Thomond Park last Saturday.

In a game which scarcely threatened to produce a try, the English outfit opted to kick three points, securing them a losing bonus point. On such fine margins can Heineken Cup pools swing.

That kick means Munster enter this weekend’s meeting at Vicarage Road level with Saracens on 10 points, rather than with the buffer and mental edge of a one-point lead atop the pool.

The most glaring issue for Rob Penney to address after last weekend’s win was discipline. Referee Gauzere may have been pedantic and overly eager to assert his authority – he whistled against Munster 21 times - but discipline has been a problem for Munster all season. With fellow Frenchman, Jerome Garces, in the middle on Sunday they need to be prepared for similar adjudication at the breakdown and scrum.

In true Munster tradition the big players stepped up when they were needed last weekend. Second rowers Ryan and O’Callaghan got through an enormous amount of work while the unfamiliar back row of Dave O’Callaghan, Peter O’Mahony and James Coughlan totally outplayed the more experienced Saracens unit.

James Downey produced his best performance in a Munster jersey with an aggressive showing in defence and attack while Howlett played a captain’s role with some inspiring defensive interventions.

The task for Penney’s side is to dominate the collision zone again a week after humbling Sarries in Limerick and to do so without coughing up a glut of penalties. Having failed to ignite in Thomond Park, the Saracens star-studded backline will be hoping for quicker ball to test the Munster defence out wide.

Mark McCall has opted for increased physicality by switching Owen Farrell to flyhalf to make room for 6’3" rugby league convert Joel Tomkins at second centre while fellow giant George Kruis replaces Ernst Joubert in the back row.

Leinster went to Clermont with a view to ending the French side’s 50-game unbeaten run at home and even though they gave their rivals a serious test, the two-time defending champions had to settle for a losing bonus point.

The result leaves Joe Schmidt’s men five points adrift of Clermont in Pool 5. The eastern province will just be targeting a win against such fierce opponents but there’s no escaping the fact that a bonus-point win would level the teams on points.

There are no clear front runners for the best two runners-up spots with Leinster currently ranked third best runners-up. Unfortunately for them the remaining pool fixtures appear to favour Clermont. Vern Cotter’s side travel to an already eliminated Scarlets before looking to extend their home run against an Exeter Chiefs side they put 46 points past in round two.

Conversely, Leinster must travel to Chiefs whom they struggled against in round one in front of their home fans. In their first season of Heineken Cup rugby the English side will throw everything at the defending champions.

The inclusion of Jennings for tomorrow’s encounter adds better balance to the Leinster back row which now boasts a genuine groundhog, but the selection of Heinke van der Merwe over Cian Healy detracts from the team’s ball-carrying threat.

For all their energy and possession at the Stade Marcel Michelin, Leinster only produced one clean line break when Madigan cut through the Clermont defence in the opening exchanges.

Whether they will have more joy in opening Clermont up in Dublin depends largely on whether the French come to play their flare game, or the more likely scenario which would see Cotter’s charges drag Leinster into an arm wrestle.

Connacht treated their fans to another memorable night at the Sportsground when a Fetu'u Vainikolo try helped them to victory over seasoned Heineken campaigners Biarritz. Elwood’s men sit second in Pool 3 but with just eight points to their name it’s hard to see them reaching the knockouts without somehow claiming three wins from their final three games.

Biarritz’s chances of qualification may have evaporated, but after coaches Serge Milhas and Jack Issac were shown the door in the wake of the defeat in Galway, Connacht need to be prepared for a backlash.

Manager Laurent Rodriguez and academy director Mathieu Rourre have taken charge at the club naming a strong team for tonight’s game. The talismanic Imanol Harinodoquy returns to skipper the team with Damien Traille, Julien Peyrelongue, Jean-Pascal Barraque and Pelu Taele also coming into the starting XV.

It is in these occasions that Dan Parks' experience at the top level can make a difference for Connacht and if they are to get a result you feel the Scottish veteran will have a big part to play.

As for Mark Anscombe, it’s a case of ensuring his Ulster team don’t take their foot off the pedal. Having toppled their closest PRO12 rivals Scarlets in Wales two weeks ago, the New Zealander issued a rallying call for his players to raise their game – despite the fact that they were 12 wins from 12 games in all competitions.

In response his players delivered an irresistible bonus-point performance over their biggest Pool 4 challengers Northampton, in Franklin’s Gardens. Complacency is the only thing threatening Ulster’s progression to the knockout stages and with Anscombe at the helm there is little fear of that creeping into the Ulster game.

The former New Zealand U20 boss may have had a top class European outfit ready and waiting for him when he took over from Brian McLaughlin at Ravenhill, but he has reinforced the ability of his players with a new confidence. Ulster are playing with the ruthlessness of a team that believe they deserve to be champions.

Tomorrow night they welcome a Saints outfit thirsty to avenge a humiliating 6-25 home defeat. But the English side will be without captain Dylan Hartley who was cited for striking Rory Best in last weekend’s match.

England’s favourite second-row Courtney Lawes is only amongst the replacements while the tempestuous Ryan Lamb has been replaced by the equally unpredictable Stephen Myler.

Ulster will have to cope without skipper Johann Muller with Chris Henry set to lead the team out.

However, this team have survived without big players such as Muller, Best, Henry and Pienaar at points throughout the season, and with a tumultuous Ravenhill crowd urging them towards knockout qualification it’s hard to see Ulster’s hot streak coming to an end tomorrow evening.

Predictions:

Munster to come away from Vicarage Road with a losing bonus point, Leinster will just about hold off Clermont in Dublin with the French side also getting the losing BP. Connacht will fall victim to the Biarritz backlash losing by over 10 points while Ulster will continue their impressive run with a victory over the Saints, no bonus point this time.