CLUB v COUNTRY PREPARATION ISSUES:
After the thrills and spills of the Six Nations, this weekend's quarter-final round of the Heineken Cup was a huge letdown from an Irish perspective. Munster and Leinster were beaten, and that's sport. They have both given us plenty of great days over the last few years, and neither team owe us anything. To be fair, though, it was disappointing that both went out with a whimper rather than a bang.
An obvious reason for this was that the Six Nations took its toll on both provinces from a preparation perspective. Interestingly, Ireland and France, the two best international sides in Europe, have no representatives in the semi-final. Is it something to do with the club v country debate?
The England international team was forced to release players back to the clubs throughout during the Six Nations, and they suffered the consequences. Ireland and France kept their squads together throughout, and managed to reach a level of performance several notches above England and Wales at times.
But the English and Welsh clubs are now reaping the benefits of their unpatriotic intransigence. Wasps, Northampton, Llanelli and Leicester all put in tremendous performances, and the benefit of having had fuller access to their international players over the last two or three months should not be underestimated.
BIARRITZ DISAPPOINTMENT:
The most disappointing side of the weekend were Biarritz. They looked tired, bored and bereft of ideas. They played to avoid defeat rather than to win, and were deservingly dumped out by the far grittier and more streetwise Northampton. To borrow a great phrase from Pat Spillane, Biarritz played 'puke football'.
At scrum-half, Dimitri Yachvili confirmed that his potential to be a liability is in exact proportion to the good things he does on the days where things go his way in what could turn out to be a career-defining match for him. His personality seems to underpin Biarritz's attitude. Maybe they rely on him too much, which isn't all his fault. Other senior players certainly failed to take responsibility for tempo or urgency once Northampton had the half back's influence reduced to the minimum.
LEINSTER AND MUNSTER:
Leinster also looked as though they had no 'Plan B' once the tactic of taking Wasps on in the 10-12 channel didn't work. When things go their way, as they tend to do at home, the London outfit are an immensely difficult side to play against. That they play some of the ugliest rugby you'll ever see is unfortunate, but it's up to the classically built sides like Leinster to uphold the tradition of rugby being a game where attacking play is rewarded and a negative attitude punished.
Leinster could have tried to chip or kick once the inside channel plan had failed, but the problem then would have become the difficulty of getting the ball back from Wasps, who clearly spend plenty of time practicing the endless 'two yard drive' scenario that blights the game from time to time. Going behind defined the match, and once Leinster conceded the unlucky intercept try to Eoin Reddan the game became far more difficult to win.
The only thing in their favour is that they are still a team on the upgrade, and will be better next year. More than any other year, Heineken Cup 2008 will define the careers of Michael Cheika, Brian O'Driscoll and the rest of the present generation of Leinster core players.
Munster may be headed in the opposite direction. Losing the services of South Africa bound Trevor Halstead will be a massive blow as the replacements lined up will not be as effective. While the argument in favour of Leinster taking on a few Munster forwards has been won - Stephen Keogh and Trevor Hogan have had very good years – the chemistry of Munster is more delicate.
Introducing Leinster's surplus backs into the Munster mix may look like the logical thing to do - it certainly suits the IRFU- but it clearly has the potential to do far more harm than good. A new forward can be fitted in more easily, and can prove themselves more quickly and easily than a back.
The case of Stanley Wright, at times Leinster's best player against Wasps, is illustrative. When he arrived he was an easy target in the media due to his having no roots in Ireland, but he has by dint of effort and application won over the Leinster supporters.
Munster's new backs will be in a similar scenario to begin with – in that they'll be easy marks – but the path to 'favoured player' status is far rockier in the skill and speed-based environs of the backline.
The worry would be that the new players will, through no fault of their own, be scapegoated for any failures down the line, and thus disrupt the previously rock solid relationship between the team and the Munster fans.
LEICESTER, THE OBVIOUS CHOICE:
In trying to pick a winner from the four remaining sides, Leicester are the obvious selection. Since the famous defeat to Munster at Welford Road which began the competition (a game they ought to have won) they've kept plugging away.
Going to Thomond Park and beating Munster hinted that there was something to them, and that they are still a special club. There are a number of reasons for this. Their player recruitment policy is second to none: intelligent and bold, but conservative and mindful of not disrupting the DNA of the club. They take on young players who are going places, thus keeping competition in their ranks fresh. They are also not shy about recruiting top quality, such as Martin Castrogiovanni at prop, when the situation demands.
Other clubs have fallen into the trap of taking on too many stalled or 'end of career' individuals. Leicester play Llanelli next who, although they saw off Munster, still look eminently beatable. Munster would surely have turned them over if Paul O'Connell had started.
Leicester are coming out of a couple of below vintage years caused by having to adjust to the loss of Martin Johnson. The main worry is that they lack a top class out-half but the quality from one to nine should be more than enough for them against whoever comes out of the 'weak' semi between Wasps and Northampton Saints.
It would be nice to see them do it as they were the one team this weekend who showed us that the Heineken Cup is still a special competition. The major stumbling block for them is that the final is at Twickenham, in London, and will most likely be against London Wasps, which may give them some momentum coming into the match.
For the Irish rugby fan, the positive impact of our top players missing a few hard matches in mid-summer, and being able to prepare exclusively for France in September, might turn out to be a blessing yet.
