Let’s leave last Saturday in the past. For
whatever reason we simply didn’t show up against Cardiff, and I guarantee that
won’t happen again, especially not this week. If our mindset isn’t in the right
place for a Heineken Cup quarter-final then to be quite frank we don’t deserve
to go through, and if we aren’t near top form on Saturday then Saracens will
steamroll over us – they are a top quality side.
In fact, Saturday will be by far the toughest
test we will have faced all season. Saracens are a team that ooze quality all
over the park and they deserve the respect they get – top of the Aviva
Premiership, putting in some formidable performances recently and boasting
eight current internationals, they are a team that will test us in every area
of the pitch. Anybody else remember their 64-6 humiliation of Connacht back in
January?
Look no further than an incredibly talented
back line for where their biggest threats will come from. Chris Ashton and his
“Ash Splash” we know all too well after last season’s quarter-final, Owen
Farrell is lethal off the kicking tee, and Alex Goode is one of the best
counter-attacking full backs in European rugby. Add in the attacking potency of
Charlie Hodgson off the bench and that is one lethal back line.
Where we can compete is up front. In the two
games they lost against Toulouse, Saracens were outmuscled and battered about
by the French side at the breakdown, and with Rory Best, Dan Tuohy and Chris
Henry on the field, we have more than enough to actively compete with them at
the breakdown this Saturday. The reintroduction of Namibian openside Jacques
Burger will help Saracens’ plight but it is an area they definitely struggle
in.
Don’t forget, we are still the only team
unbeaten in the competition, we are at home in front of a sell-out 18,100
capacity Ravenhill crowd, and therefore the expectation will be fully upon us.
And rightly so, with 75% of quarter-finals being won by the home team, and with
our stellar record in the competition so far, strictly speaking this should be the game that will be won by
the home team!
Of course it’s anything but that. Ask Munster
last year who took down Harlequins at the Stoop, or even us a couple of years
ago in our smash-and-grab effort at Thomond Park – winning away from home in
the quarter-finals is far from impossible. Improbable yes, impossible no.
Therefore, you wouldn’t blame Saracens for coming over with high expectations,
especially after last season’s clash.
I won’t remind you of it. But needless to
say, things appear to be lining up slightly in their favour: they have the
advantage of winning last season, they carry the better result into the game
from last week, and effectively they have nothing to lose as they are the side
expected to be knocked out. They can come to Ravenhill and give it a good go
knowing if they lose they’re simply sticking to the status quo.
Mark McCall knows exactly what a Ravenhill
crowd can be like and therefore he will concentrate on making sure his side get
off to a quick start and silence the Ulster faithful. That will put them at a
huge advantage, and if the crowd goes silent then Saracens will very much have
the upper hand.
But still, Ulster have the players and the
belief to do it. The Cardiff result will have slapped some sense into them and
they will be determined to exact revenge on the English side after last
season’s humiliation at Twickenham. With a 6 from 6 record to maintain too, you
can guarantee that Mark Anscombe’s men won’t go down without a fight either –
how sweet would it be if in the final season of the Heineken Cup we could be
the first team to go win every single game.
So wherever you are, however you watch it,
make sure you stand up, sing loud, and sing proud for your Ulstermen this
Saturday night!
This is the time of champions.
Super
Eight
No, I’m not referring to the cricket,
although how sweet was it to see England capitulate against the Netherlands!
There are eight super teams left in the
Heineken Cup and three other cracking ties to watch this weekend, and I’ll take
a brief look at the other three ties.
Munster v
Toulouse: Irish allegiance shines through
here and I’d like to see Munster put away the French giants with relative ease.
Toulouse haven’t been brilliant this season and if they are missing Louis
Picamoles then I don’t fancy them storming Thomond Park and leaving with the
win, especially with Munster in decent form. If the Limerick men can play their
usual game and maintain the same clinical finishing that they have so far this
season then they should be just fine.
Clermont v
Leicester: Probably the easiest tie to
call, Leicester are not the force they were a few years ago and we all know about
Clermont’s ridiculously long home record. With the Cyber Vulcans cheering them
all the way and a full set to pick from, Vern Cotter and his team simply need
to do the basics right and let the home advantage carry them through. Will
Leicester break the record against all the odds? Don’t count on it.
Toulon v
Leinster: The second best tie of the
weekend (!) and what a tie it is. The defending champions at home to arguably
the best team in Europe and it’s a very tough one to call. Toulon have been in
and out of form this season yet still find themselves third in the Top14, while
Leinster are hitting their usual end of season stride and are confident after
dispatching Munster last weekend. You’re a brave man to bet against either of
these teams, home advantage may be the clinical factor.
I’m going for four home wins this weekend.
History states that there will be one away win this weekend, but I’m going to
go against the grain and say home advantage will pay dividends for the top four
seeds. Well, at least I hope it will.
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