Leinster, Munster dealt cruel hands

RUGBY/ European Cup:Away in the quarter-finals, and without a ground to call home for the semi-finals, almost inevitability Munster and Leinster were dealt the hardest hands imaginable at yesterday's semi-final draw in Twickenham.

The reigning champions' reward, should they win away to Llanelli Scarlets, would be a semi-final away to the winners of the Leicester-Stade Francais quarter-final, while Leinster must beat Wasps away and then most likely Biarritz in San Sebastian, presuming the latter overcome Northampton for a third time in this season's competition.

No team has ever won the Heineken European Cup by winning on the road in both the last eight and the semi-finals and after the draw both Irish teams drifted in the betting. Paddy Power installed Biarritz as the 9 to 4 favourites, with two-time winners Leicester at 7 to 2 and Munster, favourites until last Saturday's seismic first Cup defeat in Thomond Park, are now at 5 to 1 with Leinster sixth favourites at 9 to 1.

Whereas the Irish teams are obliged to take the scenic route to the Twickenham final on May 20th, no team in the history of the competition has ever been handed a more favourable route all the way to the decider than Biarritz. Even Serge Blanco cannot complain about a draw which initially pitted his former club against the lowest-ranked qualifiers from Italy, Scotland and England, with a quarter-final at home to the latter followed by a home semi-final.

As the revised odds suggest, a Biarritz-Leicester final is now the favoured option of the bookies and, one would venture, the French and English television executives.

All in all, it was hard not be a little cynical, although of course there was no suggestion that the draw - conducted by Leicester's Austin Healey - was not entirely above board. About the only glimmer of light from an Irish perspective was the notion, and admittedly this was stretching things, that Leinster and Munster were kept in opposite halves of the draw, thereby averting a potential repeat of last season's much-hyped semi-final. If they are to meet again, it will have to be in the final.

On behalf of his Leinster team-mates, Robert Kearney not unreasonably suggested the draw did not make a huge amount of difference. "Particularly for the semi-final, provided we get there, I don't think support will be a huge issue. Leinster supporters have become increasingly better every week and looking to get involved, and so I don't think an away semi-final will be a huge disadvantage."

As for the Irish sides being kept in opposite half of the draw as opposed to having the carrot of a repeat semi-final, Kearney commented: "There is a lot of hurt from last year, so we know we're capable of beating them, and to do it in a final would be much sweeter than to do it in a semi-final."

Healey billed the clash between Wasps' famed blitz defence and Leinster's array of backline attacking talent as the tie of the quarter-finals, and Kearney conceded that sometimes Leinster have suffered against the rush defences of Welsh teams in the Magners Celtic League.

"But, needless to say, there's so much class in that backline that they'll be capable of cutting them open. We might have to tailor our attack a little bit more but we know how to do it and we think we're capable of getting through the blitz, taking advantage of it and exploiting it."

Unsurprisingly, Declan Kidney was less inclined to discuss a possible semi-final, not least with a trek to Llanelli in the meantime. Pointing out that the Scarlets have done something beyond Munster, namely winning all six pool games and in the so-called Group of Death. "We're back into Cup final mode now. The draw is a good exercise but today doesn't have any relevance," he maintained.

As to the possibility of facing a sixth away semi-final out of seven, Kidney commented: "We've been fortunate to be in a number of semi-finals, one of them was at home; we lost that one (against Wasps). But I wouldn't get into it, not against a Llanelli side that has won six out of six."

This day last year, however, the two Irish provinces had been drawn in the same half. "Seventy two hours ago we could have been pitted against each other in the quarter-finals," countered Kidney. "That's the fun of the competition and the way it unfolds."

He laughed aloud at the notion of using the draw as a source of motivation. "Playing Leicester or Stade away?" The Munster coach pointed out that there were three Celtic League sides in the last eight, along with three from the English Premiership and two from the French Top 14. As an aside, Kidney confirmed that Anthony Foley has a strained calf which will keep him out for four to six weeks, while John Kelly's cracked ribs will prevent him from doing any physical activity for two weeks, while Barry Murphy's slightly fractured finger might sideline him for another week or two.

Munster don't have another match for four weeks, but Kidney reckoned Trevor Halstead will struggle to make that and won't return until the end of the February.

Robert Jones, the former Welsh coach now on the Llanelli coaching staff, admitted the decision to keep their quarter-final at Stradey Park's 10,000 capacity rather than move it to the 20,000 Liberty Stadium, was welcomed by the playing and coaching staff. "I think we have to be realistic. If we have it in a bigger stadium it means more Munster fans and they've got this habit of getting their hands on more tickets than they're allocated," he said, laughing. "They're extremely passionate and proud, and moving it to a bigger stadium would have diluted the advantages of having a home game."

Dates and kick-off times for the quarter-finals, to be held on March 30th, 31st and April 1st, will not be confirmed until today.

European Cup: Semi-final draw

Biarritz/Northampton v Wasps/Leinster

Leicester/St Francais v Llanelli/Munster

(Ties to be played weekend April 20th-22nd)