All-Irish clash avoided for now

Ultimately, Leinster's professionalism and a little favour from London Irish - who denied Toulouse a 100 per cent pool record and a number one ranking in the last eight - helped to keep Leinster and Munster apart.

It would have been great, but surely it's better that they avoid each other. For the time being anyway.

Instead, Leinster earned the top ranking, thereby earning a home quarter-final against the second-best runners-up, Biarritz, who squeezed into the last eight after running in 13 tries without even bothering to pause for conversions against a Cardiff outfit who ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Munster, as the best runners-up or seventh-ranked team, thus go to Welford Road and face Leicester, the second-best pool winners, in a repeat of last year's final in the Millennium Stadium. It almost seems as if fate decreed it. A chance to avenge the Backhander.

"Fantastic. It's a great draw. I would imagine I'll have to say very few words before that game," commented Alan Gaffney yesterday. The Munster coach added: "I'll probably be an appendage for that match. The boys will need very little motivation from me. And that's not meant as any disrespect at all to Leicester, who obviously are a class outfit, and two-time defending champions. But it's going to be one hell of an occasion."

The quarter-finals, to take place on April 13th, 14th and 15th, are completed by Toulouse entertaining Northampton and Llanelli welcoming Perpignan. The Leinster and Llanelli matches are likely to go ahead on Friday, April 13th.

In the light of Saturday's results, Leinster, like Toulouse, had gone into yesterday's final pool game already assured of a home quarter-final, and there was even a scenario that to win would have earned a meeting with Munster (presuming Toulouse also won), whereas a defeat would have pitched them at home to Perpignan.

"We wanted to send out a very clear message that we weren't afraid of anyone," said coach Matt Williams. And by that he specifically and bullishly meant Munster. "The last five times we've played Munster we haven't lost once. But we just wanted to win the game for ourselves, besides which we had a hunch that London Irish might win, because they nearly won over there."

Williams is now even more adamant that Leinster should not sacrifice the advantage of playing at Donnybrook, where they've been unbeaten in four years in Europe, to play at Lansdowne Road..

"I think it sends out a big message to our supporters as well, and we need those supporters when we come back to play in Donnybrook," said Williams, deliberately putting the emphasis on the venue. "There would have to be a very, very good argument to go out of Donnybrook.

"The players and ourselves have already spoken about it and we want to play the quarter-final in Donnybrook. That's our home and there would have to be very good reasons for moving it."

If it meant saving Connacht?

"Yes, there is a financial angle to it, but it would have to be marketed for 40,000 people. We're not going to go to Lansdowne Road for 15 or 20,000."

As for playing Biarritz, Leinster owe them one from two years ago when a controversially refereed game in France saw Williams's team edged out of a quarter-final place. Biarritz were then beaten by Munster.

"Where's the weak link in the last eight?" asked Williams rhetorically. "We wanted to play it hard today and let the cards fall as they will. We know them from two seasons ago and we've actually watched them twice this season against Montferrand, so we know them quite well. There's not a lot of mystery about them, like there would have been with Bourgoin."

The down side of yesterday's win was that Girvan Dempsey aggravated his groin strain, and though it was too early to make a prognosis Williams looked concerned.

Williams had watched Munster play their latest and most outrageous get out of jail card the day before, which now earns them that revenge mission in Welford Road. And while Williams was utterly amazed by Gloucester's remarkable failure to fully understand the permutations, he was obviously delighted for his long-time side-kick Gaffney.

"It's great for Munster and I fancy them at Leicester after what happened last year, I really do," he said, adding with a smile: "I bet Deano (Leicester coach Dean Richards) is sitting there today thinking, 'Oh no, anybody but them'."