Irish dominance is not permanent, according to Novès

The experienced Toulouse head coach feels Leinster's experience should tip the balance in their favour, writes MARK RODDEN

THE PAST few weeks must have been frustrating for Guy Novès. So used to leading his side to the latter stages of the Heineken Cup, the Toulouse head coach has had to watch from afar as Leinster and Ulster won through to this weekend’s final.

The four-time Heineken Cup winner saw his side lose out to Edinburgh in the last eight, a strangely subdued performance from a team that, along with Clermont Auvergne, have crushed all and sundry in the French Top 14 this season.

Five times under his stewardship, however, Toulouse have gone on to win their domestic championship after being knocked out of Europe. No surprise, then, that the defending French champions soon sealed a Top 14 semi-final place after losing in Scotland.

That defeat at Edinburgh marked the 58-year-old’s 125th European tie in charge of Toulouse, a run dating back to their victory in the inaugural Heineken Cup in 1996. Having been a fan of the competition from the beginning, Novès has kept a close eye on proceedings since Toulouse’s exit.

“It seems to me that Ulster are a province that have really redoubled their efforts and I think that last season they had already started to change direction,” he said.

“I think they’ve made huge progress and wanted to become a major Irish province, contrary to previous years when, from my view from the outside, they seemed like the poor relation of Munster and Leinster.

“We knew that it was always difficult to play them at their ground but they were still a team that didn’t seem complete in every sector.

“They’re not there by chance. The results they got in the pool stages maybe surprised people who weren’t expecting it. But they’ve backed them up to become one of the best teams in Europe, without question.”

Novès believes that both teams merit their place in the final but the most experienced coach of them all suggests Leinster’s know-how could make the difference at Twickenham.

“I’ve been in six finals, three of which were all-French – against Perpignan, Stade Français and Biarritz. At the time I thought they were deserved. I think that this all-Irish final is also completely deserved, because Ulster deserve to be there and Leinster have backed up last season and got back to their best form at the best time.

“I had no doubt that Ulster were capable of beating Edinburgh but even though I think they’ve really made progress, playing Leinster in the final is always a challenge. I think Leinster still have that little bit more experience than Ulster.”

Novès, however, does not necessarily feel Leinster are any better than they were last year. Pointing to Wesley Fofana’s late chance in the semi-final, he instead feels the title holders have simply continued where they left off last season.

“The game against Clermont was very tough. Although Leinster scored a great try with a brilliant move, Clermont’s last attack could have allowed them to win the same match at the last second.

“I think that Leinster play a very precise game, with lots of pace and initiative. The fact that they brought in a secondrow from New Zealand [Brad Thorn] to compensate for their injured players shows that they’re a very ambitious province. They’re an intelligent team with huge mental strength . . . I love a lot about the rugby they play.”

In three of their four Heineken Cup-winning campaigns under Novès, Toulouse beat French opposition in the final. But in contrast to the early days, when the competition was less developed, he believes that meeting a team from your own country no longer takes from the winning feeling.

“When in football Barcelona meet Real Madrid you don’t ask any questions. You say that it’s two magnificent teams that deserve to be in the final. It hasn’t happened [in football] this year but we’ve already seen it.

“In the end you’re the champions of Europe. You don’t care if you played against a French team or an Irish team. You think of all the matches you had to win to get to the final.”

Following similar comments made by outgoing Stade Français head coach Michael Cheika, the president of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, Pierre-Yves Revol, has expressed his desire to see changes made to the Heineken Cup.

In an interview with Midi Olympique, Revol said he hoped to see ongoing discussions result in Celtic clubs agreeing to make Heineken Cup qualification dependant on league results. But Novès says this season was more difficult than most because France reached the World Cup final.

“We had to play a huge number of matches without my players so obviously we were less well prepared than provinces that were able to play two teams – one to work in the Celtic League and the other to work in international matches and European matches. But that’s the way the system is – it’s up to us to adapt to it.”

Likewise, he does not feel that an all-Irish final could signal a long-term power shift in Europe.

“When Toulouse played Stade Français, Biarritz or Perpignan, there was no French domination. The wheel turns and this year Leinster or Ulster will be champions – maybe Leinster for the second time in a row. But you’ll see that the wheel will turn.

“There will be Welsh teams, English teams as well, maybe Scottish teams, that showed this year that, little by little, by working hard you can win at this level. You have to think that other teams could take up the challenge.”

Toulouse will be among them, no doubt.

EXPERT VIEW

IAIN BALSHAW

Biarritz, played Ulster twice last season

Who do you think is going to win?

Naturally everyone goes towards Leinster because they’ve been there before. They’ve got bags of experience, they’re a very clinical team and I think they know what to expect.

Having said that, I think Ulster, the way they’ve come on in the past couple of years, should certainly not be written off. I think it’s going to be a tough one to call.

The way their guys are controlling the game, their backrow is ferocious and they’ve got Ruan Pienaar pulling all the strings. They’re a gutsy team.

What will be the key area on Saturday?

Jonathan Sexton for Leinster and Ruan Pienaar for Ulster, obviously with all the kicking duties they’ve got and pulling the strings for both teams.

Pienaar’s a class act. They’re certainly not a one-man team but he does guide them around the field. It puts a lot of pressure on his shoulders but he copes with that pressure. He gets his forwards playing well, bossing them around. And obviously Sexton will do exactly the same for Leinster.

NATHAN HINES

Clermont secondrow faced both finalists

Who do you think is going to win?

Obviously they beat us in the semi and I played for them last year, but I’d find it difficult to say that Leinster won’t win at the weekend. I think of the experience they’ve got in big games. Although Ulster have done fantastically well this season, I’m not sure if the occasion might not get the better of them.

I was really impressed with Ulster. Probably the sorest I’ve been this year was those two games against them. They put so much effort into the rucks that it makes it hard to get clean ball. And that’s one of the keys to beating Leinster.

What will be the key area on Saturday?

Leinster didn’t have much success against us in the lineout on their own ball but they still managed to win the game. Ulster accessed the game against Edinburgh through their scrum and Leinster have done a lot of work on their scrum.

Players from both scrummaging teams would have had some lessons from Greg Feek, so the scrum’s going to be a big thing.

FELIPE CONTEPOMI

Stade Français and ex-Leinster outhalf

Who do you think is going to win?

I think Leinster are the best team in Europe at the moment and they are the favourites, definitely. I think they’ve been there already. They’ve done it twice in the last three years and they are playing the best rugby at the moment.

For the way they arrived to this final by beating Cardiff in Dublin and then beating Clermont in France, I think they’ve shown they are the best team and they are playing some great rugby.

What will be the key area on Saturday?

They know each other quite well so they will have to bring something to disrupt the defences. Having said that Ulster have a very intelligent player in Ruan Pienaar, a very good pack and some thrilling backs.

They will be a threat but Leinster know exactly where they are, how it is to win a final and I think that that will be a crucial thing.