England winger Austin Healey believes Leicester have learned their lesson from their 1997 European Cup final defeat to Brive ahead of today's semi-final showdown with Gloucester (BBC1, 3.50 p.m.)
Healey, one of just five survivors from the 28-9 trouncing by Brive four years ago, will line up for a virtually full-strength Tigers outfit at Vicarage Road. "We learned a lot of lessons from that day," said Healey. "The management got it wrong, the preparation was wrong and the players were complacent because we thought that the trophy was already ours.
"We had destroyed Toulouse at home in the semi-final and I think we thought that would happen in the final."
Healey insists this time around Leicester are taking nothing for granted, even though pundits are predicting the reigning League champions will wipe the floor with their West Country rivals, who are currently beset with problems. Their Australian World Cup winner Jason Little's anticipated departure from Kingsholm could be confirmed within the next few days, especially if Gloucester lose. In his first season with the club, he failed to ignite Gloucester's Premiership campaign, which saw them finish four places lower than an impressive third position 12 months earlier.
European qualification next term appears a remote prospect - realistically, Gloucester must either win the European Cup or May 13th League play-off final - and the smart money is on Leicester emphatically closing one of those avenues. England prop Trevor Woodman has lost his fitness race to make Gloucester's starting line-up. Leicester retain the side that crushed Harlequins last Saturday, which means Geordan Murphy continuing as full back.
LEICESTER: G Murphy; T Stimpson, L Lloyd, P Howard, W Stanley; A Goode, A Healey; G Rowntree, D West, D Garforth, M Johnson (capt), B Kay, W Johnson, N Back, M Corry. Replacements: P Freshwater, R Cockerill, R Nebbett, L Moody, P Gustard, J Hamilton, G Gelderbloom.
GLOUCESTER (probable): B Hayward or C Catling; J Ewens or R Todd, T Fanolua, J Little, J Simpson-Daniel; S Mannix, A Gomarsall; A Deacon, O Azam, P Vickery (capt), R Fidler, I Jones, J Boer, A Hazell, J Paramore or S Ojomoh. Replacements: to be announced.
Referee: Joel Dume (France).
Jean-Pierre Lux, chairman of ERC, yesterday confirmed that in the event of Stade Francais winning the semi-final then the final on May 19th will be held in Stade de France in Paris, while if Munster win the final will go ahead at Lansdowne Road. However, in the event of Munster winning, that decision will be reviewed in consultation with the Irish Government and a final decision will be made on Tuesday amid the distinct possibility that it could be switched to Paris due to the foot-and-mouth epidemic in England.
There will be a one-minute silence before kick-off in Munster's European Cup semi-final against Stade Francais in Lille, and at other rugby venues throughout France today as a mark of respect to Robert Paparemborde. The 52-year-old legend died on Thursday after losing his battle with cancer of the pancreas.
Paparemborde was capped 55 times and was captain of the French team on five occasions. In the early 1990s he was also vice-president of the French federation and was manager of the French national team in 1992.
