Lions-Tigers clash has classic ingredients

On Rugby: Follow that? In times past, that's rarely been a problem for the Heineken European Cup, and despite the unforgettable dash, verve and sense of occasion which accompanied Wales's Grand Slam, it won't be a problem this weekend either.

Indeed, it's as well for an otherwise unexceptional Six Nations that Wales did set the pulses racing or else the old international tournament might again compare unfavourably to it's sub-Test underling.

Quarter-final weekend has never been bigger in the competition's 10-year history. Granted there will be no input from Wales, Scotland or Italy but the cup continues to reach parts that no other competition does, and this Sunday will even cross new frontiers with a first match in Spain when Biarritz host Munster in Real Sociedad's Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastian.

Indeed, with all four home quarter-finalists having made the bold decision to move home to bigger venues, the four sell-outs will set a new landmark by attracting 162,000 spectators.

Three seasons ago, when all four ties were kept at home venues, per se, the aggregate attendance was 47,000.

A year later, when Toulouse and Leinster moved to Le Stadium and Lansdowne Road (while Leicester and Llanelli weren't for budging), the figure rose to 110,800 and last season, when Toulouse were the only team to sacrifice their customary home for a bigger venue (with Llanelli, Munster and Wasps all staying put) the total fell to 70,300.

Clearly the capacity for this competition's growth has still not been reached. Munster apparently sent back 2,000 of their 8,000 allocation, although it would be no surprise if the Red Army is significantly bigger than their official numbers come Sunday. It usually is.

However, those tickets have been swiftly snapped up as Biarritz's fellow Basques south of the Spanish border, who have clearly bought into this tie.

Leicester also sent back 2,000 of their 12,000 allocation for their Lansdowne Road rendezvous with Leinster on Saturday, but that still means there will be 10,000 roaring Tigers come kick-off.

There's no doubt that the two most raucous and colourful occasions at Lansdowne Road in recent memory (Test matches included) were when Ulster and Munster took over the old venue for the European Cup final of 1999 and last season's semi-final respectively.

By comparison, Leinster's knock-out matches at Lansdowne Road two seasons ago were monastic tea parties.

But, as is their wont, neither Biarritz nor Perpignan brought much in the way of travelling support whereas - bearing in mind how the Red Army galvanised the Leinster faithful into unheard of chanting for the inaugural Celtic League final of 2001 - the English invasion this Saturday might be no bad thing.

A sea of blue might be too much to hope for on the day, but the invading Tigers might just put it up to the 'home' crowd to don the blue, have a few libations and clear their throats.

It's a classic Irish-Anglo affair, with the Irish cast in the role of underdogs against the mightiest of English invaders complete with hate figure - given Martin Johnson's last visit here for the Grand Slam shoot-out two seasons ago.

With five of the English pack and their two retiring, World Cup-winning legends, they'll fancy doing a number on the supposedly 'soft underbelly' of the Leinster forwards, as they did in Welford Road at the same stage three years ago.

If everyone is passed fit, Leinster could have six of the pack who were on duty that day, with the Tigers liable to have 10 or 11 of the same staring line-up and Leinster up to 10, although they do have, for the moment at any rate, the sublime David Holwell at outhalf as opposed to an injured Nathan Spooner.

Leicester will be bad and mean. They'll seek to put pressure on Leinster in every single area of the pitch and, through Johnson, Back and co, on referee Joel Jutge, while under Pat Howard's tutelage their backline play against Wasps looked as good as ever.

There'll be moments for Brian O'Driscoll and the Leinster galacticos to strike too, but as the Leeds Tykes showed on Sunday, first and foremost Leinster will need to fight them in the trenches, and they don't always have to be polite or even entirely legitimate about it.

It could be the match of the weekend, and if Leinster were to actually win it, it probably will be.

With the three other quarter-finals being held in France so much for 'the insular French', or indeed the theory expounded previously in this column that their expanded Top 16 would debilitate their Cup challenge.

Toulouse, after their 10-try, 71-3 romp against Brive last Friday, look in imperious nick for the visit of Northampton and despite their 41-3 ravaging in Biarritz on Saturday, Stade Français' focus on the European Cup will be intensified by a Parc des Princes full-house for the visit of Newcastle.

Home bankers, surely.

Which leaves it up to Munster.

No Christian Cullen and now no Ronan O'Gara, against the form side in France, whose star-studded line-up even features players (Imanol Harinordoquy, Nicolas Brusque, Jimmy Marlu etc) straining at the leash after relative inactivity in the Six Nations.

The comparison with the quarter-final line-ups between the same teams in the last eight four seasons ago and this year is instructive.

Biarritz, with high profile signings in the interim such as Damien Traille, Harinordoquy, Jerome Thion, Vladimir Balan, Martin Gaitan, Dimitri Yachvili etc in the intervening years, are virtually unrecognisable.

Munster's changes in personnel, save for Paul Burke now, are accounted for by home-grown talent.

The same can be said for all the French and English quarter-finalists, and that's not taking into account the new seven-figure, state-of-the-art training facilities which Toulouse and Leicester have unveiled in the last two seasons.

These clubs are completely geared towards winning competitions, first and foremost.

By comparison Leinster (whose players still arrive at Anglesea Road in their gear and change into their boots while sitting on their car bonnets) and Munster are in large part here to serve Team Ireland, and most of their cast are by this stage either weary or rusty.

Come the business end of the competitions, no less than Connacht against Sale Sharks' array of Test stars in Galway on Saturday, with each passing year it's getting harder for the Irish provinces.