The first round of Heineken Cup 2013/14 matches kick off this weekend in what may be the very last tournament with the European premier club rugby competition going through a much publicised meltdown.
One feels that the RabboDirect PRO12 clubs are in a lose/lose position in the eyes of a certain faction who have been pushing for the break-up of the competition.
If they perform badly then questions may be asked about whether they should be competing at the top tier of European rugby. On the flip side if they have a successful tournament then it will be argued that this just proves the view of those who claim there is no level playing field as some accuse the PRO12 teams of being able to put fresher teams into the Heineken Cup as eleven of the PRO12 teams qualify with only one of either the Irish or Welsh teams missing out. So to some this guarantee of participation, especially of the Italian and Scottish teams, means that they can rest their players during the PRO12. Whereas only the top seven (out of fourteen) French and top six (out of twelve) English teams qualify depending on their league position in the last season, and so they feel they do not have the ‘luxury’ of being able to rest players to the same extent, never mind that the teams playing the competitive PRO12 want to do as well as they can in that competition.
With all that’s going on around them the teams need to have the ability to block it out and concentrate on their own preparation and performance in the current tournament. We have a look at the prospects of the two Scottish professional teams Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby and see who of the two will fare better.
RabboDirect PRO12 Season thus far
| Team | Position | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points Diff. | Tries scored | Tries conceded | Bonus points | League Points |
| Glasgow | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 20 |
| Edinburgh | 12 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -72 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 4 |
Glasgow and Edinburgh couldn’t be further apart in terms of form as they book-end the RabboDirect Pro12 table after five rounds with Glasgow in first place and Edinburgh occupying the bottom spot.
The table says it all really with Edinburgh conceding the most tries of all the teams in the competition and scoring the least. They did pick up a win against 6th placed Newport Gwent Dragons but have lost the other four games they have played.
While Edinburgh’s poor start to the season is disappointing it should not be surprising. Talk coming from head coach Alan Solomons is about the coaches getting to grips with what each of the players capabilities are and that there is basically a longer term plan in place with no quick fixes to be expected. It almost seems as if they have used the Pro12 season so far as a bit of a pre-season period.
I have previously expressed concerns about how late Solomons and even later defence coach Omar Mouneimne took up their posts and how we would just have to hope that Edinburgh gradually get better as the season progresses. Solomons will have inherited a squad of players he had not worked with before and he has also been adding to the squad as the season has gone on so it’s understandable that it will take time for all the pieces to fall in place.
Gregor Townsend’s Glasgow, on the other hand remain unbeaten in PRO12 rugby this season. In the process they have beaten 7th placed Cardiff Blues, as well as Ulster, Leinster, Scarlets and Zebre who are in 4th, 5th, 8th and 10th place respectively.
Glasgow’s defence has been very impressive and they have conceded the least number of tries of all the PRO12 teams this season. The two tries they did concede came in their away game against Zebre. The defensive structure itself looks quite good but even more impressive to me is the manner in which it is being executed with the players being very committed in the tackle and often driving their opponents a good distance backward. Leinster have scored 12 tries so far this season and Ulster 8 yet neither of these teams managed any against Glasgow.
On the flip side, Glasgow have not picked up any bonus points for scoring four tries or more in a match so far. This is something that some of their fans are concerned about. However, the only game I think that they can really be criticized in this regard was their game against Zebre where they got their third try early in the second half and then didn’t push on and get the bonus point try. Their opening game against Cardiff Blues was played in pouring rain in Glasgow so hardly one that was conducive to a lot of try scoring. Furthermore, one shouldn’t underestimate the value of their ability to grind out wins against their other three opponents who all are either currently in the top five on the PRO12 table or who they lost to last season. To me this is far more valuable and preferable to them say having picked up a bonus point win and having lost one or even two of their games.
Last season Glasgow were a joy to watch having added creative backline play to their solid forward platform which was already evident the season before. One feels one of the important cogs in that wheel was livewire and unpredictable scrumhalf Nilo Matawalu who has been out injured for the bulk of the season thus far. Fortunately he is back in the team now, although it is perplexing that started the last PRO12 game on the wing and is again in that position for the first Heineken Cup game. One feels that the sooner he is started nearer the action in his best position at scrumhalf the better. Another key playmaker for Glasgow who missed some of the start of the season is Sean Maitland. He is being used at fullback instead of his usual wing position and is a pivotal player with his ability to jread a game and join the line and create and finish off opportunities. Unfortunately, young star Lions fullback Stuart Hogg has not been in action that much and when he was he looked really rusty, he will also be out for several more weeks as he has had to have an operation on a damaged wrist.
Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have been playing without various stalwarts due to injury which makes Glasgow’s achievements even more impressive. The return to the field and eventual match fitness of top players such as captain Greg Laidlaw, Matt Scott, Nic Da Luca, and especially Ross Rennie should galvanise Edinburgh. While new arrivals such as Cornell du Preez, Wicus Blaauw and Joaquin Dominguez, to name a few, should also add to the performance level as they adapt to their new surroundings.
Considering all of the above one must surely conclude that Glasgow should have a more successful Heineken Cup run than Edinburgh. Both teams will face a stiff challenge to top their pools and progress to the quarter finals. At least there are also two places in the quarter finals up for grabs for the best two second teams in the pool stage.
Hopefully playing in a different competition will give Alan Solomons and his team a new lease of life and they will be able to perform a lot better than they have thus far this season.
As well as the form of the two teams we also need to consider who their opponents will be during the pool stages. A preview of the Heineken Cup pools and list of first round of matches follows (courtesy of Jonathan C. H. Davies – edinburghrugby).
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Pools Preview
Pool 1
Pool 1 begins on Saturday with Castres Olympique playing host to Northampton Saints while Ospreys welcome Irish side Leinster to the Liberty stadium.
Castres find themselves in familiar company as they take on Northampton Saints at Stade Pierre Antoine, with the two sides being pitched against each other in the pool stages last season.
If last year’s group fixtures are anything to go by, this will be a very tight contest, as both sides picked up home wins and a losing bonus point apiece.
Welsh side Ospreys face three-time Heineken Cup champions, Leinster.
Honours were shared in a 29-29 draw when the sides met at the RDS in the RaboDirect PRO12 earlier this year, but this is the first time the two sides have met in the Heineken Cup and both will be keen to get off to a winning start.
Leinster have an exceptional record against Welsh sides in the competition, having won their last 11 fixtures, but Osprey’s will be hoping the Liberty Stadium continues to be a fortress, having been undefeated at home in their last European campaign.
Pool 2
Champions Toulon begin their defence of the Heineken Cup crown at home to Glasgow Warriors at the Stade Felix Mayol on Sunday.
The French side were imperious last term, winning eight out of nine European matches, remaining unbeaten on home turf and will rightly be confident.
However, Glasgow who currently sit atop the RaboDirect PRO12 league table, come into the fixture as one of Europe’s in-form sides, winning five from five in the PRO12 this year, and will no doubt pose a stern test for the holders.
The other fixture in Pool 2 is between Exeter Chiefs and Cardiff Blues at Sandy Park.
English side, Exeter have made a meteoric rise to the upper echelons of European Rugby since they secured top flight domestic rugby status in 2010.
After just two years in the English Premiership, the Chiefs qualified for their debut Heineken Cup campaign last season, recording two wins but failing to get out of the group stages.
This year Exeter will be looking to consolidate their status as a presence on the European Rugby scene, and with the help of two ex-Blues players, Ceri Sweeney and Tom James, will be looking to get off to a winning start against Cardiff.
Despite having a tough Heineken Cup campaign last year, recording just one victory and failing to get out of their group, Cardiff have shown that they have what it takes to go far in the competition, narrowly missing out on a place in the 2008/09 final, when they lost out to Leicester Tigers in a tense penalty kick shoot-out.
Spearheaded by their quartet of British and Irish Lions, Sam Warburton, Leigh Halfpenny, Alex Cuthbert and Matthew Rees, the Blues will be hoping to continue their impressive record against English sides in the Heineken Cup, having won three of the last four Anglo-Welsh encounters.
Pool 3
Round 1 of games in Pool 3 sees last year’s semi-finalists Saracens travel to Connacht, and Italian outfit, Zebre, take on four-time Heineken Cup Champions, Toulouse, at the Stade Ernest Wallon on Friday night.
Irish provincial side, Connacht had their best Heineken Cup campaign last term, winning three out of six pool games, which unfortunately wasn’t quite enough to make it through to the knock-out stages.
This time around they will be looking to go one better and make it past the group stages for the first time in the club’s history, but with Saracens up first, they face an extremely tall order.
With a squad consisting of four of this summer’s British and Irish Lions, the London based club currently sit at the top of the Aviva Premiership league table with a 100% record for the season.
Saracens, who have never faced Connact in the Heineken Cup, will be looking for a solid start and a platform to set up a campaign to surpass last year’s, where they lost to eventual winners Toulon, in the semi-final.
The other opening tie in Pool 3, sees French giants, Toulouse, take on Zebre. If ever there was a ‘David vs Goliath’ fixture, this would be it.
Crowned champions in ’96, ’03, ’05 and ’10, Toulouse have played against Italian opposition eight times in the Heineken Cup, winning all eight and scoring over 30 points in six of those occasions.
On the other hand, Zebre are competing in only their second Heineken Cup competition, following a debut campaign last year where they lost all six group games conceding 27 tries.
Pool 4
Action in Pool 4 gets under way with English side Harlequins taking on Scarlets at the Stoop, and an all French affair as Racing Metro host Clermont Auvergne at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir.
English champions Harlequins will go into the match against Scarlets as slight favourites.
The sides have played each other twice before in the Heineken Cup, having met in the pool stages of the 2008/09 competition, with Quins claiming two narrow victories (29-22 and 29-24).
Historically Scarlets have shown the pedigree to go far in the competition, making it to the semi-finals in 2008/09, where they were beaten by Leicester Tigers, but in recent years have struggled to reach the same heights.
Last year they had a particularly disappointing tournament, finishing bottom of their pool with six losses, and with talismanic winger George North now moved to Northampton Saints, it will be interesting to see if they can rally together to produce a better campaign this time around.
In the other Pool 4 opening contest, last year’s runners-up, Clermont Auvergne, will battle it out with a new look Racing Metro.
The sides have met twice before in the Heineken Cup having been placed in the same pool in the 2010/11 tournament, and both sides registered a home victory.
This time around Racing will have the services of three British & Irish Lions to call upon, as Jonathan Sexton, Dan Lydiate and Jamie Roberts all moved to the French club this summer.
However, Clermont Auvergne have certainly been no scrimpers with their recruitment in recent seasons and have accrued a host of attacking talent, including last year’s tournament top try scorer, Napolioni Nalaga, making for a mouthwatering opening clash.
Pool 5
English heavyweight Leicester Tigers travel to Ravenhill to take on Irish province Ulster, and Treviso take on Montpellier at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo.
The first tie between Ulster and Leicester is one of great pedigree with two former tournament winners going toe-to-toe, Leicester lifting the cup in ’01 and ’02, and Ulster doing so in ’99.
The sides have met four times before in the competition with both sides claiming two wins apiece.
In the most recent fixture, Ulster romped to a 41-7 victory on home turf at Ravenhill which will undoubtedly give them confidence going into this weekend’s match.
For Leicester, they will be hoping to become only the second team out of the last 16 visitors to Ravenhill to manage an away win in the Heineken Cup.
In Pool 5’s other match-up, Italian side Treviso, play host to relative new boys on the Heineken Cup scene, Montpellier.
Treviso ended a run of eight consecutive defeats in the tournament in their final pool match of the 2012/13 season when they beat Ospreys 17-14, but in their history of competing in the Heineken Cup, are yet to make it out of the group stages.
Montepellier on the other hand, made quite an impression in only their second Heineken Cup campaign last season, as they were the only side to defeat eventual champions, Toulon, in the last of their pool games.
Having made it through their group, they were knocked out by Clermont Auvergne in the quarter-finals, but recent good form has put them tied on points for first place in the Top 14, and if they can carry that through to the Heineken Cup, the will be a stern test for any side.
Pool 6
Pool 6 gets underway on Saturday as Edinburgh Rugby take on Munster at Murrayfield, and French side Perpignan travel to Gloucester.
Since a storming campaign in the 2011/12 competition, which saw them defeat Toulouse in the quarter final and narrowly lose to Ulster in the semi-final, Edinburgh Rugby had a Heineken Cup campaign to forget last season, as they lost all six of their pool games.
This season is proving to be another tough slog for the Scottish capital side in the RaboDirect Pro12, but new coach Alan Solomons is confident they will start to see some improvement over the course of the season.
Edinburgh’s opposition, Munster, need no introduction to the scene of European club rugby. Twice Heineken Cup champions and twice runners up, the Irish Province consistently go deep into the competition.
The two sides found themselves in the same Pool as one another last season, with Munster claiming wins both home and away.
The odds are stacked against Edinburgh Rugby, but with captain Greig Laidlaw back in action, fans will be hoping that some of the old Heineken Cup magic from two seasons ago, is still kicking about somewhere in Murrayfield.
In the other opening clash of Pool 6, Gloucester and Perpignan return to Heineken Cup action after one and two-year absences, as they battle it out at Kingsholm.
The sides have met only twice before in the competition as they were pitched in the same pool during the 2002/03 tournament, with both sides claiming home victories.
With two sets of exciting backs, this could be an exciting encounter with the match most likely determined by which fly-half controls the play more – Gloucester’s Freddie Burns, or Perpignan’s James Hook.
First Round Fixtures
Friday 11 October, 2013
20:00 – Pool 3 – Connacht Rugby v Saracens, The Sportsground
20:00 – Pool 5 – Ulster Rugby v Leicester Tigers, Ravenhill
21:00 – Pool 3 – Toulouse v Zebre, Stade Ernest Wallon
Saturday 12 October, 2013
13:35 – Pool 6 – Edinburgh Rugby v Munster Rugby, Murrayfield
14:35 – Pool 5 – Benetton Trevison v Montpellier, Stadio Comunale di Monigo
15:40 – Pool 4 – Harlequins v Scarlets, Twickenham Stoop
16:40 – Pool 1 – Castres Olympique v Northampton Saints, Stade Pierre Antoine
18:00 – Pool 1 – Ospreys v Leinster Rugby, Liberty Stadium
18:00 – Pool 6 – Gloucester Rugby v Perpignan, Kingsholm
Sunday 13 October, 2013
12:45 – Pool 2 – Exeter Chiefs v Cardiff Blues, Sandy Park
16:00 – Pool 2 – Toulon v Glasgow Warriors, Stade Felix Mayol
21:00 – Pool 4 – Racing Metro 92 v ASM Clermont Auvergne, Stade Yves-du-Manoir
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This all is an interesting mix of information to bear in mind but at the end of each game the result will be determined by whichever team has played the best and made the most of their opportunities, in an ideal world. Hopefully there will be no controversial decisions from referees to detract from any results. So here’s to us sitting back and enjoying what could be the final Heineken Cup ride.