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Quarter finals this weekend starting with Cardiff v Toulouse in Cardiff.

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Stuart Barnes’s Big Game: Cardiff Blues versus Toulouse | Six Nations Rugby - Times Online

t is the biggest game in the history of the region; and the biggest played under the historic Cardiff name since they lost the very first Heineken Cup quarter final – at the old National Stadium – against Toulouse. This time the old Arms Park has been deserted for its towering neighbour, the Millennium, as hopes rise for a 30,000 plus crowd.

Frankly, if Toulouse turn up, I cannot understand why 60,000 people wouldn’t want to watch a team capable of some of the most watchable rugby in the world. We will come to the tactical nuances in a minute but first let’s just dwell on the mesmeric ability of the backs. Not only are Clement Poitreneud, Cedric Heymans, Vincent Clerc and Maxime Medard magicians with the ball, they are also consummate technicians.

Bless them, Poitreneud and Heymans are more than capable of throwing the odd shocker in, which only increases the charm and unpredictability of watching them (even if you a Rouge et Noir regular, that is the Toulouse way) but the manner in which they work three-into-two opportunities into tries down those five metre channels can be close to perfection.

All four have achieved much in their career but it is the young Medard who seems destined to be the best of them all. In last Sunday’s paper I described him as the man who would be the best French back since Serge Blanco. I stand by this, the man is going to be special.

The Blues will find out just how special if they kick loosely in his general direction. In Nicky Robinson they have the fly half least likely to do that. For all the talk of tens, the Cardiff man has been long forgotten but if a Heineken Cup team of the tournament was selected on the basis of pool form, he would be my choice. He has a rugby brain and the Blues will need that; brawn alone will not oust a Toulouse team so comfortable in the French top four that they are able to select for league games purely with European matters in mind.

They were outsmarted by Munster at this same stadium last year but who has not been mentally mashed by the men in red? Cardiff Blues will have to play with the tenacity of the fourteen who finished in absolute control at Kingsholm against Gloucester in the pool stages. But this is a step up from Gloucester or Biarritz. The Blues must be smarter than Wales who overplayed the Andy Powell power game throughout the Six Nations. They have good carrying options up front and they must use them all to keep Robinson on the front foot from where he has most chance of controlling the game.

Thierry Dusautoir will be after him but Martyn Williams is going to be breathing fire in the Frenchman’s face all afternoon. That could be the match up of the day, the headline-grabber. It could well be tight, in which case Toulouse are favoured. Last season's semi finals showed that experience counts for a huge amount in this competition. Saracens matched Munster as London Irish matched Toulouse in every aspect bar experience. The great intangible might just come into play again.

Best of the Rest

Leicester versus Bath

On paper, this one looks to be in the bag for the Tigers. Bath are struggling away from home and after being comprehensively clipped by Harlequins they are struggling full stop, while the Tigers roar on at the top of the table, playing their best balanced rugby since they were last champions of England. And yet as in life a week is a long time in rugby. Two names, Julian White and David Flatman, could alter the seemingly completed script.

Leicester's White is unavailable because of the red card received for reacting to an Andrew Sheridan punch with one of his own, which weakens the Tigers scrum hugely. But Flatman, the other ex Saracen prop, could change the entire mood of the Bath camp with another vintage display of scrum work.

The seeds of Harlequins victory on Saturday were sown at the scrum where the Londoners pulverised Bath at key times. That would not have happened had Bath’s best scrum technician been playing. Against Toulouse in round six of the pool stages the West Country scrum was stuck in the mud and reverse mode until he arrived from the bench to turn the contest around. Against Wasps he was equally influential and with Flatman back Bath will be far more threatening than their abject effort against Quins.

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Another key man returning for the West Country side is Michael Claasens. If anyone doubted just how important he is to Bath before Saturday, they do not now. If he is critical to Bath’s attacking game, Aaron Mauger, the Tigers captain, is equally important to the Tigers. It took Mauger a while to settle in but now that he has his feet under the table it seems the Tigers have settled into his pattern and not the other way around. Sublime angles, deft delays and the resurgence of Tuilagi are all off shoots of this marvellous rugby brain.

He has thrived outside Sam Vesty, one of the less appreciated English players outside of his club (and sometimes inside it). Pat Howard loved Vesty’s game and so does Mauger; and that has to be quite an endorsement. But England’s first choice fly half is Toby Flood and Flood like England’s first choice scrum half, Harry Ellis, is a Tiger. The best Tigers performances this season have come about with Julian Dupuy kicking (and Flood’s goal kicking was poor against Sale) and Vesty controlling – with Ben Youngs coming off the bench.

The easy option for the Tigers is to stick with the international pecking order. Bath will be praying Richard Cockerill takes that very route. Even more they will hope that Mauger’s 50/50 call goes the way off his injury and deprives the Tigers of their main man.

Harlequins versus Leinster

The mighty Quins: flying in the Premiership and setting sail for Ireland and a Heineken Cup semi-final. The way they beat Bath without the ball was reminiscent of mighty Munster. An organised defence, a street wisdom to their game and a wonderful sense of togetherness within the team; this side has been stamped `Richards’ like a stick of rock.

While they were beating Bath, Leinster were going under again in Limerick. I guess it is not really a reason for loss of confidence because Leinster are used to being beaten in every big game by Munster but it will not have done wonders for morale.

They do possess one of the fiercest players to have graced the modern game in Brian O’ Driscoll and in Rocky Elsom they have a flanker to make the hard working Harlequins back row think twice but that apart, Quins have the belief. They have the memory of beating Stade Francais at home and away and they are likely to have the magnificent Nick Evans returning to add even more to an attack that had a day off in the West Country. It is probably the death knell for the Harlequins but having watched both teams this weekend I cannot see an all Irish semi-final.

Munster versus Ospreys

I can see one Irish team making the semi-final however. Of the four ties this one has the look of certainty to it. Please spare any talk of the Ospreys superstars until they produce when it matters. A clutch of superb players does not make a great team but a great team can make great players as Munster have proved. James Hook is a wonderful talent but has yet to accept his gift and become the pilot of his team. In contrast, Ronan O’ Gara’s natural gifts are more prosaic but I know which of them I would want playing at fly half for my team.

Ryan Jones versus Paul O’ Connell as contenders for the Lions captaincy, it takes a lot of faith to see the Ospreys giving Munster a game let alone knocking the champions out.

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WalesOnline - RugbyNation - Blues - Wales coach Shaun Edwards backing Cardiff Blues

WALES and Lions coach Shaun Edwards has backed the Blues to defeat French giants Toulouse in today’s Heineken Cup quarter-final showdown at the Millennium Stadium.

And Edwards believes Blues fly-half Nicky Robinson can inspire the Welsh region to a semi-final place.

“I think the Blues can win,” said Edwards. “Last season they lost out to Toulouse at the same stage, but the way they qualified this time suggests they will be a harder nut to crack for the three-times champions.

“Their key man will be Nicky Robinson. He has to determine where the game is played and be accurate with the boot.

“Toulouse always field a back three who are prepared to run the ball back, so I’d like Robinson to put his kicks out and take the lineout rather than risk the counter-attack.”

The Blues have left Gareth Thomas and Andy Powell on the bench after opting for former All Blacks No 8 Xavier Rush and Wales wing Tom James.

The Millennium Stadium roof will be closed this afternoon for a European encounter the region have sold more than 30,000 tickets in what will be a record home crowd.

Tickets are still available today for the game from the Marquee on Gate 3 on Westgate Street from 9.30am.

Ticket collections are from the Ticket Office opposite the Angel Hotel, with supporters advised to pick up their tickets as early as possible.

Blues: B Blair; L Halfpenny, T Shanklin, J Roberts, T James; N Robinson, J Spice, G Jenkins, G Williams, T Filise, B Davies, P Tito (capt), M Molitika, X Rush, M Williams. Reps: J Yapp, R Thomas, D Jones, A Powell, R Rees, C Sweeney, G Thomas.

Toulouse: M Medard; V Clerc, F Fritz, Y Jauzion, C Heymans, F Michalak, B Kelleher; D Human, W Servat, S Perugini, F Pelous, P Albacete, J Bouilhou (capt), S Sowerby, T Dusautoir. Reps: A Vernet Asualdo, T Montes, G Lamboley, Y Nyanga, D Skrela, M Kunavore, C Poitrenaud

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Cardiff Blues' Gareth Thomas relishing meeting former side Toulouse | Sport | guardian.co.uk

Gareth Thomas thought he had seen it all when he joined Toulouse in 2004. He was then one of Wales' senior internationals, about to be made captain, and had enjoyed a high-profile career with Bridgend, Cardiff and the Celtic Warriors, a regional side which lasted one season before being closed down by the Welsh Rugby Union.

Thomas, who is now 34, spent three *seasons with the French giants. Tomorrow afternoon he will face his former club for the Cardiff Blues in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup at the Millennium Stadium. Thomas played in the opening match at the ground, for Wales against South Africa, 10 years ago, and he appreciates that his next visit could be his last.

"Toulouse opened my eyes as a player and as a person," said Thomas, who in 2007 became the first Wales player to win 100 caps. "I returned to Wales 10 times better for the experience. I admit that when I went there I was not life-savvy: I was a wild child who lived life instinctively. I would walk past a building and not even notice it.

"In Toulouse, you immersed yourself in the culture of the place. The rugby team is a massive part of the city and generates a real passion but there is also far more to Toulouse. I learned not only to respect the history of the club but also the area and I soon came to appreciate *buildings and structures. It freed up my mind completely and my time there was a life-changing experience, making me realise how fortunate I was.

"Before I went there, I took rugby and being a professional for granted. Wales was a goldfish bowl and I guess that, in its way, Toulouse was as well, except you felt you were in the sea. Everything that went on around you was on a bigger scale: the team became like a family to me and they were an amazing bunch of people."

Thomas had won a host of caps when he arrived in Toulouse. He made his Wales debut in the 1995 World Cup, when the game was still, nominally, amateur, but he was rarely a fixture in the side, flitting from centre to wing and having a stint at full-back. He gained a reputation as a physical three-quarter, not a reactive one.

"Toulouse expanded my game," he said. "You were given a freedom to play and express yourself on the field. Toulouse is the biggest club in Europe, rugby's equivalent of Real Madrid. Their game has always been about offloading and running but it is also physical, the complete *package. It was always exciting, no matter how close a game was. I will always remember that constant feeling of excitement."

Thomas won the Heineken Cup with Toulouse in 2005. He will be among the Blues replacements tomorrow, having recovered from injury and illness, and if a feature of the French club over the years has been the quality of its bench (Yannick Nyanga, David Skrela and Clément Poitrenaud are among its occupants tomorrow afternoon), the Blues have developed a comparable strength in depth and six of their substitutes, including the Wales No8 Andy *Powell, are internationals.

"I am delighted we are playing *Toulouse rather than, like the Ospreys, Munster," said Thomas. "The beauty of the Heineken Cup is meeting teams from a different league. I am just delighted to be involved and the important thing for the boys is not to be overawed. We have to be bold and believe in ourselves. They are good, but so are we and we are playing in our own backyard. At this stage of my career, you appreciate an occasion like this all the more because you know it could be your last."

Thomas won his 100th and final cap in a calamitous defeat by Fiji in the 2007 World Cup. He led Wales then and always said he would never retire from international rugby. When Warren Gatland took over the national side at the beginning of last year, he left Thomas out of the squad and the Kiwi has never called on the player who led the Lions in the final two Tests of the 2005 tour to New Zealand.

"If I had gone on playing for Wales, I would not have lasted more than three or four games because of the physicality they have developed," said Thomas. "I would not be here now and how I appreciate just what a Heineken Cup quarter-final means. Not that long ago it would have been just another game of rugby, but I have been *relishing this match ever since we qualified. [It is] a return to rugby's shrine."

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Cardiff v Toulouse: As Wales sings the Blues, Young's unbeaten heroes have it all to do - Sportingo


Cardiff Blues coach Dai Young expects tremendous support for Saturday's Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Toulouse, with ticket sales having reached a club record.

However, it will be with some trepidation and a cursing of luck that the Blues host the-time finalists and the three-time champions of Europe.

In the corresponding match last year, Toulouse entertained the Blues at Stadium Municipal. If Cardiff had managed to turn up the heat on Bristol in their final pool match and collect a bonus point, they would have avoided one of the most powerful teams in France. As it was, they were hammered 41-17 and humbled out of the competition.

Last year was indisputably one of the great years for the Blues. They finished Magners League runners-up, the crowning moment being a magnificent 25-22 victory over Munster. Not only did they finish above the mighty Irish province, they also took the momentum into this year’s Heineken Cup.

While the Blues have been disappointing in this season’s Magners League, currently sitting in eighth place, they have become well accustomed to the rigours of the Northern Hemisphere's grandest stage.

Their crowning glory was against Gloucester in January, when, despite being down by a man for the better part of 60 minutes, they held off the cherry-and-whites to win 16-12.

This helped the Blues to finish as top seeds of the pool stages and the only unbeaten team in the championship. It earned the right of a home quarter-final against the worst performing qualifying team.

The opposition, by virtue of bonus points, would be Guy Nove’s masterpiece, Toulouse.

Under the tutelage of arguably France's greatest-ever coach, the famed team from the Midi Pyrénées have won no fewer than eight championships and three of Europe’s premier domestic titles.

In 20 decorated years with the club, Nove has carved out one of France's classic images - that of the track-suited Toulouse field marshal prowling the sideline, barking orders to his troops.

While qualifying eighth for the Heineken Cup finals sounds like a failure by the club's lofty standards, it is not quite so. But, after four consecutive wins to open their 2008/2009 account after racking up the most grand-final appearances the year before, their last two matches almost derailed their campaign.

A shock loss to the Glasgow Warriors and a miserable 3-3 draw with Bath almost crashed Nove’s team out of the championship, but now he and his team have a chance for redemption. Not just redemption for themselves, but for France.

The only team to represent the proud nation, it has been an average year for flamboyant French rugby. The Six Nations was regarded as a failure, and with the numerous controversies and upheavals in the game, their most powerful club have a chance to right the wrongs of the followers of ‘le ballon ovale'.

The current Top 14 leaders will bring one of the more formidable packs in Europe to the Millennium Stadium, anchored by former French captain Fabien Pelous.

But it will be in the tackle area where the Toulousains will look to dominate, led by Thierry Dusautoir - widely considered as the most efficient defensive flanker in the game.

But it is behind the scrum that Toulouse’s menace lies. French international David Skrela has been passed fit in a backline where all players are considered front-line Test players. The only exception is Byron Kelleher, who himself is a former All Black.

Clement Poitrenaud has been passed fit, and will feature in a backline that will likely have Cedric Heymans, Vincent Clerc and Florian Fritz returning to the starting XV after sitting out the recent clash with Brive.

However the Blues, only the sixth team in Cup history to go through the pools unbeaten, are littered with Welsh internationals themselves.

Martyn Williams and Andy Powell return to a pack that will fancy themselves against a veteran French front eight, with former All Black Xavier Rush likely to complete a formidable Blues back row.

As with the French, though, the Cardiff arsenal lies in the backline. Gareth Thomas, Tom Shanklin and Jamie Roberts may not be as flamboyant as the opposition threequarters, but they are renowned defensive players.

It is here that the match will be decided. If the Blues can shackle the Toulouse attack, they will back themselves to take the upset – which it would be despite Cardiff’s top seeding.

Still, Toulouse should have just a bit too much class, and win a close tussle by two points.

Match fact: Cardiff and Toulouse played in the first Heineken Cup final - the French team's 21-18 victory winning them their first of three championships at the beginning of a decade where they would dominate Europe.

Cardiff road to the quarter-final: W W W W W W. Last match: Cardiff 62 Calvisano 20. Toulouse road to the quarter-final: W W W W L D. Last match: Toulouse 3 Bath 3. Previous Heineken Cup encounters: Toulouse 4 Cardiff 1. Last meeting: Toulouse 41 Cardiff 17 (Heineken Cup quarter-final, April 6, 2008).

nder the tutelage of arguably France's greatest-ever coach, the famed team from the Midi Pyrénées have won no fewer than eight championships and three of Europe’s premier domestic titles.

In 20 decorated years with the club, Nove has carved out one of France's classic images - that of the track-suited Toulouse field marshal prowling the sideline, barking orders to his troops.

While qualifying eighth for the Heineken Cup finals sounds like a failure by the club's lofty standards, it is not quite so. But, after four consecutive wins to open their 2008/2009 account after racking up the most grand-final appearances the year before, their last two matches almost derailed their campaign.

A shock loss to the Glasgow Warriors and a miserable 3-3 draw with Bath almost crashed Nove’s team out of the championship, but now he and his team have a chance for redemption. Not just redemption for themselves, but for France.

The only team to represent the proud nation, it has been an average year for flamboyant French rugby. The Six Nations was regarded as a failure, and with the numerous controversies and upheavals in the game, their most powerful club have a chance to right the wrongs of the followers of ‘le ballon ovale'.

The current Top 14 leaders will bring one of the more formidable packs in Europe to the Millennium Stadium, anchored by former French captain Fabien Pelous.

But it will be in the tackle area where the Toulousains will look to dominate, led by Thierry Dusautoir - widely considered as the most efficient defensive flanker in the game.

But it is behind the scrum that Toulouse’s menace lies. French international David Skrela has been passed fit in a backline where all players are considered front-line Test players. The only exception is Byron Kelleher, who himself is a former All Black.

Clement Poitrenaud has been passed fit, and will feature in a backline that will likely have Cedric Heymans, Vincent Clerc and Florian Fritz returning to the starting XV after sitting out the recent clash with Brive.

However the Blues, only the sixth team in Cup history to go through the pools unbeaten, are littered with Welsh internationals themselves.

Martyn Williams and Andy Powell return to a pack that will fancy themselves against a veteran French front eight, with former All Black Xavier Rush likely to complete a formidable Blues back row.

As with the French, though, the Cardiff arsenal lies in the backline. Gareth Thomas, Tom Shanklin and Jamie Roberts may not be as flamboyant as the opposition threequarters, but they are renowned defensive players.

It is here that the match will be decided. If the Blues can shackle the Toulouse attack, they will back themselves to take the upset – which it would be despite Cardiff’s top seeding.

Still, Toulouse should have just a bit too much class, and win a close tussle by two points.

Match fact: Cardiff and Toulouse played in the first Heineken Cup final - the French team's 21-18 victory winning them their first of three championships at the beginning of a decade where they would dominate Europe.

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Toulouse To Correct French Wrongs of 2009 | Bleacher Report



Cardiff Blues coach Dai Young expects tremendous support with his sides clash with Toulouse, with the tickets sales having reached a club record.

However, it will be with some trepidation and a cursing of luck that Cardiff will host Toulouse, five time finalists and the three time champions of Europe.



In the corresponding match last year on April 6th, Toulouse hosted the Blues at Stadium Municipal. If Cardiff had managed to turn up the heat on Bristol in their final match and collect a bonus point, they would have avoided one of the most powerful teams in France.



As it was, they were hammered 41-17 by Stade Toulousain and were humbled out of the Cup.



Last year was indisputably one of the great years for the Blues. In the Magners League, they finished runners up, with the crowning moment being a magnificent 25-22 victory over Munster at Arms Park on the 1st of March.



Not only would they finish above the mighty Irish province, but would take this momentum into this year’s Heineken Cup championship.



While the Blues have been disappointing in this season’s Magners League, currently sitting in Eighth, they have become well accustomed to the rigours of the Northern Hemispheres grandest stage.



They have looked assured and played with such composure than many would not marry them with a team currently sitting two places from the Magners cellar.



Their crowning glory was against Gloucester on the 18th of January, where, despite being down by a man for the better part of 60 minutes, they held off the cherry and whites to win 16-12.



This would cement the Blues in the Quarter Finals, where they would eventually finish as the top seeds of the pool stages, the only unbeaten team in the championship. It would earn the right of a home final, and would host the worst performing qualifying team.



This team, by virtue of bonus points, would be Guy Nove’s masterpiece, Toulouse.



Under the tutelage of arguably Frances greatest ever coach, the famed team from the Midi Pyrénées has won no less than eight championships and three of Europe’s premier domestic titles.



In 20 decorated years with the club, Nove’s has carved out one of Frances classic images, that of the track suited Toulouse field marshal prowling the sideline, barking orders to his shock troops.



While qualifying eighth for the finals of this year’s Cup sounds like a failure by the clubs lofty standards, it is not quite so. But after four consecutive wins to open their 2008/2009 account after racking up the most Grand final appearances the year before—their last two matches almost derailed their campaign.



A shock loss to the Glasgow Warriors and a miserable 3-3 draw with Bath almost crashed Nove’s team out of the championship, but now he and his team have a chance for redemption.



Not just redemption for themselves, but for France.



The only team to represent the proud nation, it has been an average year for flamboyant French rugby. The Six Nations was regarded as a failure, and with the numerous controversy and upheaval in the game, their most powerful club has a chance to right the wrongs of the followers of ‘le ballon ovale.”



For surely Les Bleus won’t when next playing the All Blacks in the House of Pain.



The current Top 14 leaders will bring one of the more formidable packs in Europe to Millennium Stadium, anchored by former French captain Fabien Pelous. But it will be in the tackle area where the Toulousains will look to dominate, led by Thierry Dusautoir who is widely considered as the most efficient defensive flanker in the game.



But it will be in the backline where Toulouse’s menace lies. French international David Skrela has been passed fit, in a backline where all players are considered front line test players. The only exception is Byron Kelleher, who himself is a former All Black.



Clement Poitrenaud has been passed fit, and will feature in a backline that will likely have Cedric Heymans, Vincent Clerc and Florian Fritz returning to the starting XV after sitting out their recent clash with Brive.



However, the Blues, only the sixth team in Cup history to go through the pools unbeaten, are littered with Welsh internationals themselves.



Martyn Williams and Andy Powell will return to a pack featuring that will fancy themselves against a veteran French pack, with former All Black Xavier Rush likely to complete a formidable Blues back row.



As with the French though, the Blues arsenal lies in the backline. Gareth Thomas, Tom Shanklin and Jamie Roberts may not be as flamboyant as their opposition three quarters, but they are renowned defensive players.



It is here that the match will be decided. If the Blues can shackle the Toulouse attack, they will back themselves to take the upset—which it would be despite Cardiff’s top seeding.



Still, Toulouse should have just a bit too much class, and win a close tussle by two.



Match fact: Cardiff and Toulouse played in the first Heineken Cup European Final, with the 21-18 victory to Toulouse winning them their first of three championships, in the beginning of a decade where they would dominate Europe.



Cardiff Road to the Quarter: W W W W W W

Last match:Cardiff 62 – 20 Rugby Calvisano



Toulouse Road to the Quarter: W W W W L D

Last match: Toulouse 3 – 3 Bath



Previous Heineken Cup encounters: Toulouse 4 – 1 Cardiff

Last match: Sunday 6th April 2008, Quarter Finals, Toulouse 41 – 17 Cardiff

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HEC: Cardiff Blues v Toulouse - Rugby News, Results, Fixtures and Features from Planet-Rugby.com

It's likely to be the most entertaining of the quarter-finals when the Blues welcome France's 'big red machine' to the Millennium Stadium on Saturday.

Both sides have built a reputation well-deserved for attacking at will.

Normally, you'd expect Toulouse to come into the knockout rounds as number one seeds, but this time the Blues are there at the top. The French, thrice tournament winners, come into it as eighth seeds, having scraped through as runners-up to Bath in a Pool they lost as a result of a bizarre home implosion to Glasgow.

No such worries for the Blues, who cruised through a tricky-looking group containing Biarritz and Gloucester with a 100 per cent record, including a win in Gloucester with 14 men. Entertaining but fragile in the past, the Blues have added some steel to their flair.

It's a repeat of last year's quarter-final in France, where the champions cruised to a blistering 41-17 victory on 'one of those days'.

Blues coach David Young has had difficult choices to make this week with the whole squad fit to play.

Speaking ahead of the match Young said, "There's been a lot of excitement and a lot of anticipation about the game since we got through and the draw was made.

"I think everybody had been counting down the days, because it's an exciting fixture for the region, playing against the biggest team in Europe, and probably one of the most successful ones.

"The squad has had some good recent performances and we've been to some difficult places and won, which gives you confidence. There are some games we haven't played well but with sheer determination and bloody mindedness we've got the right result."

Young's biggest selection dilemma was the choice at number eight: the experienced Xavier Rush or the tempestuous runnning of Andy Powell. Rush has won the cut, with Powell on the bench.

"This is probably the first week of the season where I've had a full squad to select from. In the pool stages you've got to use the squad as much as you can to reach the quarter-finals," said Young.

"People will focus on the Xavier Rush and Andy Powell selection, but this is the first time they have both been fit at the same time. As I said at the start of the season, squads win trophies not just the team."

Toulouse field about as predictabel a line-up as you could expect, but David Skrela is only named on the bench because of a persistent rib injury, and Cardiff Blues may like to enjoy the defensive frailties of Frédéric Michalak at fly-half.

Otherwise, it's an all-international back-line and the usual monster pack with Patricio Albacete and Fabien Pelous in the engine-room.

Even on the bench the French can boast brilliance, with reserve backs of Skrela, Clement Poitrenaud and Fijian Maleli Kunavore to call on, as well as the pace of Yannick Nyanga and Greg Lamboley.

Head-to-head: Just watching the two sets of backs - one full of Welsh internationals the other full of French - is enough for us! Some mouth-watering clashes there, not least Leigh Halfpenny on Cedric Heymans and Florian Fritz on Tom Shanklin. It remains to be seen if Jason Spice will cope with Byron Kelleher however.

Cardiff Blues: 15 Ben Blair, 14 Leigh Halfpenny, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Tom James, 10 Nicky Robinson, 9 Jason Spice, 8 Xavier Rush, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Maama Molitika, 5 Paul Tito (c), 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Tauf'au Filise, 2 Gareth Williams, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 John Yapp, 17 T Rhys Thomas, 18 Deiniol Jones, 19 Andy Powell, 20 Richie Rees, 21 Ceri Sweeney, 22 Gareth Thomas.

Toulouse: 15 Maxime Medard, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Cédric Heymans, 10 Frédéric Michalak, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Shaun Sowerby, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 6 Jean Bouilhou, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Fabien Pelous, 3 Salvatore Perugini, 2 William Servat, 1 Daan Human.
Replacements: 16 Alberto Vernet Basualdo, 17 Yohan Montes, 18 Grégory Lamboley, 19 Yannick Nyanga, 20 David Skrela, 21 Maleli Kunavore, 22 Clément Poitrenaud.

Date: Saturday, April 11
Venue: Millennium Stadium
Kick-off: 15.30 BST
Referee: Chris White (England)
Touch judges: Roy Maybank (England), Stuart Terheege (England)
Assessor: Brian Stirling (Ireland)
Television match official: Huw Lewis (Wales)

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Results of the QF games played on Saturday

Cardiff defeated Toulouse 9-3

Leicester defeated Bath 20-15