The fact that bonus points can make all the difference in the Heineken Cup is an uncomfortable truth borne in brutally on London Irish in advance of their crucial clash with holders Leinster at Twickenham on Saturday.
Close to the end of last week's match against Scarlets they were trailing, but holding on to a bonus that would have kept them within four points of Leinster. Then Scarlets carved a last minute opening for centre Jonathan Davies, and the Exiles were left empty-handed from a match they once led 22-10.
If they'd kept the bonus they would have started on Saturday evening knowing that a win might see them through on their head-to-head record, having started the pool stage with a win in Dublin. Now they need a 5-0 victory, scoring four tries themselves while denying the champions any chance of a bonus.
It is not, concedes Irish lock Nick Kennedy, very likely. "I'd be very surprised if anyone got a four-try bonus," he told ESPNscrum. "While we rightly talk a lot about Leinster's attacking qualities they've also got a very, very strong defence. They're fast, they're extremely strong over the ball and they don't miss tackles."
He remains baffled by the conclusion at Parc y Scarlets, adding, "It wasn't like us. We normally finish games extremely strongly. We hadn't lost a game without getting a bonus for 18 months and it was a lousy time to lose that record. You've got to give Scarlets credit for an exceptional effort, but we did things we don't usually do. We had people making mistakes they don't make and missing tackles that they hardly ever miss."
It leaves them in a situation he sums up tidily - "We have to win, but there's no guarantee even then that we'd win the group or go through." Other results, particularly Munster v Northampton and Ospreys v Leicester, will have a bearing on Irish fortunes.
Both will be played before the Irish kick off at 6pm at Twickenham, but Kennedy is insistent that he won't be taking too much notice. "We'll be concentrating on what we have to do against Leinster. We won't prepare differently from any other game. We just have to try to win and then at about 8 o'clock on Saturday night see where that leaves us."
A decent performance against Leinster would also enhance Kennedy's international claims. To the mystification of many he remains outside the England senior squad and after playing all five Six Nations matches in 2009 he has not figured since. "Of course it is disappointing, but I'm doing everything I can to get back in and I'm training harder than ever."
Nor is he wanting for feedback from England's coaches. "I've had a good few chats with John Wells," he revealed. "We had a long talk last week and he told me that they are very pleased with the way that I have been playing and that I've made the improvements they wanted, but that there are a lot of good lock forwards around at the moment."
In the meantime he's in the Saxons squad, with matches against Ireland and Scotland in prospect. "It's an interesting environment. Everybody wants to get out of the Saxons and play for England. But they're a great bunch of lads and there's a real spirit. We all know that if the team plays well, everybody benefits and there's no question of anyone putting themselves ahead of the team. If they did Stuart Lancaster, who's a great coach, wouldn't tolerate it and they'd be out of the squad."
Northampton's last-gasp bonus-point against Perpignan last weekend will give the Guinness Premiership side heart as they prepare to take on one of the biggest challenges in European rugby on Friday.
The Saints face two-time Heineken Cup champions Munster at their fortress, Thomond Park, with two points separating the sides at the top of Pool 1. Munster have been in ominous form of late and were unplayable against Benetton Treviso last weekend, while Jim Mallinder's men made hard work of their win over a shadow Perpignan outfit.
Munster boast a strong starting XV, their twin talismans, fly-half Ronan O'Gara and skipper Paul O'Connell, both starting. The ever improving Jean de Villiers starts in the No.12 jersey alongside Keith Earls, with Paul Warwick, Doug Howlett and Denis Hurley forming the back-three.
David Wallace starts at No.8 again in the absence of the injured Denis Leamy, with Niall Ronan starting at openside. Alan Quinlan completes the back-row while there is further experience throughout the pack as Donncha O'Callaghan starts in the second-row and John Hayes up front. Wian du Preez starts at loose-head, although there is a welcome return on the bench as Marcus Horan returns to the matchday squad for the first time since October.
Northampton flyers Ben Foden and Chris Ashton again showed their class from deep against Perpignan and will need to provide an attacking spark if Saints are to pick up a victory. Their bonus-point at Franklin's Gardens does provide a small safety net for them to qualify as a runner-up should results go their way elsewhere. With London Irish, the Ospreys, Leinster and Clermont poised to outstrip their total though, there is no room for complacency.
Shane Geraghty will hope for a better return from the kicking tee after being retained at fly-half, alongside the spiky Lee Dickson. Jon Clarke, the man who scored that vital bonus-point try, starts at outside-centre alongside James Downey.
Euan Murray returns at tight-head after sitting out last Sunday's victory due to his religious beliefs, and joins skipper Dylan Hartley and fan-favourite Soane Tonga'uiha in the front-row. Courtney Lawes is back at blindside after withdrawing from last weekend's game with a minor injury and the back-row is completed by Phil Dowson and Roger Wilson.
"We had a massive game against Munster in October but we will need to play much better," Mallinder said. "Many of their players are familiar faces from their exploits for Munster, Ireland and the Lions. But when the whistle blows it is just 15 men against 15, and if we play to our potential and stick to our game plan there is no reason why we can't win."
Munster: Paul Warwick; Doug Howlett, Keith Earls, Jean de Villiers, Denis Hurley; Ronan O'Gara, Tomas O'Leary; Wian du Preez, Denis Fogarty, John Hayes, Donncha O'Callaghan, Paul O'Connell (capt), Alan Quinlan, Niall Ronan, David Wallace
Replacements: Damien Varley, Marcus Horan, Tony Buckley, Donnacha Ryan, James Coughlan, Peter Stringer, Lifeimi Mafi, Ian Dowling
Northampton: Ben Foden; Chris Ashton, Jon Clarke, James Downey, Bruce Reihana; Shane Geraghty, Lee Dickson; Soane Tonga'uiha, Dylan Hartley (capt), Euan Murray, Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, Juandre Kruger, Courtney Lawes, Phil Dowson, Roger Wilson
Replacements: Brett Sharman, Alex Waller, Brian Mujati, Christian Day, Neil Best, Alan Dickens, Stephen Myler, Chris Mayor
Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin has named an unchanged 27 man squad for Ulster's final Heineken Cup Pool game. Ulster will travel to face Bath, at The Recreation Grounds, on Saturday 23 January, kick off 3.45pm.
Ulster currently sit in second place in Pool 4 on 13 points. Stade Francais lead the pool on 17 points with Edinburgh in third place on 9. Bath head into the last game in fourth place on seven points.
Commenting on Ulster's crucial European game, McLaughlin said: 'We said one of our aims at the start of the season was to be heading into our final pool game in the European Cup, with something to play for, and that's exactly what we have done.
'So all credit to the players. They have done that and they deserve to be going to Bath with something major at stake.
'Hopefully, with a good week under us and confidence levels built even higher, we can go across there and get that elusive win on English soil.
'Heineken Cup rugby is very, very special. It's just a different standard. It's very important to Ulster; the players are all focus on their game and the task ahead of them.
'We know how tough a challenge it's going to be playing Bath away, so we're going over there anticipating a very hard game. We will make sure our preparations are thorough. We will be ready from them come Saturday.
'An away win in Europe is something we need in order to take our belief in ourselves up to the next level and to let others see that we are a team that's steadily improving.'
Ulster Squad to face Bath at the Recreation in Grounds in the Heineken Cup on 13 January 2010:
Forwards:
Bryan Young, Tom Court, Andi Kyriacou, Nigel Brady, Brendon Botha, Declan Fitzpatrick, Ed O'Donoghue, Ryan Caldwell, Neil McComb, Stephen Ferris, Chris Henry, Dan Touhy, Willie Faloon, Thomas Anderson, David Pollock.
Backs:
Clinton Schifcofske, Timoci Nagusa, Simon Danielli, Andrew Trimble, Ian Whitten, Darren Cave, Paddy Wallace, Ian Humphreys, Isaac Boss, Jamie Smith, Niall O'Connor, Cillian Willis.
A rousing home win over London Irish last weekend has cheered the Scarlets, and they require all five points in France this weekend to ensure their European season continues.
A dangling carrot for the Magners League side as they prepare to take on Brive in Pool 6 is the possibility of overhauling the Exiles in second and booking a place in the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup.
Their perilous domestic position makes Heineken Cup qualification next season far from assured and Nigel Davies' men will go all out to ensure that their European campaign is extended.
British & Irish Lions fly-half Stephen Jones returns to action following a shoulder injury and he partners Martin Roberts at halfback. Centre Jonathan Davies scored a brace last weekend and starts outside Jones, while flanker Rob McCusker did the same and is again included in the back-row.
Daniel Evans continues at fullback, with the return of Jones meaning that Rhys Priestland drops to the bench. In another boost for Wales ahead of the Six Nations, he is joined there by Lions hooker Matthew Rees.
Brive: TBC
Scarlets: Daniel Evans, Morgan Stoddart, Sean Lamont, Jon Davies, Andrew Fenby, Stephen Jones, Martin Roberts, Iestyn Thomas, Ken Owens, Deacon Manu, Damian Welch, Dominic Day, Rob McCusker, Josh Turnbull, David Lyons
Replacements: Matthew Rees, Phil John, Rhys Thomas, Lou Reed, Jon Edwards, Lee Williams, Rhys Priestland, Gareth Maule
With both sides out of contention in the race for a quarter-final spot, Perpignan's meeting with Benetton Treviso at the Stade Aime Giral on Friday has all the hallmarks of a revenge mission for the French champions.
In the opening round Treviso produced the biggest upset of the season by turning over their illustrious visitors 9-8, and Perpignan failed to recover from their early blow. Last weekend both sides suffered heavy defeats, with Perpignan being nilled by Northampton and Treviso coming unstuck against Munster, and pride is very much the order of the day.
Perpignan welcome back their heavyweight No.8 Henry Tuilagi to their back-row, with skipper Jean-Pierre Perez also starting. Rimas Alvarez Kairelis adds his bulk to the second-row alongside Yohan Vivalda. In the backs, Nicolas Laharrague returns at fly-half and David Marty and Jean-Philippe Grandclaude are drafted into the centre.
Italian international Luke McLean starts at fullback for Treviso and is joined in the starting XV by powerful centre Gonzalo Garcia. Workhorse hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini starts up front and flanker Alessandro Zanni is again given a shot in the back-row after picking up an intercept try against Munster.
Perpignan: J Michel, C Manas, D Marty, J Grandclaude, F Sid, N Laharrague, F Cazenave, S Chobet, C Geli, K Pulu, Y Vivalda, R Alvarez Kairelis, G Britz, J Perez, H Tuilagi
Replacements: M Tincu, P Freshwater, N Mas, R Tchale Watchou, D Mele, G Hume, J Porical, D Chouly
Benetton Treviso: L McLean, E Mulieri, A Sgarbi, G Garcia, A Vilk, M Goosen, S Picone, M Rizzo, L Ghiraldini, I Fernandez Rouyet, A Pavanello, C van Zyl, B Vermaak , A Zanni, D Kingi
Replacements: F Sbaraglini, A Allori, P di Santo, E Pavanello, S Orlando, F Semenzato, T Botes, B de Jager
Munster v Northampton
Penalty kicks and O'Gara pave the way:
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Munster booked a Heineken Cup quarter-final with a 12-9 victory over Northampton Saints in a tense Pool 1 clash at Thomond Park
Four penalties from the boot of Munster fly-half Ronan O'Gara gave the perennial title challengers a narrow victory with fullback Bruce Reihana, fly-half Shane Geraghty and his replacement Stephen Myler slotting kicks for Northampton.
The hosts were far from their rampaging best and had to endure the sin-binning of captain Paul O'Connell but in the end had too much for their Premiership rivals who were guilty of some poor place-kicking and decision making. Munster's reward is a home tie in the last eight as their place amongst the top four seeds is assured while Northampton must wait to see what happens in games between the Ospreys and Leicester and London Irish against reigning European champions Leinster before learning whether they have done enough to join Munster as one of the two best runners-up. But Saints' losing bonus point has ended the quarter-final ambitions of teams in other groups like Sale Sharks, Cardiff Blues and the Scarlets.
Scotland prop Euan Murray and England lock Courtney Lawes, named at blindside flanker, were the only changes for Northampton following their 34-0 drubbing of French champions Perpignan last weekend. Munster boss Tony McGahan, meanwhile, had hoped to retain the side which accounted for Treviso in bonus point fashion six days ago, but an enforced late change meant wing Ian Dowling starting instead of Denis Hurley.
The tension was evident from the opening whistle with both sides showing signs of nerves and opting for safety rather than an expansive approach. As a result the opening period was dominated by the boot with what little rugby there was being provided by the hosts. Northampton fullback Ben Foden rose to an early test and claimed a high ball well but the support was slow in coming and the resulting penalty allowed O'Gara to give his side an early lead.
Munster continued to dictate proceedings with fullback Paul Warwick probing with some success and flanker Alan Quinlan proving a thorn in Northampton's side throughout on his way to the man of the match honour. Northampton were not allowed to play and had to wait until the quarter hour for their first significant passage of attacking play. But it was all too brief and they were soon under the cosh again with some good defensive work frustrating the Munster faithful.
An attempt at a long range drop goal from Geraghty that fell short and wide summed up Northampton's creative woes but a lack of a clinical edge meant Munster were unable to put any daylight between themselves and their rivals. A rare success at scrum time then gave O'Gara the chance to extend his side's lead but his effort did not have the legs to reach its target.
Northampton were causing problems for the Munster pack at scrum time and drew a penalty just past the half hour mark with kicking duties falling to Reihana who landed a difficult kick to level the scores. But back came Munster as the half drew to a close with O'Gara proving elusive deep in Northampton territory and his ingenuity drew another penalty as Saints attempted to diffuse the threat. O'Gara slotted the relatively easy chance to restore Munster's narrow advantage before the break.
Northampton began the second half well with Lawes and lock Juandre Kruger turning up the heat on O'Gara and the pressure told with Quinlan conceding a penalty that Reihana pulled horribly wide of the posts - that saw the famous Thomond Park hush that greets kickers broken by jeers.
But that setback failed to deter the visitors who were clearly growing in belief that they could cause an upset and join Leicester as the only sides to have handed Munster a home defeat in Europe. Another big scrum from the Northampton pack gifted Geraghty the chance to bring the sides level but he cold only produce another shocker of a kick as the costly misses began to add up.
To their credit, Northampton did not dwell on their latest failure and another good scrum laid the foundation for a multi-phase attack with Geraghty offering an all-too-brief glimpse of what he can do when he has an attacking mindset. It would prove to be the start of a pivotal passage of play in the match. Munster were penalised at the breakdown for coming in from the side and referee Romain Poite lectured O'Connell while Geraghty slotted the easy three to bring his side level.
That score appeared to galvanise Northampton but as they stepped up their game their indiscipline let them down to allow O'Gara to edge the Munstermen ahead once more - this time from distance. But the Munster scrum-half Tomas O'Leary was charged down from the re-start as he looked to get the ball away with Northampton hooker Dylan Hartley scooping up the loose ball superbly before being held up on the line. Saints had no hesitation in going for the scrum and a pick and drive from No.8 Roger Wilson was snuffed out by Munster only for Poite to penalise O'Connell and send him to the sin-bin.
Sensing a try was theirs for the taking, Northampton opted for another scrum and they drew another penalty - this time for wheeling the set-piece. The sides packed down again but Munster took the ball against the head with the crowd erupting as if they had scored. Northampton rallied again but were guilty of kicking the ball away as they ran out of ideas in the final third. And O'Connell's return to the fray coincided with O'Gara stretching Munster's lead with his fourth penalty.
Geraghty's re-start sailed straight into touch to hasten the introduction of Myler and his first contribution was a penalty that reduced the arrears to three points and cemented their grip on at least a bonus point. But Munster closed the game out to ensure the win that sees them progress to the knock-out stages for the 12th successive year.
Perpignan brought the curtain down on a disappointing Heineken Cup campaign with a 34-6 victory over Benetton Treviso at Stade Aime Giral.
With both teams out of the Heineken Cup reckoning this Pool One game was a dead rubber, and it remained close until Charles Geli went over for the first try on the stroke of half-time. That paved the way for a deluge in the second half, with Marius Tincu crossing twice and Yoann Vivalda and Jean-Philippe Grandclaude also crossing the whitewash.
Nicolas Laharrague added two conversions and a penalty as the hosts exacted revenge for a shock defeat at the hands of the Italians in October.
Munster coach Tony McGahan hailed his side's battling qualities following their hard-fought Heineken Cup win against Northampton.
The 12-9 victory over their Pool 1 rivals saw them book a place in the quarter-finals for the 12th successive season - where they are assured of a home tie - but they had to dig deep to see off a resilient Saints side and also weather a yellow card for skipper Paul O'Connell. The boot of Ronan O'Gara was again key to their fortunes with the fly-half kicking four penalties in a consummate display in front of a vociferous Thomond Park crowd.
The game was in the balance throughout the contest with the pivotal passage of play coming midway through the second half with Munster desperately defending their own line with their captain in the sin-bin.
"I thought the lads were excellent. I felt we showed some great desire and effort. They really showed how much it means to play for Munster," McGahan said. "We were under severe pressure at that stage in the second half. We kicked the ball out on the full. We had a few issues in the scrum and Paul O'Connell was off for 10 minutes.
"To dog it out and find a way out... We worked extremely hard on the floor. We got turnover ball, were lucky enough to get it down field and then get three points. We always had belief. We have said that many a time that we are always able to come back from any situation. I think Northampton are an excellent side, the real deal. They are well coached and organised. They could be a real force in this competition."
O'Connell agreed that the game had proved to be a battle of attrition and he was just happy to record a win. "It was a good win. We did not play fabulously well. It was like a cup final out there. Very often the rugby isn't great," he admitted. "Defensively both sides were so up for it. They are so well drilled. That is the way it was out there. There was so little space out there.
"It was a real battle of attrition at times. We were lucky Rog (Ronan O'Gara) put over the penalties. We are very happy to win that game. Northampton are an excellent side. For some of us the away game against Northampton was tough because it was our first game back. In terms of being up and running, that was probably our toughest game of the pool.
"As for the sin-binning, the referee (Romain Poite) said it was a ruck, but I thought the ball was two feet off the ground. It can't be a ruck then. When Northampton were pressing hard in the second half and I was in the sin-bin, I think Doug Howlett came into the scrum and Alan Quinlan came into the second row. That was a massive piece of mental strength to turn them over and clear the ball. It is probably what won the game for us."
Northampton remain in the race to reach the quarter-finals as a best runner-up after registering a losing bonus point. Their fate will be determined by results elsewhere over the weekend.
Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder was left to rue a number of missed opportunities this evening. A penalty apiece from Bruce Reihana, Shane Geraghty and Stephen Myler were all the visitors had to show for their efforts.
"On another day we could have won that game. I keep looking back and thinking about the series of scrums we had on their line," he said. "We certainly did the right thing, (our captain) Dylan Hartley making the decision to re-scrum. We just did not quite manage to convert that into points. We did miss a couple of kicks at goal as well."
"I would love to qualify for the quarter-finals and if that gave us an opportunity to come back here, then we would take it. Tonight was a step up. For a lot of our players we are relatively inexperienced at this level. When you compare us to Munster, who have been playing at this level and building a team for up to 10 years, we have just come together over the past couple of years."
Clermont Auvergne secured top spot in Heineken Cup Pool 3 by picking up a bonus point in a predictably one-sided 59-20 victory over Viadana at the Stadio Luigi Zaffanella on Saturday afternoon.
Aurelien Rougerie and Napolini Nalaga both crossed twice for the visitors, while Morgan Parra, Elvis Vermeulen, Julien Malzieu and Julien Bonnaire all scored one try apiece.
Viadana were utterly outclassed from start to finish but they did at least secure some consolation scores in the second half, registering two tries of their own, through Julio Garcia and Gareth Krause.
With the Ospreys defeating Leicester in the Pool's other game, Clermont booked top spot in the Pool and a chance to forge on in the quarter-final stages.
Parra settled any nerves from the French side early on, scoring their first try after only a minute. Brilliant fly-half Brock James slotted the first of his six conversions immediately after. Rougerie, whose brilliant form was rewarded with a recall to the France squad in midweek, crashed over for his first 20 minutes later and his score was followed immediately by a try for the giant Nalaga.
Fittingly, the excellent Rougerie added another score just before the break to secure the vital bonus-point and there was not let-up after the restart. Back-rower Elvis Vermeulen kept up the momentum with try number five. Malzieu, another call-up to the France squad, sparked a quick fire double on 51 minutes with a try, which was followed up by Nalaga, who handed off the paper-thin Viadana defence to barge over for his second.
Garcia hit back after his side had been force into conceding a penalty try and while Krause scored another consolation, Bonnaire had already rubbed salt in their wounds with Clermont's ninth just before the end.
Ospreys secure last 8 spot:
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The Ospreys produced a performance of guts and determination to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup, defeating English champions Leicester 17-12 at the Liberty Stadium.
The result spells the end of Leicester's European dreams for this season, with Clermont Auvergne claiming top spot in Pool 3 by hammering Arix Viadana. Tommy Bowe scored the only try of the game for the home side, who collected the rest of their points from the boot of young fly-half Dan Biggar.
Tigers fly-half Toby Flood slotted three penalties, and centre Jeremy Staunton a drop-goal, but they were outfought by a brilliant Ospreys defence, marshalled by a magnificent Marty Holah. There may yet be more controversy following the game though, with the Ospreys apparently playing with 16 minutes for a short spell in the second-half following a blood injury to fullback Lee Byrne.
Biggar showed his class early by collecting a steepling Garryowen but his incursion was halted by a penalty at the ensuing ruck, from which the Tigers secured the opening points following a sniping break from Staunton and a powerful burst from Lewis Moody. Flood slotted over three points as Ricky Januarie killed the ball.
Staunton made a mess of the restart under pressure from Andrew Bishop and after Shane Williams had been hauled into touch out wide the Ospreys disrupted the Tigers' throw. Frome the resulting scrum Biggar assessed his options before chipping over a close-range drop-goal.
Holah handed the lead back to the visitors with an infringement following a sharp break from Dan Hipkiss, which Flood punished with his second kick. The scores were level when Biggar again showed his composure, this time from the kicking tee as the Tigers were pinged for offside.
Leicester's pack continued to win the battle at scrum-time, much to the irritation of Ospreys boss Scott Johnson, and a penalty gave the visitors position as Staunton curled in a drop-goal to give his side the lead. As much as Leicester were dominating at the set-piece, the class of the Ospreys out wide was all-too evident.
Williams twice broke tackles out wide, striking panic into the Tigers' ranks and forcing a penalty, which Biggar duly dispatched to draw his side level. The forward battle continued to take precedence, with both sides hammering into each other at the breakdown.
The crucial moment in the first half came off the back of a barnstorming run by Jerry Collins, the former All Black breaking out his best side-step to rip through the Tigers. Alun-Wyn Jones was up in support, with a Leicester boot hacking the ball away from the big lock. Scott Hamilton cleared direct to touch, not realising that the ball had come back into the 22 from one of his team-mates.
The Ospreys secured quick, off-the-top ball from the lineout, and spun it wide. Hook collected the ball and slotted a brilliant grubber into a packed blindside, where Bowe dived missile-like to score. Just before the break the Ospreys' discipline slipped, with Januarie slapping Lote Tuqiri off the ball and allowing Flood the chance to eat into their lead. The Leicester pivot was wide for the first time as the half-time whistle sounded.
The Ospreys almost immediately extended their lead after the break, but Biggar was off target with his opening penalty of the half. Nevertheless the home side made a dynamic start as Collins and Bowe continued their fine work, but Biggar saw another three points go begging with a misjudged drop-goal.
Hook showed more enterprising play with a chip to put Hamilton under pressure and the former All Black spilled the ball into touch. The Ospreys again worked the ball into midfield but their missed opportunities continued to pile up with a knock-on under pressure from Flood and Staunton.
Flood slotted the first points of the half for the Tigers despite living off 25% possession, with the Ospreys having raced clear off turnover ball moments earlier. Byrne then punished an errant kick from Staunton with his siege-gun boot, their kick-chase drawing a penalty as the Tigers scrambled. Some nifty backs play saw the Tigers pile in at the side, allowing Biggar to slot the points.
A cacophonous roar greeted the Ospreys' next penalty at the scrum, which arrived as James ploughed through Martin Castrogiovanni on his own 22. The Ospreys lost Byrne soon after to a blood injury and were saved by a poor pass from Ben Youngs as the Tigers looked to exploit a knock-on by Biggar.
Byrne's reintroduction invited a tongue-lashing from referee Alan Lewis, with the fullback apparently entering the field of play early and giving his side 16 players for a short period of time. The bumper crowd at the Liberty then had their hearts in their mouths as the electric Young again broke away. Moody steamed up in support but the ball was lost forward by a trailing Jordan Crane.
The Tigers set up camp on the Ospreys' line as the game ticked towards its conclusion and Tuqiri almost set Hamilton clear to the line with a brilliant flick. Youngs fired the ball into midfield but his pass was off-target, Aaron Mauger knocking-on and handing the ball to the Ospreys. James secured another penalty as the sides packed down, with Hook clearing long. Replacement hooker Ed Shervington found his man and Januarie hacked the ball into touch to send the home side into the last eight.
Ulster win over Bath, Stade lose to Edinburgh... Stade are in, Ulster out:
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Ulster broke their hoodoo with a 28-10 over Bath at the Recreation Ground, finally winning on English soil after 11 previous failures.
Stade Francais' losing bonus-point against Edinburgh at Murrayfield was good enough to secure victory in Pool 4, leaving Ulster waiting to discover if they have secured a route into the European Challenge Cup as one of three runners up. A brilliant individual try from Andrew Trimble and further well-worked efforts by Darren Cave and Paddy Wallace carried Ulster past Bath, who lost lock Danny Grewcock to a red card for stamping in the first-half.
Ulster fly-half Niall O'Connor slotted the opening points of the game with a penalty following a powerful run by hooker Nigel Brady. Bath struggled to deal with Ulster's pace in the early stages, with Wallace causing particular problems.
O'Connor's second penalty was followed by a brilliant response from the under-pressure home side. Joe Maddock took on the Ulster defence out wide, carving a path towards the line before finding an inch-perfect offload to a rampaging Matt Banahan. The wing dived over in the corner to the delight of the home crowd, whose cheers had barely quietened by the time Nicky Little curled in a touchline conversion.
Bath continued their upwards curve with a series of powerful drives, veteran lock Grewcock conspicuous in the loose. Ulster's talisman, blindside Stephen Ferris, joined the line well and almost freed fullback Jamie Smith, only for the scrambling Bath defence to shut down the attack.
The home side's hopes were dealt a huge blow when Grewcock saw red for a blatant stamp on the outstretched arm of Ferris. The resulting penalty was brilliantly dispatched by O'Connor to rub salt in the wounds of Bath.
The second-half exploded into life with a moment of brilliance from Trimble. The winger, recalled to the Ireland squad this week, produced a devastating step to open the Bath defence before pinning his ears back and outstripping fullback Maddock on the outside.
Ulster's next try was another picture. With Bath edging their way back into contention, Simon Danielli chipped over the onrushing defence on his 22, latching onto a kind bounce and racing clear. With Bath frantically chasing the Scottish international he coolly popped the ball outside to Cave, who coasted over.
O'Connor slotted a simple conversion before Bath embarked on their best move of the game. Little pulled off a neat wraparound before delaying his pass to Luke Watson, who burst clear. The former Springbok No.8 pirouetted out of one tackle but was soon stopped, with Isaac Boss conceding a penalty, which Little converted.
A harsh call for a no-arm tackle by Trimble gave Bath further field position but aggressive Ulster defence resulted in another break-out. This time Bath responded in kind, with first Banahan and then Watson powering through the away defence. Bath showed great heart and determination to dominate possession as the half wore on but were unable to find a gap in the Ulster defence.
The Irish province scored the final points with a solo effort from Wallace, who stepped through some static defence to score under the posts.
Stade Francais suffered a surprise 9-7 defeat to Edinburgh on Saturday afternoon but qualified for the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup nonetheless after securing the losing bonus point they needed from the game at Murrayfield.
Stade had led by a point at the interval thanks to Pascal Pape's 27th-minute try but Chris Paterson set up a nervy finale for the Parisians when he stroked over his third penalty of the game early in the second half.
Indeed, Stade came under intense pressure in the closing stages and were grateful for that the fact that James Thompson missed two very kickable penalties in the final ten minutes of the game. As it was, though, the French would have scraped through anyway as Ulster, the only side who could have overtaken them at the summit of Pool 4, failed to accrue a maximum five-point haul from their win over Bath at the Recreation Ground. Paterson opened the scoring with a penalty 12 minutes in but Stade rose their game thereafter and Pape crashed over from close range after a spell of incessant pressure from the Parisians.
However, Paterson was successful with another strike on goal shortly before the break to reduce the Edinburgh's arrears to a single point. By the fifth minute of the second half, Rob Moffat's men were ahead, courtesy of another assured swing of Paterson's right boot.
Edinburgh continued to press thereafter and set up camp in the Stade half in the closing quarter. However, the French outfit managed to keep their hosts at bay with a heroic defensive effort and ultimately restricted Edinburgh to penalties, both of which were squandered by Thompson, who had taken over the kicking duties following the withdrawal of Paterson 12 minutes into the second half.
Jonathan Sexton struck a late drop-goal as European champions Leinster drew with London Irish to knock the English club out of the Heineken Cup
Chris Malone had minutes earlier sent over a dramatic penalty to give Irish an 11-8 lead and the Exiles also missed two late drop-goal attempts.
Isa Nacewa's try gave Leinster an 8-3 lead after penalties from Sexton and Malone, whose own try levelled it.
The result means that Northampton now qualify in place of London Irish.
It was a dramatic ending to what had been an otherwise error-strewn game.
Sexton sent over an early penalty after Irish had been penalised from scrum infringement but Malone wasted an opportunity to level, missing from virtually in front of the posts.
Leinster's fly-half was having an equally erratic day hitting the post with a penalty on the half hour before Irish eventually levelled through Malone, with the European Champions penalised for not retreating.
Gordon D'arcy created and finished a fine move for Leinster but his try was disallowed for an earlier forward pass.
From the resulting scrum, which Leinster won against the head, the visitors drove to the London Irish line and eventually passed out to Nacewa on the wing to dive over unchallenged.
The conversion was missed but after Leinster's Cian Healy was sent to the bin for punching Malone was again wide with a penalty.
But he made up for that miss with a try on 65 minutes, stepping inside the Leinster line to bundle over and level the score.
Malone however missed with the conversion and although he later sent over a penalty, Sexton responded almost immediately with a long-range drop goal to level the game at 11-11.
Irish later missed two drop goals as Leinster held out to draw the game and advance through to the quarter-final stages.
Tries from lock Damian Welch and wing Morgan Stoddart helped the Scarlets to a 20-17 victory over Brive, securing second spot in Heineken Cup Pool 6 and an excellent double over their French rivals. Stephen Jones slotted two penalties and two conversions for a 10-point haul.
The Scarlets must now hope that the Dragons can prevent Gloucester from picking up a bonus-point win on Sunday to ensure their place in the quarter-finals of the European Challenge Cup.
Brive took the unusual move of playing England hooker Steve Thompson at No.8, while Andy Goode and Riki Flutey both started in a side captained by former Scarlets flanker Alix Popham.
The lead went to Brive as Goode kicked for the corner and hooker Jean-Philippe Bonrepaux burrowed over for the opening try. Horacio Agulla doubled the home side's advantage as the dominated the early stages, but the Scarlets fought back first through the boot of Jones and then when Heineken Cup debutant Welch crossed in the corner following strong link play by Martin Roberts, Jonathan Davies and Andrew Fenby.
The visitors were ahead early in the second-half when Daniel Evans countered from deep. He offloaded to Wales centre Davies. Jones continued the move and slotted an inch-perfect grubber into space for Stoddart to score.
Josh Turnbull saw yellow for a professional foul and the Scarlets were immediately punished as Flutey's well-judged offload sent Ronnie Cooke under the posts.Luciano Orquera converted and Lou Reed became the second Scarlets forward to be binned, although Jones came to their rescue with long-range penalty that took him past 800 points in the Heineken Cup.
And thanks to those beautiful matches, we know the quarterfinalists although the order for some depends on the 4 games on Sunday.
Quote:
A thrilling weekend of Heineken Cup rugby has whittled down the contenders, with the quarter-finalists confirmed after Leinster and London Irish played out a nerve-shredding draw at Twickenham.
The result meant that reigning champions Leinster booked a home quarter-final, but also that the Exiles were eliminated from Europe for another year. Their failure meant joy for Jim Mallinder and Northampton, who snuck in as the second runner up following Friday's defeat to Munster at Thomond Park.
Munster progressed as Pool 1's winners following the game, joining last weekend's qualifiers, Toulouse and Biarritz, in the last eight. Both French sides play on Sunday, meaning that they can seriously affect the seedings on the final day of Pool play.
Leinster could be left with a draw against Clermont Auvergne should Biarritz pick up a bonus-point after Les Jaunards thrashed Viadana to progress as winners of Pool 3. Joining them in the last eight are the Ospreys, who won a thriller against Leicester 17-12 at the Liberty Stadium.
Completing the line-up are Stade Francais, who make the cut thanks to their losing bonus-point against Edinburgh at Murrayfield.
Heineken Cup quarter-finalists (as of 23/01/2010)
Munster - 24 points
Leinster -22
Clermont Auvergne -21
Toulouse - 19 (to play Sale on Sunday)
Biarritz - 18 (to play Glasgow on Sunday)
Stade Francais - 18
Ospreys -20 (runner up)
Northampton - 19 (runner up)
Currently dropping into the European Challenge Cup are the Scarlets following their victory over Brive and Ulster after a strong showing to defeat Bath. The third place is currently with Cardiff Blues, who face Harlequins on Sunday, in a shooutout with Toulouse's opponents Sale for the final spot. Gloucester could also influence the final standings with a bonus-point victory over the Dragons on Sunday.
Cardiff Blues powered to a 45-20 victory over Harlequins in their Pool 5 clash at The Stoop to claim a place in the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
The Welsh side ran in six tries - with centre Jamie Roberts returning to form with a brace - to finish the pool stages on a high and pip Sale Sharks to a place in the last eight of Europe's second tier competition. Gareth Thomas, Ceri Sweeney, Xavier Rush and Ben Blair also touched down for the visitors with the Blues' fullback weighing in with 15 points with the boot. George Lowe, Nick Easter and Danny Care all crossed for Quins but it was not enough to prevent the Premiership side from slumping to their sixth straight European defeat.
The Blues entered the clash knowing they still had a chance of ensuring European rugby in April and named a strong side for the task but were immediately on the back foot with Quins wing David Strettle setting up Lowe for the opeing try of the game with a little over a minute on the clock. Quins increased their lead when Rory Clegg boomed over a penalty from near halfway and Cardiff missed their first kick at goal a minute later when Blair's 35-yard attempt sailed wide.
The visitors finally got on the board after an impressive driving maul stretched Quins before scrum-half Richie Rees fired the ball to the right Gareth Thomas who crossed unopposed with Blair converting. The Blues' pack continued to turn the screw and while some desperate defence held them out initially it did not last. Casey Laulala's wonderfully timed pass sent Blair in to score midway through the half with the Kiwi also adding the conversion.
Quins responded with England No.8 Easter touching down after a battering burst by Chris Brooker but the Blues were soon back on the front foot. Sweeney finished off another tremendous build-up - again involving Laulala, and Blair's conversion put the Welsh in the driving seat. The task facing Quins got even tougher when Easter was sin-binned just past the half hour mark. Quins' demolition seemed complete when Rush rounded off another multi-phased attack with a try on the right, and Blair made it four conversions out of four. But Quins rallied and when Chris Robshaw tapped down a lineout, Care scampered away for a try that was converted by Clegg.
Blair missed two penalties in the first six minutes of the second half, lapses that clearly lifted the home side, who welcomed Easter back from the bin. But a fifth try for the Blues, scored with pace and power between the posts by Lions centre Jamie Roberts, and converted by Blair, took the visitors 15 points clear. That gap was extended further when Blair punished offside with a penalty on the hour.
Try number six sparked a mass exodus of disenchanted home fans as Gary Powell shook off three poor tackles before sending Roberts clear for his second try, and Blair kicked his sixth conversion out of six.
Toulouse v. Sale:
Quote:
Toulouse booked a home quarter-final in this season's Heineken Cup with a 19-13 victory over Sale Sharks in their Pool 5 clash at Edgeley Park.
The French side's hard-fought victory set up a showdown with Top 14 rivals Toulouse in the last eight when the competition resumes in April while defeat for Sale - combined with Cardiff Blues' victory over Harlequins - ended the Sharks' hopes of claiming a place in the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
The two sides played out a tight first half with two penalties from Sale fly-half Charlie Hodgson cancelled out by two drop goals from Toulouse No.10 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde. The visitors edged ahead in the second half thanks to a try from hooker Virgile Lacombe and although centre Matthew Tait crossed for the hosts the boot of Elissalde saw Toulouse home.
Stripped of the services of injured scrum-half Dwayne Peel, the Sharks opted for Richard Wigglesworth at No.9 while hooker Mahonri Schwalger, lock Chris Jones and flanker Luke Abraham were part of a reshuffled pack. Frederic Michalak came in for Byron Kelleher at scrum-half for Toulouse while Louis Picamoles and Gregory Lamboley replaced Shaun Sowerby and Jean Bouilhou in the back row.
Requiring a win to stand any chance of progressing to the Challenge Cup quarter-finals, the home side began strongly and were unlucky not to open the scoring early on with impressive No.8 Sisa Koyamaibole denied a score thanks to a desperate tackle from Toulouse wing Vincent Clerc. Jones then stole the first Toulouse lineout forcing the French side to give away a penalty that Hodgson converted from in front of the posts.
Michalak made a mess of an attempted drop goal soon after but his side's cause was helped when a moment of madness from Koyamaibole resulted in a yellow card. The Fijian was guilty of taking Michalak out off the ball in front of referee Alain Rolland leaving him with no option. Elissalde then levelled the scores with a sweetly-struck drop goal but Sale weathered Koyamaibole's absence and took the lead once more with Hodgson notching his second penalty midway through the half.
Toulouse began to take control of the contest in terms of territory and possession but they were frustrated by the home side with some desperate defence denying Clerc after some good work from centre Yann David. However, the pressure was building on the Sharks and lock Jones was the second Sale player to see yellow after he was penalised at a ruck. Toulouse chose to kick the penalty to touch but Elissalde ensured they left the Sale 22 with points as he knocked over his second drop goal just seconds before half-time.
Sale fullback Nick Macleod gifted Toulouse an attacking platform in the opening minute of the second half and from the resulting lineout Lacombe barged his way over for the first try of the game. Elissalde's conversion gave Toulouse a 13-6 lead and kept them on course for a home quarter-final.
A cross field run from Toulouse fullback Clement Poitrenaud soon caused more trouble for Sale with centre Yannick Jauzion adding some muscle to the attack. But his pass to Clerc gave the winger little room for manoeuvre and he was bundled into touch. Wigglesworth then looked to relieve the pressure with a chip and chase but the move was brought to a sudden halt by Clerc whose body-check was deemed worthy of the game's third yellow card.
The Frenchman's departure coincided with the return of Jones but Sale failed to capitalise on the numerical advantage and instead it was Toulouse who extended their lead with a simple penalty from Elissalde.
To their credit, Sale raised their game and a strong run from replacement Anitele'a Tuilagi sucked in four defenders before Wigglesworth found lock Dean Schofield on a great line but the move broke down in the final third. The Premiership side were soon pressing again with Koyamaibole wreaking havoc again before Tait powered through a gap before forcing his way over for a try. Hodgson's conversion brought them within range but Elissalde steadied the Toulouse nerves with another penalty as the game entered the final ten minutes.
With the clock ticking down, Hodgson kicked a penalty to the corner for the lineout but the ball was scrambled away and with it went Sale's chance of a late turnaround.
Huge matches in Round 6 Heineken Cup
Huge matches in Round 6 Heineken Cup
