Leinster find themselves up against Clermont again in Pool 5 while Pool 6 has a Gallic flavour with big spending Toulon favourites to emerge as group winners.
By Declan Whooley
Pool Five
Teams: Leinster, Clermont Auvergne, Scarlets, Exeter Chiefs
Top Dogs: Leinster
The defending champions are looking to make history by becoming the first side to win the Heineken Cup three times in succession. Considering that French giants Toulouse have never even managed to win it twice in a row, it shows the magnitude of the challenge.
Even in such a competitive group and with quite an injury list at the moment, they should progress and the crucial factor could be the luck of the draw for the semi-final. An away semi-final, particularly against French opposition – see Toulouse in 2010 – could be a steep mountain to climb, though they did triumph against Clermont at the penultimate stage last year. Certainly no team will want to meet Schmidt’s side in Dublin to get to the decider.
Whipping Boys: Exeter
Leinster and Clermont are the favourites for this group and Exeter and Scarlets will battle to avoid the bottom spot.
Exeter have won three and lost three this season, but last weekend they put champions Harlequins to the sword with a 42 – 18 victory. Indeed their 18 tries scored this season is second only to Quins. However they may struggle in this group and Simon Easterby has the Welsh side playing some really good rugby.
We think the Scarlets will shade it in their head to head with the Heineken Cup debutants although it will be an intriguing battle when the sides meet during the back-to-back fixtures in December.
Star Man: Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster)
This may not be the boldest statement we have ever made, but BOD really is vital should Leinster hope to lift the trophy in Dublin. The Leinster backline would hold it’s own in the Super 15 such is the attacking qualities it possesses and O’Driscoll is the conductor in the back line. His try against Munster at the weekend was a reminder of his talents, unlikely as it is we would ever forget.
Video via RugbyDump.com
However, it is his defensive qualities that could make all the difference this season. A noted tackler himself, it is his organisation of the back line, which may change quite a lot if the recent injuries are anything to go by, which is invaluable. And hopefully he can cap off the season with a second Lions trip to Australia. He deserves it.
Lion-in-wait: Richardt Strauss
This is currently quite a long-shot as the Leinster hooker hasn’t even played for Ireland as of yet. The South African qualifies this month under the residency rule and trained with the Irish squad last season.
Outstanding against Munster last week, his dynamic ball carrying would be a welcome addition to the international set-up. While there are a number of quality hookers in the Six Nations at the moment, not to mention our own Rory Best, an impressive season in blue and appearances in the Autumn internationals and Six Nations could have the South African boarding the plane to Australia.
The Jerry Flannery/Ellen DeGeneres doppelganger of the pool award:
E from Entourage and Leinster scrum-half Eoin Reddan could pass as twins separated at birth. The fact that Reddan was born in Limerick in 1980 and Kevin Connolly, who plays the character of Eric Murphy, was born six years earlier in New York, makes the notion a little fanciful, yet entertaining at the same time.
Pool Six
Teams: Cardiff Blues, Montpellier, Sale Sharks, Toulon
Top Dogs: Toulon
Toulon are the team to watch from this group. Last year’s beaten Top 14 finalists have begun the season in great form, with a ferocious pack helping the side to seven wins from eight in the league.
Backed by the millions of entrepreneur Mourad Boudjellal, Toulon have taken a Football Manager-style approach to recruitment with internationals such as Wilkinson, Giteau, Bastareaud, Botha, Sheridan, Lobbe, Hayman, Michalak and Gethin Jenkins to name but a few all hooking up with the French side.
All eyes will be on the French side and they will hope to go better than their last campaign in the Heineken Cup when they exited at the quarter-final stage to rivals Perpignan in 2011.
Whipping Boys: Sale Sharks
Losing your opening six games in the league is not the ideal type of form leading into the Heineken Cup, but that is the reality facing Sale Sharks. Finding positives from scoring five tries and conceding 183 points is difficult in the extreme, but Bryan Redpath has not had the luck he would have liked after his controversial decision to leave Gloucester.
Their opening game at home to Cardiff could be crucial for their season and even at this early stage, a defeat would consign them to also-rans ahead of four encounters with French opposition.
Star Man: Matt Giteau (Toulon)
While Toulon boast possibly the fiercest looking pack in the competition, it is the back-line that could signal an upturn in fortunes. In previous European campaigns and also domestically, Toulon have tended to grind out results and overpower their opponents with Wilkinson providing the bulk of their scores.
Matt Giteau could be just the player to bring more guile to this back-line and he will be eager to impress in his first season in the competition. If early season form is anything to go by, the Australian will cause a lot of damage to opposing defensive lines.
Lion-in-wait: Jonny Wilkinson
On the face of it, it is a no-go. Wilko retired from international duty last December and Warren Gatland has said he will not consider players not involved in Test rugby. Toulon, meanwhile, have said they will not release any players should they reach the knock-out stages of the Top 14.
It is a long shot, but Wilkinson has said he would make himself available if called upon and he is in superb form at the moment. The Lions could do worse than bring the tough tackling out-half with a deadly boot. Some would question his ability to bring his backs into play, but the Heineken Cup is the perfect arena to show he could make a difference to the touring party to Australia.
The Jerry Flannery/Ellen DeGeneres doppelganger of the pool award: Mathieu Bastareaud/GaryColeman
Thanks to Wales Online, we agree that the Toulon centre bears more than a passing resemblance to the now deceased Diff’rent Strokes star Gary Coleman. The TV star died two years ago and would be a little smaller physically than the portly centre. As far as we know Coleman never went to New Zealand, got blind drunk and sustained facial injuries only to blame it on being assaulted by four or five locals.
What you talkin’ bout Mathieu?
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