The Heineken Cup Thread

[muppet]

Or Ulster to win the HC I presume?
You'd have to think if they can get past Saracens then it's a Clermont Ulster final

Looking at that draw Ulster are the best chance for an away team to win the 1/4. Hopefully the 2 Irish teams do it.

[Declan]

Clermont v Saracens final

[AZOffaly]

Good atmosphere in Thomond Park yesterday, best I've seen for an early afternoon kick off. Munster are still caught between two stools though. They remind me of Liverpool trying to impose a new gameplan, with Brad Penney being Brendan Rodgers.

Trying to move the ball wide, without having created an extra man, lateral running instead of straightening up and breaking the line. Passes too lateral instead of flat. Basically everything that you need to do to have a good expansive attack is a struggle for Munster at the moment.

Seemed like a harsh red card where I was standing, but if he dropped the knee, he was always risking that.

Kilcoyne and Tommy O'Donnell were two bright spots for me yesterday. o'Mahoney and Ryan got through an amount of work, and Zebo is a good finisher.

That said, it is an achievement for them to come out of the group, and while I don't think they'll beat 'Quins away, I think they'll give them their bellyfull of it.

I agree that Leinster would probably be more dangerous if they had qualified, but at the end of the day you have to qualify. A few more tries last week against Llanelli and they'd have been home and hosed.

[Main Street]

Yeah, it looked a harsh red card.
Only in Rugby would you call a cowardly knee into the back of the head of a player on his knees, a harsh red card
But the ref was right there, saw it straight away and had no qualms at all. So I'd say it was just a fortunate situation for Munster, that it was gifted to them in the first few minutes.

[AZOffaly]

Looked a harsh red to us on the terrace I mean. I haven't seen it on the TV at all. If he dropped the knee he deserved to go, but it didn't look too 'violent' from where we were.

[NAG1]

Looked a harsh red to us on the terrace I mean. I haven't seen it on the TV at all. If he dropped the knee he deserved to go, but it didn't look too 'violent' from where we were.

Dont think there was any sort of significant contact made, looked to be more for the intent than the actual action.

[Hound]

Looked a harsh red to us on the terrace I mean. I haven't seen it on the TV at all. If he dropped the knee he deserved to go, but it didn't look too 'violent' from where we were.

Dont think there was any sort of significant contact made, looked to be more for the intent than the actual action.

I think Tommy O'Donnell conned the ref. He let out a roar as if he'd been poleaxed, so Barnes must have thought that's what happened. There's no way he'd have given a red had he seen exactly what happened.

I don't think I've ever seen a red card in rugby for intent to hit somebody, while not hitting them (its hard enough to get a red when making good contact!) A yellow might have been justified for intent. But if he intended to knee a lad in the head from a distance of one foot, he wouldnt have missed. I think he might have intended it for a split second, but then pulled out of it, hence he didnt make contact.

[trileacman]

Looked a harsh red to us on the terrace I mean. I haven't seen it on the TV at all. If he dropped the knee he deserved to go, but it didn't look too 'violent' from where we were.

Dont think there was any sort of significant contact made, looked to be more for the intent than the actual action.

I think Tommy O'Donnell conned the ref. He let out a roar as if he'd been poleaxed, so Barnes must have thought that's what happened. There's no way he'd have given a red had he seen exactly what happened.

I don't think I've ever seen a red card in rugby for intent to hit somebody, while not hitting them (its hard enough to get a red when making good contact!) A yellow might have been justified for intent. But if he intended to knee a lad in the head from a distance of one foot, he wouldnt have missed. I think he might have intended it for a split second, but then pulled out of it, hence he didnt make contact.

Bullshit. The ruck is stuck dead, the ref has blew the whistle and after that he makes an attempt to knee a man in the head whilst he's on the ground. If he did it on the street he'd go before the courts.

[trileacman]

Consider the meek reaction of the Racing 6, he knew he was caught.

[NAG1]

Consider the meek reaction of the Racing 6, he knew he was caught.

Sure the rugger boys all go meekly even if they feel they have been wronged, scared to say a word to the master sorry I mean referee.

[Hardy]

I also thought there was no contact or very little from the two or three slow-motion views they showed immediately afterwards. But a few minutes later they showed it from a different angle and it looked much worse - there seemed to be contact and it did seem deserving of a red. Also, I don't see any reason to characterise O'Donnell's reaction as fake.

[Main Street]

The Munster co-commentator was worried for the first few slow motion replays as it didn't look much, but the intrepid Sky camera director finally found the angle to nail the Racing player.

[trileacman]

I also thought there was no contact or very little from the two or three slow-motion views they showed immediately afterwards. But a few minutes later they showed it from a different angle and it looked much worse - there seemed to be contact and it did seem deserving of a red. Also, I don't see any reason to characterise O'Donnell's reaction as fake.

Same, the view from behind shows the intent in it. The view from the side doesn't look like much at all. To be fair the best view of the lot would have been.

[playwiththewind1st]

Consider the meek reaction of the Racing 6, he knew he was caught.

Sure the rugger boys all go meekly even if they feel they have been wronged, scared to say a word to the master sorry I mean referee.

Wish to hell the GAA was the same!

[Milltown Row2]

Clermont v Saracens final

I think Ulster will beat Saracens, they have been in excellent form all season, they have had injuries and still managed to pull off some fine wins. The game will be tight but I think they won't mind being away to Saracens rather than Munster, Clermont or Toulon.