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Featured Sport News

Can anybody stop Munster?

Author: Sir David Smith
Date: 30/04/2009

Munster remain the team to beat as the Heineken Cup sportsbook favourites reach the semi-final stage this weekend with Tony McGahan's team expected to see off Leinster's challenge.

The all-Ireland clash is easier to predict than Sunday's other last-four encounter though when two of the form teams in northern hemisphere rugby, Leicester Tigers and Cardiff Blues meet.

Munster are most people's favourites to clinch a third European title in four seasons but the Tigers came with a late surge to top the Guinness Premiership.

Cardiff Blues, while struggling in the Celtic League, secured a superb quarter-final victory against Toulouse three weeks ago before annihilating Gloucester 50-12 in the EDF Energy Cup Final.

So maybe the destination of this year's Heineken Cup may not be the foregone conclusion many people expect as Munster bid to reach another final following their 2006 success against Biarritz and last year's 16-13 victory against Toulouse in last year's showpiece.

Munster have been forced to include Mike Prendergast in their squad as Tomas O'Leary fractured an ankle in last weekend's 29-10 win at Scarlets, a result that kept them at the top of the Magners League table, 11 points clear of Saturday's opponents who currently occupy second spot.

Four weeks ago Munster beat Leinster 22-5 at Thomond Park and they also won 18-0 at the RDS in September.

It would be a major surprise if they failed to make it three wins out of three this weekend even though Leinster have 11 Ireland internationals in their squad including Brian O'Driscoll, Luke Fitzgerald, Jamie Heaslip and Shane Horgan.

Leinster coach Michael Cheika is without Rob Kearney but CJ van der Linde should be fit enough to feature.

Meanwhile, Leicester have been revitalised since Richard Cockerill replaced Heyneke Meyer in February, losing only one of their last 11 matches in all competitions.

They edged past Bath 20-15 in the quarter-finals and clinched top spot in the Premiership by thrashing relegated Bristol 73-3 last weekend.

The Tigers, twice winners of the European Cup at the start of the millennium and beaten finalists on two other occasions, the last in 2007 when they lost to Wasps, have a virtually full-strength squad to choose from.

Everything would appear to point to a Leicester win, but the Blues have been the surprise package of this season's competition and also appear to have peaked at exactly the right time.

They have tasted victory in eight of their last nine matches and coach David Young turned down the chance to replace Mayer in February.

Instead he is hoping his Cardiff side can become the first Welsh team to lift the Heineken Cup.

It will be a tough job though and all the signs are that the Murrayfield Final will be contested between Munster and Leicester.

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