Heineken Cup 2006/7

[MightyQuin]

Anyword on the Challenge Cup - is that being drawn today as well?


Also, thats one hell of group Munster have found themselves in there ... that'll teach them to win it!!!!!

 

[el_tk]

Interesting groups- I think the best second placed teams will come from pools Six and Three.

I reckon Leinster will qualify but they have no easy games there although it depends if Agen take an interest in the HEC.

Anybody fancy Leicester's chances against Munster in Thomond?

 

[Boy]

You'd probably pick Perpignan, Leinster, Stade Francais, Munster, Toulouse and Biarritz to go through as group winners. Northampton have got a decent chance of getting one of the runners up spots, as you'd expect Borders and Parma to ship more than their share of points.

 

[SaintsFan_Webby]

Cracking group for us, couldn't have hoped for much better looking at the rest.

We have to be looking to pick up at least 5 wins really, seeing as Biarritz are French and therefore vulnerable away from home.

Obviously can't afford to underestimate Parma or the Borders, but we should be looking at qualification from the group.

 

[DonBilly]

Stade Français will have to face Sale Sharks and this won't be an esay draw.

 

[edinburgh_gunner]

That group gives the Gunners a really good chance of qualification, either as winners or as best runners up.

 

[MightyQuin]

Last season 22 points was the mark to qualify as best runner up - sorry but I can't see the runner up in Edinburgh's pool getting over 20 points to be honest.

Best chance of points is pools 3 and 6, where Parma and Calvisano would look to be the weakest teams. Saying that though, Treviso actually conceded the most points last season, and Castres shipped in quite a few, so Perpignan and Wasps could both come out of pool 1 with over 22 points.

IMO, Pools 2, 4 and 5 look too balanced to produce a high scoring 2nd place qualifier - but hey, what do I know, thats why we watch the games!!

 

[Bullitt]

Champions Munster face Leicester

Heineken Cup champions Munster will face old rivals and former champions Leicester in the 2006/07 group stages.

Cardiff Blues and French side Bourgoin make up one of the toughest pools.

English champions Sale have Parisians Stade Francais in their group, which also includes Ospreys and Calvisano, while Wasps face Perpignan and Castres.

Top Irish seed Ulster have a fiendishly hard group with Toulouse, Scarlets and London Irish, while Leinster face Edinburgh, Gloucester and Agen.

Northampton, who finished sixth in the English Premiership, have the least demanding of the groups despite the presence of 2006 finalists Biarritz, with the Italians Overmach Parma and Scottish side the Borders making up the pool.

Leicester pipped Munster in the 2002 Heineken final, but the Irish province won at Welford Road in the quarter-finals the following year.

Munster hooker Frankie Sheehan said: "It will be tough. Leicester have been the most consistent team in Europe for the last four or five years and Cardiff finished last season very well, but hopefully we can get through it."

Leicester managing director David Clayton added: "This is a great draw for the club and its supporters and we are all looking forward to the challenge, particularly the two matches against Munster."

The first-seeded sides from each of the six nations - Biarritz (France), Treviso (Italy), Sale (England), Ulster (Ireland), Cardiff Blues (Wales) and Edinburgh (Scotland) - were drawn in separate pools.

The first round of the tournament will be played on the weekend of October 20-22, with the final at Twickenham on the weekend of 19/20 May 2007.

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Pool One: Treviso, Perpignan, London Wasps, Castres

Pool Two: Edinburgh Gunners, Agen, Gloucester, Leinster

Pool Three: Sale Sharks, Stade Francais, Calvisano, Ospreys

Pool Four: Cardiff Blues, Bourgoin, Leicester, Munster

Pool Five: Ulster, Toulouse, London Irish, Llanelli Scarlets

Pool Six: Biarritz, Northampton, Parma, Border Reivers

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Heineken Cup schedule:

Round One: 20-22 October
Round Two: 27-29 October
Round Three: 8-10 December
Round Four: 15-17 December
Round Five: 12-14 January
Round Six: 19-21 January Quarter-finals: 30 March-1 April
Semi-finals: 21-22 April
Final: 19/20 May (Twickenham)

 

[An Tarbh]

Reasonably good draw for Munster and Leinster, both should qualify, a lot tougher for Ulster though you certainly wouldn't think they were the seeded Irish team now. Leicester playing in Thomond Park should be quite an occasion to savour, one of the few teams who haven't played there.

 

[Black-Monday]

Yes, the Ospreys will be Whipping boys next year. I just hope Henson comes to Edgeley park along with Marshall. I loved barracking him!

BM

 

[propandlovingit]

problem with that is were proabably end up 2nd, and that means a match against, leiceter, toulouse, stade francais who knows!!

 

[Bullitt]

To be fair, Northampton are a much stronger side than 2 years ago, so they'd at minimum be able to give the top sides a good game instead of a pummeling this time round.