Pick your own Euro opponents

I'm a Tigers fan.
Can I have the Ospreys, please. Only a good side like the one we played some years back.

[ed and whilst I'm at it, also Ulster and Toulouse and ASM.

I'd be happy to meet Munster and Leinster in the quarters/semis and Sarries in the final ]

Well the Blues are still a top seed team.

So im guessing everyone in tiers 2-4 will want the Blues.

Portnoy wrote:I'm a Tigers fan.
Can I have the Ospreys, please. Only a good side like the one we played some years back.

[ed and whilst I'm at it, also Ulster and Toulouse and ASM.

I'd be happy to meet Munster and Leinster in the quarters/semis and Sarries in the final ]

Hmm, might struggle to make the Amlin from that group, so I wouldn't worry about Munster/Leinster/Saracens

wales606 wrote:Well the Blues are still a top seed team.

So im guessing everyone in tiers 2-4 will want the Blues.

I don't want the Blues. I want the Os at a strength we last played them at.

This is a post about the team you want not what I chose.

Laa-dee-daa

Portnoy wrote:

wales606 wrote:Well the Blues are still a top seed team.

So im guessing everyone in tiers 2-4 will want the Blues.

I don't want the Blues. I want the Os at a strength we last played them at.

This is a post about the team you want not what I chose.

Laa-dee-daa

You have to have a team from every tier from the Euro rankings - but since I didn't have the euro rankings I didn't name who I would want.

The Ospreys are tier 2 I think

No need to be so literal on a post like this W606.

Just a bit of fun.

You could select the Brumbies or the SH Barbarians if you wanted. Nobody'd care...

Opponents i'd like to play (not who i think would be easiest to beat)
Munster, Ulster and Racing Metro.

Would have had the Saints as my tier 2 team, love big pack rivalries!

My team is Treviso.

I'd like Munster, Leinster, Toulouse and Clermont, please.

Getting humped gloriously by foreigners home and away has its attractions.

Portnoy wrote:I'm a Tigers fan.
Can I have the Ospreys, please. Only a good side like the one we played some years back.

[ed and whilst I'm at it, also Ulster and Toulouse and ASM.

I'd be happy to meet Munster and Leinster in the quarters/semis and Sarries in the final ]

I remember that epic draw at Welford Road a few years back, id like a rematch please

I can honestly say that I don't particularly mind, it'll be fantastic just to compete in the Heino for the first time. Ideally I suppose that I'd like teams that mates support (ie Leinster, Ulster, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Munster, etc.), but am not in the slightest fussy! Just enjoying the ride!

As an Ospreys fan i like it when we play Leicester, Gloucester, Sale, Clermont, Biarritz and i don't think we've played Quins or Northampton yet in the HC so i'd like to see us drawn in a pool with one of them

I would like Saracens to get drawn with Cardiff (1st tier),Stade Francais (2nd tier) and Treviso (4th tier).

That's if Stade Francais qualify of course.

Btw what happens with Aironi's HC place?

If I can't get my choice for next season (I got my ideal pool this season) I would at least like to avoid Leinster and Clermont.


http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/ranking.php

beshocked wrote:I would like Saracens to get drawn with Cardiff (1st tier),Stade Francais (2nd tier) and Treviso (4th tier).

That's if Stade Francais qualify of course.

Btw what happens with Aironi's HC place?

If I can't get my choice for next season (I got my ideal pool this season) I would at least like to avoid Leinster and Clermont.


http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/ranking.php

Goes to next highest ranked team in European pecking order, I believe

From the top seeds I would love to be paired with Leinster. We have never had the privilege of home and away matches in the same season.

After that I would love to be paired with BO or Stade for the possible away tie (though if they qualify I guess they are likely to be 2nd seeds with us).

Edinburgh would be a nice trip as would the new Roman Gladiators franchise.

LondonTiger wrote:From the top seeds I would love to be paired with Leinster. We have never had the privilege of home and away matches in the same season.

After that I would love to be paired with BO or Stade for the possible away tie (though if they qualify I guess they are likely to be 2nd seeds with us).

Edinburgh would be a nice trip as would the new Roman Gladiators franchise.

In 2007/08 we were in the same pool, as was Toulouse!

Would love to draw Biarritz, Bath and Treviso as they would all be a cracking away trips.

Mickado wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:From the top seeds I would love to be paired with Leinster. We have never had the privilege of home and away matches in the same season.

In 2007/08 we were in the same pool, as was Toulouse!

We were?

Why the hell can I not remember that season?

Guess it must have been the trauma fo losing to Wasps in the 2007 final, and finding my (now) ex-wife was shagging half of London. (she divorced me for unreasonable behavior )

Jeysus, well it was a year to forget for you then!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007%E2%80%9308_Heineken_Cup

I'll stick with the NH and select a hypothetical HC group based on good rugby locations I haven't been too:

Biarritz
Gloucester
Exeter

For me please

geoff998rugby wrote:I'll stick with the NH and select a hypothetical HC group based on good rugby locations I haven't been too:

Biarritz
Gloucester
Exeter

For me please

Take out Glaws and I'd be happy with that, geoff - my first visit to Ravenhill, which to be fair has been on the cards for a few years now

Would LOVE to get Exeter Chiefs. Absolutely loved my last visit to Sandy Park.

Sale Sharks and Racing Metro are others I wouldn't mind drawing as I think they aren't as good as they are ranked.

we aren;t able to draw Biarritz or Blues.

Why the hell can I not remember that season?

You don't remember Julian White catching the Leinster second row with a big haymaker (he must have had a jaw of steel) after some vegetable tweaking in a maul? That caused some headlines at the time.

Not sure on groupings but I'd like to face Ulster (perhaps we could play them with a proper team, they were a good crack last time), Ospreys (good games and a healthy rivalry) and then Edinburgh (as they are the current free flowing darlings of international rugby). 3 good home games and the options of easy flights out of EMA to the away games with cities worth visiting (well perhaps not Swansea).

I'd love Leinster to play Toulouse or Clermont in the Hcup final. Never met a French team in the final.

Trouble is Sam neither Swansea or a near empty Murrayfield provide a good atmosphere.

I do agree Edinburgh is one of the better cities to visit though - been their 3 times for Rugby reasons, plus non rugby reasons.

Good point there Geoff, maybe Murrayfield will start to fill up now Edinburgh are generating a feel good factor. A win in the next round of the HEC should see excitement at an all time high.

i would like to get any english team except northampton

For Muster I would love to get a group of death only if they quailified so

Munster
Toulon
Sarries
Exeter/Treviso

For Exeter anyone but an Irish team would have to win the HC so england could have 7

I would love to see two pots seeded and unseeded. So pots one and two together.

That way you could get big teams together and to be fair is there much between 1 and 2 it would suck more for sarries though if they got CMount and Leinster

For Exeter anyone but an Irish team would have to win the HC so england could have 7

Exeter are looking likely to finish 4th they'll be in the mix for next years HEC almost certainly.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

For Exeter anyone but an Irish team would have to win the HC so england could have 7

Exeter are looking likely to finish 4th they'll be in the mix for next years HEC almost certainly.

But you wouldnt have 2 english teams in the same pool.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

For Exeter anyone but an Irish team would have to win the HC so england could have 7

Exeter are looking likely to finish 4th they'll be in the mix for next years HEC almost certainly.

What I meant was to have two english teams in the one group. Exeter are there you are right

Brendan wrote:For Muster I would love to get a group of death only if they quailified so

Munster
Toulon
Sarries
Exeter/Treviso

For Exeter anyone but an Irish team would have to win the HC so england could have 7

I would love to see two pots seeded and unseeded. So pots one and two together.

That way you could get big teams together and to be fair is there much between 1 and 2 it would suck more for sarries though if they got CMount and Leinster

I would actually like that as a group obviously Treviso instead of Exeter. As long as we avoid Clermont and Leinster.

3rd tier again yay.

I think the Welsh love playing the big English teams. The crowds are bigger and the players are so motivated. I always thought Ulster love to get their teeth into the English too. Leinster and Munster used to be that way, but recently have preferred their tussles with the big French clubs.

For me, Toulouse and Clermont are the European sides I admire the most. If we lose I curse our luck for being drawn against them. If we win I'm glad we played them, because you love beating the best.

I'd also love to see Leinster play one of the big Super Rugby teams. Just see how we'd measure up to them.

The problem with the seedings is it likely that now the the big five are teir one they will only ever play in knockout.

I expect once Sarrries get to teir one it will be the tw england the two french and two of the three irish with a welsh, english and french team floating between one and two.

I am not sure I want that that is why I want seeded and unseeded so that you can have the big teams play in the group

as we (Exeter) are now qualified I don't really care who we have but it would be good to catch up with Lewis Stevenson and Dan Tuohy with Ulster in our group You could also add Stade if they win the Amlin as we owe them one and Ediburgh for the Jocks at Sandy Park

If you are interested in possible qualifiers and their tierings, some procrastination led me to calculate the following teams as still able to qualify with the points they currently have in Europe (+those they can still earn). I think. Correct me if I have made a glaring error.

In order - Leinster 36 (+4) Toulouse 27, Munster 23, Cardiff 21, Biarritz 19 (+2), Stade Francais 17 (+2), Leicester 17, Saints 17, ASM 15 (+4), Ulster 15 (+4), Quins 15, Toulon 14 (+2), Edinburgh 12 (+4), Ospreys 12, Perpignan 12, Bath 10, Glasgow 9, Scarlets 9, Brive 8 (+2), Gloucester 7, Sarries 6, Connacht 6, Sale 5, LI 5, Treviso 4, Racing Metro 4, Castres 4, Montpellier 3, Exeter 2, Newport 2, Worcester 2, Agen 0, Bordeaux 0.

7 from France qualify, 6 from Eng, 3 from Ireland, 3 from Wales, 2 from Scotland, 1 from Italy. If Leinster or Ulster win the HEC, Connacht make it through. If Edinburgh or ASM win it, then it seems any number of teams could steal the position - by position, most likely 7th place in the Aviva prem, but if that is Sale or Worcester or Exiles, then Connacht get through anyway I think.

Anyway, in each tier, possibles in brackets, definites without.

1) Leinster, Toulouse, Munster, Cardiff, Biarritz, (?Leicester?, Stade Francais, ASM, Edinburgh, Ulster) [Tigers v v unlikely]

2) (Leicester, Stade F, ASM, Ulster) Saints, Quins (Toulon, Edinburgh)

3) (Toulon, Edinburgh) Ospreys, Perpignan, Bath, Glasgow, Scarlets, (Brive, Gloucester, Saracens)

4) (Brive, Gloucester, Saracens) Connacht, Sale, Irish, Treviso, Agen, Racing MEtro, Newport, Worcester, Montpellier, Exeter, Agen

So you can work out potential group mates from that!

So on that basis a challenging and exciting group for Quins

1- Leinster
2- Quins
3- Edinburgh
4- Racing Metro

Brendan wrote:The problem with the seedings is it likely that now the the big five are teir one they will only ever play in knockout.

I expect once Sarrries get to teir one it will be the tw england the two french and two of the three irish with a welsh, english and french team floating between one and two.

I am not sure I want that that is why I want seeded and unseeded so that you can have the big teams play in the group

Sarries basically need to win it to get tier 1

Then after we win our group, vanquishing Leinster, we'd beat Toulon (revenge) then Leicester then Leinster again in the final

Here's Rob Baxter's pick from The Independent article

"Thinking about it," the coach (Rob Baxter) said, "I'd like to see us in the Heineken Cup group of death next season. Why would you prefer a soft pool, a pool with one of the Italian teams, when you can go full-on? We want the best teams in Europe coming here; we want to see how they like it playing against us in front of our own crowd. I honestly think that player for player, we're as ambitious as anyone. We all want to be involved in the big games and we're not a club to run away from things. We want more.

Given that Edinburgh, Toulon etc could be tier 3, there could a vicious group of death next year!