European Quarter Finals

It's straight knockout time in both European competitions with the Quarter finals this weekend starting with the all English Challenge Cup Quarter on Friday night. Plenty of rugby and some scintillating games to look forward to.

All Times UK and Ireland time and games on BT Sport in UK and beIN Sports in France.

Friday 6th May 2022

Gloucester v Saracens- Kingsholm, Gloucester- 20:00- Challenge Cup

Saturday 7th May 2022

Edinburgh v Wasps- DAM Health Stadium, Edinburgh- 12:30- Challenge Cup
Munster v Toulouse- Aviva Stadium, Dublin- 15:00 KO- Champions Cup
La Rochelle v Montpellier- Stade Marcel Deflandre, La Rochelle- 17:30 KO- Champions Cup
Leicester Tigers v Leinster- Welford Road, Leicester- 17:30 KO- Champions Cup
Lyon v Glasgow Warriors- Malmut Stadium De Gerland, Lyon- 20:00- Challenge Cup

Sunday 8th May 2022

Toulon v London Irish- Stade Felix Mayol, Toulon- 12:30- Challenge Cup
Racing 92 v Sale Sharks- Paris La Defense Arena, Paris- 15:00- Champions Cup

Those three Saturday Champions Cup matches look great. Not a lot between any of those teams. La Rochelle-Montpelier, in particular, should be a fantastic bit o Rugby.

Shame to have a fixture clash on the Saturday afternoon. There's some cracking games on this weekend. Looking forward to the squads being named.

Is there any reason why there is no Friday night Champions Cup game.

Have to say very few of the games look one sided.  Probably only Racing v Sale but as Sale have nothing to lose it means the pressure is off.  Last year after the result v Scarlets they went in with alot of pressure v La Rochelle and I think they struggled with that.

You would have to feel Sarries, Toulouse and Leinster are the best bets for away wins.  It's hard to gauge where Leicester are as they are top of the Prem and have good players but alot of them haven't been in the knock-outs of the Prem or Champions Cup for a while.  Connacht ran them close twice but fairly sure Tigers didn't put out strong teams. They seem good in the Prem but feel Leinster will have the edge just about.

Munster will be full of emotion and play with passion but will one up short. They don't have the running game of Ulster and the usual forwards game will come up short yet again. The Aviva will be rocking and should have nearly 40k there. Like another team that plays in red maybe next year is our year.

Brendan wrote:

You would have to feel Sarries, Toulouse and Leinster are the best bets for away wins.  It's hard to gauge where Leicester are as they are top of the Prem and have good players but alot of them haven't been in the knock-outs of the Prem or Champions Cup for a while.  Connacht ran them close twice but fairly sure Tigers didn't put out strong teams.  They seem good in the Prem but feel Leinster will have the edge just about.

Borthwick has tended to focus on home Prem games for his strongest teams. Away games and European games have tended to see some rotation. Ford didn't play in either game Vs Connacht being rested for both as was Nadolo and Montoya was only on the bench for the home game. I'm not sure they will provide a particularly accurate reference of what Tigers can do.

That being said Leinster are the better team. If this game wasn't at Welford Road I don't think the bookies or pundits would be having it as close as they are currently. Leinster have a much more developed attacking game and Tigers will be missing their defensive lynch pin Dan Kelly at 12. If Leinster get momentum they will probably cut through us. If Tigers can slow Leinster down and force some penalties then the rolling maul game could get rumbling and from the back of that Tigers are dangerous. If Leinster keep their discipline and ensure whomever is receiving kicks is both supported and good under the high ball they have the ability to restrict two of Tigers big strengths, as the aggressive kick chase will be coming with Ford at 10.

STARTING XV
15 Freddie Steward [51]
14 Chris Ashton [8]
13 Matías Moroni [31]
12 Guy Porter [40]
11 Harry Potter [37]
10 George Ford [124]
9 Ben Youngs [278]
1 Ellis Genge (c) [106]
2 Julián Montoya [24]
3 Dan Cole [285]
4 Ollie Chessum [26]
5 Calum Green [87]
6 Hanro Liebenberg (vc) [54]
7 Tommy Reffell [73]
8 Jasper Wiese [40]

REPLACEMENTS
16 Nic Dolly [21]
17 James Whitcombe [22]
18 Joe Heyes [97]
19 Harry Wells [151]
20 George Martin [34]
21 Richard Wigglesworth [34]
22 Freddie Burns [98]
23 Nemani Nadolo [33]

Leinster XV: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Jimmy O’Brien, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton (c), 9 Jamison Gibson-Park; 1 Andrew Porter, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 4 Ross Molony, 5 James Ryan, 6 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 Jack Conan

Leinster Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Michael Ala’alatoa, 19 Joe McCarthy, 20 Rhys Ruddock, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Tommy O’Brien

Welcome return to the side for George Martin. Pretty mobile and attacking bench bar Wigglesworth. The team is as stacked as we can make it, Dan Kelly's injury is definitely a major blow. MVS would have probably thrived in this one as well but hopefully have him back soon.

Leinster look stacked as expected. An injury at lock aside their strongest team? Great opportunity to test where Tigers are in their development against one of the best club sides around. Welford Road should be electric, hope the game meets expectations. I'm sure Leo Cullen will be given a warm welcome back

Delighted to see Martin back on the bench. He's a beast in contact to throw on in the second half.

Leinseter look very strong even missing Baird who I think is a fabulous second row. As expected it's the bulk of the Ireland team and a strong bench.

For Tigers I'm disappointed that van Poortvliet isn't on the bench and would have started Wells. Snyman has been better than Green for me this season so I'd consider him unlucky to miss out entirely.

Tigers will need to be at their very best for it to be a good game. Genge vs Furlong, Ford vs Sexton and Steward vs Keenan will likely need to win their individual battles as well.

Having Montoya is a gigantic boost for Tigers in a game such as this though. A genuinely world class player with experience of the big games.

Are the qf's based on home and away fixtures?

Old Man wrote:Are the qf's based on home and away fixtures?

Just a one off game.

Agree KC, real shame that JVP isn't on the bench. He deserves it on recent form. For me there isn't much between Green and Snyman they are both solid. It's a shame Henderson isn't back and firing yet otherwise I'd have liked us to go Wells/Chessum starting and then Henderson on the bench.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

Old Man wrote:Are the qf's based on home and away fixtures?

Just a one off game.

I think the home and away from the prior round was just a stunt for this season to create another game with revenue attached and to help drum up business again.  I really can't remember when (or if) these were used in the past, but the structure of the tournament was changed due to Covid. Simple knock-out Rugby from here.

I'm struggling to see any English side progressing in the ChampCup sadly......I'm fancying 3 French and 1 Irish (Leinster) making up the numbers.

If Tigers turn over Leinster it will be quite a shock.

Well Gloucester have come back down to earth with a bang against Sarries. Getting murdered in all honesty.

Good job Sarries are not playing Bath!

BigGee wrote:Well Gloucester have come back down to earth with a bang against Sarries. Getting murdered in all honesty.

Good job Sarries are not playing Bath!

Just tuned in....that's a beat down!

Sgt_Pooly wrote:

BigGee wrote:Well Gloucester have come back down to earth with a bang against Sarries. Getting murdered in all honesty.

Good job Sarries are not playing Bath!

Just tuned in....that's a beat down!  

Game turned at the lineout, Sarries disrupted Glaws lineout especially in their 22. Glaws go to attacking platform disappeared and they conceded a lot of penalties. Some decisions didn't go their way but they failed to get the ball into the outside channels and into the hands of their danger men often enough. The couple of times they did big holes were opened up. Rees-Zammit scored a nice solo try though.

Sarries were just Sarries, brutal efficiency though their attacking structure off Farrell is really working nicely. Sorrell has done a really good job there, there's always options and always a get out option of Farrell isn't quick enough.

LRZ was decent in that game. Heard a got a hat trick last week too, when Glaws pipped Bath…

mikey_dragon wrote:LRZ was decent in that game. Heard a got a hat trick last week too, when Glaws pipped Bath…

He barely featured last night. Not his fault, just the way it went. He had an opportunity pulled back in the first half for an earlier infraction and then we didn't really see him until his solo try in the second half which was tasty. Glaws really didn't make the most of his rapid pace on the outside, the got round the corner on a couple of occasions but couldn't let him loose.

He's in fine finishing form. Four tries in this last three games isn't a bad return even if Bath and Bristol were amongst those games.

And when he did feature, he was more than decent.

Yeah we need him in good form, it will be nice to get some decent backs on the field for Wales. Tompkins included but his defence still isn’t great at international level. He works well with North who is back and looks like he never left.

It's the work in for Rees-Zammit, find a way to get into the game when opportunities aren't coming his way. It's something May had to learn at the same age so he should be a good mentor for that. With how Wales attack I'm sure he'll be scoring tries this summer.

The Munster Vs Toulouse game is an absolute corker. Balanced on a knife edge currently.

Was there a deflection off a Munster boot? Did they get lucky?

Hell of a defensive effort from Munster here ...

Interesting decision - knock-on advantage and attempted drop-goal missed - normally that would be advantage over surely?

Place kicks?! This should be...interesting.

Impressive defensive display from Munster but placekicking finally let them down - not a great way to go out ...

Well done Toulouse. Good effort from Munster and pity there was no clone of Peter O'Mahony to replace him.

Hopefully the rest of the games are as interesting.

Tigers have started very poorly. Leinster unsurprisingly have taken advantage to get a 10 point lead.

Tigers have to wake up.

king_carlos wrote:Tigers have started very poorly. Leinster unsurprisingly have taken advantage to get a 10 point lead.

Tigers have to wake up.

They do but it would be nice if the ref did his job. The shot on Ford was late and high and should have been a card. No arms all shoulder.

Tigers are making lots of mistakes and Leinster look clinical.

French officials

What was that lineout move. Our strength is the maul, so maul the damn ball!

Argh can't drop those passes....

Dodgy calls doesn't excuse the dire defensive alignment and weaker than usual set-piece. Our strengths all season and going to pot on the big day so far.

They need a score to get a foothold and settle down.

Then double up the error at the lineout 7m out.

Basics.

Leinster are doing basics and more. Tigers aren't doing the basics at all.

Very frustrating so far.

So far Tigers look far too tense. We're on top at the scrum and nowhere else.

Look like we've met in the car park at times.

I'd get Nadolo on early as an attacking option. Ashton has been a good Moneyball signing and had the form to start but he's been poor defensively so far and Nadolo offers far more on the ball, despite his flaws in defence won't be more out of position than Ashton so far!

Think we need some changes at half time. Not enough work rate and Ashton is making too many defensive errors.

Wells and Nadolo on.get more physicality and aggression.

Near perfect kick off from Ford ruined by Ashton mucking up timing on the chase there sadly. It's not been his half it must be said.

Pretty sure there TV clock wasn't in the red when Keenan went out there as well. Sometimes the TV clock isn't perfectly aligned to the officials...

Brendan wrote:Well done Toulouse.  Good effort from Munster and pity there was no clone of Peter O'Mahony to replace him.

Hopefully the rest of the games are as interesting.

Yep once the talismanic POM went off Munster quickly lost their lead but then actually did well to make it to penalties given how little experience they had left on the field.

Having said that Healy was still agonisingly close to a special win with the long range penalty effort on 80 minutes and the drop goal on 100 minutes. Those might be the moments that he'll be suffering sleepless nights with rather than the missed kicks in the shootout.

king_carlos wrote:Near perfect kick off from Ford ruined by Ashton mucking up timing on the chase there sadly. It's not been his half it must be said.

Pretty sure there TV clock wasn't in the red when Keenan went out there as well. Sometimes the TV clock isn't perfectly aligned to the officials...

The TMO seems completely clueless. Bit annoying we were stopped taking the quick one so they could fanny about for 30 seconds trying to work out at what time it went out.

Advantage attack squandered.

Kick for the corner needs to be 5m out.

Just so poor.

Hopefully Tigers can still do something from the lineout.

Nadolo on too. Good call. For Moroni. Absurd call if tactical...

Should have been a penalty try considering how many Leinster forwards were on the floor at the bottom of that maul but we score anyway.

Tigers have come out looking hungry this half. Nadolo on at centre as well which is a new one. Moroni off.

Yes!! Finally a score.

Ashton on the end of a good pass from Ford.

Nadolo was practically playing as a 9th forward in that phase play. I wonder if he might be on the pitch to basically do that in attack.

Porter is not having a fun time against Cole at the scrum.

king_carlos wrote:Yes!! Finally a score.

Ashton on the end of a good pass from Ford.

Nadolo was practically playing as a 9th forward in that phase play. I wonder if he might be on the pitch to basically do that in attack.

Martin on for Reffell, we've doubled down on all out physicality and aggression.

Nadolo for Moroni and Martin for Reffell.

Tigers going for all out physicality in the tight it seems.

Need to work the scrum with those pens close to the line. The lineout is wobbly.

Yep, Tigers are basically carrying very hard off 9 until Ford is 100% certain it's on out wide.

I think I'd have scrummed from that penalty. Another chance goes begging. Throwing to the front against Ryan isn't working.

Stupid quick tap though none of the defenders were close to back 10. Really stupid from Liebenburg, we could have scrummed down and done so much more.

Assistant is calling penalties against Leinster at the scrum but the refs ignoring them. So frustrating.

Try saver from Weise there.

First touch for Leinster in the Tigers 22 this half came after twenty minutes and only due to Tigers errors.