Bardon
Peter Fenwicke (45)
I wrote this guide a while back and I was going to post it on here a few weeks ago, but the Nevin Spence thing kinda dampened my enthusiasm for Rugby and I kept putting it off. Well the Heineken Cup gets underway today so here it is. I tried to update as much as I could but someone of the information may be a month or so out of date.
This year was my first year that I actually truly followed Super Rugby rather than just dip in and watch a game or two each weekend it was on. I found the information posted on G&G very helpful in getting to know a little about the history of players and teams that I wasn’t overly familiar with. So in a hands across the equator move I would like to reciprocate in a small way and present this guide to the 2013 Heineken European Cup. Hopefully even 1 person from Aus who decides to follow this year’s HEC finds it useful.
You will probably find better guides out there in the vast internet but this one provides 1 big advantage. It’s right here on G&G so you don’t have to do too much leg work.
Let me get the disclaimers out of the way now. Firstly I’m dyslexic so I apologies for any spelling mistakes or sentences that simply don’t make any sense. I’ll try to self edit and keep that to a minimum. Secondly any factual errors are my own and I apologise wholeheartedly for them and will correct them once pointed out to me. Finally any opinions expressed are also my own and I will not under any circumstances apolgise for those, well maybe under the threat of legal action.
I’ve tried to provide an even amount of information on each team. But for some teams like Zebre or some of the French teams my knowledge is not as in depth as for the Pro12 or Aviva Premiership sides. While this is not a guide for the likes of Lee Grant, Qwerty, Nusadan, Sudrugby, Dai Bando, Kronic etc. I would welcome any contribution from these guys to add interesting facts or to highlight up and coming players I may not know about.
Now onwards to the guide itself:
Heineken European Cup 2013
The Heineken Cup is the top European Club competition contested each year by the best teams from England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
Qualification
Unlike Super Rugby the 24 teams in the Heineken Cup are not ring fenced, although the spots for the Pro12 teams may as well be. Instead qualification for this year’s competition is based on performance in last season’s domestic and European competitions. Qualifying for one of the 24 places is possible by achieving one of the following in the previous season:
6 places go to the first 6 finishers in the French Top 14 League.
6 Places go to the first 6 Finishers in the English Aviva Premiership.
3 Places go to the Top 3 Irish teams in the Pro12.
3 Places go to the Top 3 Welsh teams in the Pro12.
2 Places go to the Top 2 Scottish teams in the Pro12.
2 Places go to the Top 2 Italian teams in the Pro12.
1 additional place goes to the country of the winner of the Heineken Cup.*
1 Additional place goes to the country of the winner of the Amlin Challenge Cup.*
· * France and England are restricted to a maximum of 7 places in the Heineken Cup. In the event that the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup are both won by French teams or both won by English teams. Then one additional place is given to the next ranked nation according to ERCs rankings.
When I do the team by team guide I will include how each team qualified.
The Format
The competition consists of 24 teams split across 6 pools of 4 teams. During the pool stages each team plays the other 3 teams in their pool home and away for a total for 6 games played per team.
Scoring is similar to Super Rugby with 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 BP for 4 or more tries in one game and 1 BP for a losing by 7 points or less.
At the end of the Pool stages the 6 pool winners and the best 2 runners up qualify for the Quarter Finals. These 8 teams are ranked on their performance in the pool stages (similar to the overall log in Super Rugby) and this determines the match ups for the Quarter Finals.
In the event of two teams being equal on points after the pool stages their relative placing is determined as follows:
If the 2 teams were in the same pool then it goes on the result of the two head to matches with ranking determined on this sliding scale Match Points > Tries Scored > Aggregate Points Difference.
If the 2 teams are from different pools the ranking is determined by their pool performance on a sliding scale is as follows: Tries Scored > Aggregate Points Scored > Fewest Red Cards/Suspensions > Toss of a Coin.
In the Quarter Finals the match ups are as follows:
Seed 1 v Seed 8
Seed 2 v Seed 7
Seed 3 v Seed 6
Seed 4 v Seed 5
Seed 1 through 4 have home country advantage.
The Semi Final line up is determined by a draw that takes place prior the Quarter Final games being played.
The Final is in a venue determined before the start of the competition, the venue changes each year. In 2013 the Final will be played in Dublin at the Aviva Stadium (Landsdowne Road to purists). 2013 will be the first year that both the Amlin Challenge Cup and Heineken European Cup will be hosted in the same city. The Amlin Challenge Cup Final will take place at the RDS (Leinster’s home ground) the day before the Heineken European Cup Final.
The Pools
Pool 1:Edinburgh, Munster, Racing Metro 92, Saracens
Pool 2: Benneton Treviso, Leicester Tigers, Ospreys, Toulouse
Pool 3:Biarritz, Connacht, Harlequins, Zebre
Pool 4:Castres Olympique, Glasgow Warriors, Northampton Saints, Ulster
Pool 5:Clermont Auvergne, Exeter Chiefs, Leinster, Scarlets
Pool 6:Cardiff Blues, Montpellier, Sale Sharks, Toulon
Match Dates
Amlin Challenge Cup and Heineken European Cup games will be played on the following dates:
Round 1 – 11/12/13/14 October 2012
Round 2 – 18/19/20/21 October 2012
Round 3 – 6/7/8/9 December 2012
Round 4 – 13/14/15/16 December 2012
Round 5 – 10/11/12/13 January 2013
Round 6 – 17/18/19/20 January 2013
Quarter-finals – 4/5/6/7 April 2013
Semi-finals – 26/27/28 April 2013
Finals – 17/18/19 May 2013
Where to watch
The following broadcasters have rights to show Heineken European Cup games live:
Europe
UK & Ireland Sky Sports
France France Television 2 & 4 and Canal+
Italy Sky Sports Italia
Oceania - Latin America
Australia, Argentina ESPN/Setanta
New Zealand Sky TV- Rugby Channel /ESPN
Fiji, Tonga Eurosport Asia
Europe - North America
Spain TVE
Greece Netmed
PolandPolsat
Czech Rep, Hungary, Slovakia Sport 1
USA Setanta
Africa, Maghreb, Middle East
South Africa Supersport
Other African Countries Canal Plus, Supersport
Team Guide
Edinburgh Rugby
Edinburgh are generally considered pool stages also-rans. Only once prior to last season did they make it out of their pool. However last year they won their pool which included Cardiff Blues, Racing Metro & London Irish. They then went on to cause a huge upset by dumping out the Kings of Europe Toulouse in the Quarter Final. They then fell to Ulster in the Semi Finals in a hard fought game.
It will be interesting to see if they can back up again this year or if it was just a flash in the pan. How they cope with the loss of, Scottish international scrum half, Mike Blair to Brive and the retirement of Chris Patterson will go a long way in determining that. Also the fact that they’re in one of this year’s toughest pools won’t help their chances either.
Betting Odds: 100/1
Country: Scotland
Home Ground: Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
League:RaboDirect Pro12
2012 League Position: 11th
Qualification: Technically they finished as one of the top 2 Scottish teams in the Pro12 and thus qualified. In reality there are currently only 2 Scottish teams in the Pro12 so they qualified automatically.
2012 Heineken Cup: Semi Final
HEC Best Performance: Semi Final 2012
Pool: 1
Coach: Michael Bradley
Key Players: Hooker Ross Ford, prop Allan Jacobsen and captain Greig Laidlaw will be expected to provide the leadership on the field. All eyes will be on David Denton to see how he goes this year after such an impressive season last year. Nick De Luca provides much needed experience in a relatively young backline.
New Players*: Dutch winger Tim Visser, now Scottish qualified, may be a new name to some SH fans. He missed playing against Australia by a week or so on residency qualification but played in the rest of Scotland’s summer tour. He scored 2 tries against Fiji on his Scotland debut. He was last year’s Pro12 top try scorer with 14. His younger brother Sep is also in the squad. Prop John Yapp has been signed from Cardiff Blues. Tom Brown had a breakthrough year last season with Scotland and is one to watch this year.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Prop WP Nel and Lock Izak van der Westhuizen have both signed from the Cheetahs for the coming season. Former Blues & Highlanders back Ben Atiga has been signed from Otago. Fijian international back row Netani Talei has been at the club for a couple of years now.
· This refers both to players who are new to the team (new signings) and players who may already be at the club but could make their Heineken Cup debut or play a more pronounced role in the 2013 HEC.
Munster Rugby
Munster are 2 times winners, 4 times finalists and one of European Rugby’s power houses. Year in year out they make it to at least the Quarter Final, with 2011 being the lone exception in the past 14 seasons. Their years of success came from having one of the strongest packs in club Rugby. Currently they are in a rebuilding phase after a number of retirements.
They’ve looked a little more vulnerable in the past 2 seasons but still managed to win all 6 pool games in a pool that included Northampton Saints (2011 Finalists), Scarlets and Catres. Twice they won games with drop goals after 80 minutes with one being won after holding onto the ball for 41 phases. They fell to Ulster in the Quarter Final.
They may not be the Munster of old but they’re still a pretty good team with some very promising youngsters coming through. Also Munster are probably the best supported club team in the world. The number of fans they take to away games across Europe is staggering.
Betting Odds: 11/1
Country: Ireland
Home Ground: Thomond Park, Limerick
League:RaboDirect Pro12
2012 League Position: 3rd, Semi Final
Qualification: Finished in the top 3 Irish teams in the Pro12.
2012 Heineken Cup: Quarter Finals
HEC Best Performance: Winners 2006, 2008
Pool: 1
Coach: Rob Penney, Anthony Foley (assistant)
Key Players: Captain Paul O’Connell, who was injured last season, returns and will be at the heart of everything Munster if he can remain injury free. This will be a big year for scrum half Conor Murray who’s development stalled a little last year. Ronan O’Gara as ever will be expected to provide guidance and control from fly half. Centre Keith Earls will provide some of the spark in the backline. A lot will be expected of lock Donnacha Ryan, back row Peter O’Mahony and wing Simon Zebo after their breakthroughs last year.
New Players*: Centre James Downey returns to Munster after an impressive few years at Northampton Saints. Another Centre, Casey Lualala, who scored the winning try for the Crusaders in a Super Rugby final, has been signed from Cardiff Blues. Back-rower CJ Stander has been signed from the Bulls.
Fly half Ian Keatley may play a larger role if Munster decide it’s time to bed in Ronan O’Gara’s replacement. It’s not beyond the realms of possibilities to see JJ Hanrahan, who was a standout player in the recent Junior World Cup, get a couple of run ons. However there is still life left in the old dog and don’t expect ROG just to step aside.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Doug Howlett’s injury last year paved the way for the emergence of Simon Zebo. Doug should be back firing fit next season and ready to challenge for his place back. He’s still as good a finisher as he ever was. South African props BJ Botha and Wian de Preez have been at Munster for a couple of seasons.
Racing Metro 92
I hope Sudrugby will forgive me for describing his team as the other team from Paris. After a period outside the Top14 they’ve been back with a bang over the last few seasons. This year is the 3rd in a row they’ve qualified for the Heineken Cup and they did so by piping city rivals Stade Francais to 6th place in the Top14.
Have never advanced beyond the pool stages but they’ve given some of Europe’s best sides some tough matches in the last 2 years. If Munster and Saracens take points off each other they are certainly capable of causing an upset.
Betting Odds: 66/1
Country: France
Home Ground: Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes
League:French Top14
2012 League Position: 6th, lost in play-off
Qualification: Finished in the top 6 of the French Top14.
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Pool Stages
Pool: 1
Coach: Pierre Berbizier
Key Players: Captain Lionel Nallet has been with the club since their promotion back to the Top14 and has played a major part in their success since then. He forms a very experience locking partnership with Santiago Dellape. Flyhalf and former World Player of the Year nominee Juan Martin Hernandez will be another familiar name. Italian wing Mirco Burgamasco will be familiar to most. Another Italian Andrea Lo Cicero provides some grunt in the scrum.
New Players*: Hernandez’s lesser known international colleague Juan Jose Imhoff will be someone to watch out for on the wing. Former Fijian international back row Masi Matadigo has signed for the coming season as have Frenchmen Mathieu Belie (scrum/flyhalf) and Luc Ducalcon (prop). England International fly-half Ollie Barkley was signed from Bath.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Former Fijian international wing Sireli Bobo is still a dangerous customer to deal with. South Africans Francois van de Merve (Lock), Bernard La Roux (Back row) and former Bulls Jacques Cronje are all at the club. Another Bok Francois Steyn was with Racing before he returned to SA with the Sharks this year.
Saracens
Saracens set a new world record club attendance for their Aviva Premiership top of the table clash against Harlequins last year. The way they go about the business and revenue generation side of the game may well be a blue print to the future for many clubs. Last year they tried to move one of their Heineken Cup pool games to South Africa and only failed because of a dispute about which ground would host it. Don’t be surprised if they succeed in moving one of their home pool games this year.
Last season they won their pool which included Biarritz, Osprey and Aironi who have since been replaced by Zebre in both the HEC and Pro12. A lot of the talk before their Quarter Final with Clermont was about holding a very lucrative potential Semi Final against Leinster at Wembley. In the end Clermont ran out easy winners beating them 22-3 on their home ground. However there’s no doubt that Saracens are a coming power in European Rugby.
Betting Odds: 16/1
Country: England
Home Ground: Vicarage road, Watford
League:English Aviva Premiership
2012 League Position: 3rd, lost in Semi Finals
Qualification: Finished in the top 6 of the English Aviva Premiership.
2012 Heineken Cup: Quarter Finals
HEC Best Performance: Semi Final 2008
Pool: 1
Coach: Mark McCall
Key Players: With a host of former Boks and current England internationals it’s hard to single out just a few players as being key to Saracens. Players like John Smit, Schalk Britz, Steve Borthwick, Mouritz Boutha, Kelly Brown, Neil de Kock, David Strettle and Chris Ashton mean they have a very impressive team. However how the younger generation of scrum half Richard Wigglesworth, fly half Owen Farrell, centre Brad Barritt and full back Alex Goode handle the big games will determine how much they progress in this years competition.
New Players*: Chris Ashton, yes the same Chris Ashton who won the “Player you would most like to punch” poll on GAGR, has signed for Saracens for this season. There are bound to be a few flair ups during the pool games with him around. Flanker Nick Fenton-Wells from the Stormers and lock Alistair Hargreaves have joined the already large South African contingent at Vicarage road.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Some of the notable South African names at the club include Schalk Brits, John Smit, Earnst Joubert and Neil de Kock. Former Crusaders and NZ Maori Joe Maddock is also at Saracens.
Benetton Treviso
In recent years getting an Italian side in your pool made people think that it would be an easy ride and 2 teams would qualify from that pool. Although they finished bottom of their pool last year they still managed to get a draw against the Ospreys and stunned Biarritz by beating them 30-26. A defeat that ultimately cost Biarritz a Quarter Final place.
They have improved immensely since their inclusion in the Pro12 2 years ago. They are still a long way off challenging for top spot in a pool but I wouldn’t bet against them causing an upset or two this year.
Betting Odds: 1000/1
Country: Italy
Home Ground: Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
League:RaboDirect Pro12
2012 League Position: 10th
Qualification: One of 2 Italian teams chosen to play in both the Pro12 and Heineken Cup
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Pool Stages
Pool: 2
Coach: Franco Smith
Key Players: Unsurprisingly the heart of this Treviso team is their Italian internationals. From Ghiraldini, Cittadini, Favaro and Zanni in the pack to Burton and McLean in the backs there are plenty of experienced internationals in the team.
New Players*: Italian international wing Giulio Toniolatti has been signed from Aironi. Tongan born Japanese international centre Christian Loamanu joins from Toulon.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Among the new players recruited this year were Australian James Ambrosini from Queensland A and South Africans Doppies La Grange from the Lions & Jacobus Roux from French youth team Bordeaux-Begles. On top of the Italian qualified players born in Australia the club has a lot of players with Southern Hemisphere roots.
Leicester Tigers
Leicester are among a very exclusive group who have won the Heineken Cup on 2 or more occasions. They also have an ability to raise their performance for big European games even when they are struggling domestically. They also often start to hit form at the end of the season making them a dangerous opponent to meet in the knock out stages of the HEC.
Last year they finished 3rd in a very tight pool behind Clermont and eventual finalists Ulster. A crushing 41-7 defeat to Ulster in the Round 5 ended any chance they had of progressing from the pool.
Leicester struggled with injuries through most of last season but their form picked up after their HEC exit and they managed to reach the Aviva Premiership Final. There end of season performances suggest they will be a tough prospect for the other teams in pool 2. It will be interesting to see how the cope with the loss of experienced trio Julian White, Jeremy Staunton & Alesana Tuilagi.
Betting Odds: 16/1
Country: England
Home Ground: Welford road, Leicester
League:English Aviva Premiership
2012 League Position: 2nd, Losing Finalists
Qualification: Finished in the top 6 of the English Aviva Premiership
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Winners 2001 & 2002
Pool: 2
Coach: Richard Cockerill
Key Players: Captain Geordan Murphy is an integral part of the team. He is one of those players who’s International career never quite hit the heights of his club performances. Leicester will be hoping that Tom Croft can rediscover the form that saw him become a stand out performer for the Lions 4 years ago. With some senior players moving on lock Louis Deacon will provide leadership in the pack. Martin Castrogiovanni didn’t have his best year last season and Tigers fans will hope it was a blip rather than the beginning of the end for propping legend. Manu Tuilagi’s barn storming runs will be a big feature of Leicester’s attacking play.
New Players*: Fijian wing Vereniki Goneva is the most notable signing for the new season. He will be expected to provide the same threat out wide as the departing Alesana Tuilagi.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Former Tahs versatile forward Steve Mafi, Canberra native Julian Salvi and New Zealand trio Craig Newby, Daniel Bowden & Scott Hamilton are some of the players that may be familiar.
Ospreys
Often the performance of the Ospreys players in big games leaves fans scratching their heads. How such a star studded team fails to produce on the big stage can sometimes be baffling. Winning last year’s Pro12 final away to hot favourites and Heineken Cup holders Leinster may be a sign that the team are ready to deliver on the big stage.
Last season they failed to progress further than the pool stages in a disappointing European campaign. This included a shock draw against lowly Italian side Benetton Treviso. They cannot afford a repeat of that this year after a quirk of fate sees them again drawn in the same pool. With 2 true giants of the Northern Hemisphere game in Leicester and Toulouse their new found resolve will be tested to its fullest.
How will cope with the huge exodus in the offseason that included Welsh legend Shane Williams, Irish wing Tommy Bowe, Welsh internationals Huw Bennett, Barry Davies, Paul James, Sonny Parker & Gareth Owen along with Scotland International Nikki Walker? Even with these players missing there is still a number of the Welsh Grand Slam winning side there and the departures may provide opportunities for another group of young Welsh starlet to emerge.
Betting Odds: 22/1
Country: Wales
Home Ground: Liberty Stadium, Swansea
League:RoboDirect Pro12
2012 League Position: 2nd, Champions
Qualification: Finished in the top 3 Welsh teams in the Pro12
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Quarter Finals 2008,2009, 2010
Pool: 2
Coach: Steve Tandy
Key Players: The pack is full of season Welsh internationals including Adam Jones, Duncan Jones, Ian Evans, Alun Wyn Jones & Ryan Jones. In the backs there are question marks about the attitude of Flyhalf Dan Biggar but he possesses undoubted talent.
New Players*: Although not new at the Ospreys centre pairing Ashley Beck and Andrew Bishop will be expected to take on more responsibility in the coming campaign. Justin Tipuric has been making a name for himself in NH rugby he may be a new name to some in the SH but that won’t last for long if he continues developing at the same pace.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Samoans George Stowers and Kahn Fotuali’I (formerly of the Crusaders) are the big name South Hemisphere players at the club.
Toulouse
The Kings of Europe, 4 times winners of the Heineken European Cup, more than any other team. This is definitely one name you don’t want to see coming out of the hat for your pool. They’ve only failed to reach the Quarter Finals 3 times in 17 years. On top of that they are current French Champions.
Last year they stumbled a little in the pool stages before eventual topping the table ahead of subsequent English champions Harlequins, Gloucester and Connacht before suffering a shock Quarter Final defeat to Edinburgh.
Toulouse rarely have 2 poor Heineken Cup campaigns in a row and the fact that reaching the Quarter Finals can be considered a poor year says a lot about their European pedigree. Expect them to be back to their best this year and a very hard team to beat. If anyone is going to knock Leinster off their perch Toulouse have the equipment and experience to do it.
Betting Odds: 5/1
Country: France
Home Ground: Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse
League:French Top14
2012 League Position: 2nd, Champions
Qualification: Finished in the top 6 of the French Top14
2012 Heineken Cup: Quarter Finals
HEC Best Performance: Winners 1996, 2003, 2005 & 2010
Pool: 2
Coach: Guy Noves
Key Players: 2011 IRB World Player of the Year Thierry Dusautoir captains the side. There isn’t much I can say about how good this guy is that hasn’t already been said. Wing Vincent Clerc is the top try scorer in Heineken Cup history with 32 and will be looking to add to that tally this year. Other notable players in this star studded squad include prop Jean Baptiste Poux, back row Yannick Nyanga, fly half Lionel Beauxis and full backs Maxime Medard & Clement Poitrenaud.
New Players*: Up and coming French wing/full back Yoann Huget has been signed from Bayonne and will be itching to make an impact in his Heineken Cup debut season.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: The squad includes former Bulls and Sharks hooker Gary Botha, Samoan prop Census Johnston, Argentinian Internationals Patricio Albacete & Nicolas Vergallo, former Brumbies & ‘Tahs scrum half Luke Burgess and former Blues and All Black Luke McAllister.
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque
Along with Toulouse, Biarritz are one of the few French clubs that really bought into the idea of the Heineken European Cup early. Attitudes are slowly changing with more French teams chasing European glory rather than seeing it as a distraction to the more important business of the Top14. They are also very proud of their Basque identity.
They’ve been runners up twice including a very memorable final defeat to a very strong Munster team. They again made the finals 2 years ago and suffered another close defeat to French rivals Toulouse.
Last year they failed to progress from their pool that included Saracens, Ospreys and Benetton Treviso. Their shock defeat to Treviso effectively ended their hopes of making the Quarter Final. Ironically it put them on the path to their first piece of European silverware.
Having finished second in their pool and among the 3rd to 5th rank second place finishers they earned a spot in the Amlin Challenge Cup knock out stages. They went on to beat fellow French team Stade Francis in the final.
Betting Odds: 14/1
Country: France
Home Ground: Parc des Sports Aguilera, Biarritz
League:French Top14
2012 League Position: 9th
Qualification: Won the Amlin Challenge Cup
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Runners up 2006 & 2010
Pool: 3
Coach: Patrice Lagisquet
Key Players: The team is led by the iconic Imanol Harinordoquy and their play centres around the work done by a pack which includes English international Magnus Lund. This is not to say they lack quality in their backline. French internationals Dimitri Yachvili, Benoit Baby & Damien Traille will be important when they decide to move the ball as will the electric Takudzwa Ngwenya who famously outpaced Bryan Habana to score a try in the 2007 RWC for the USA.
New Players*: Welsh wing Aled Brew has been signed from Newport Gwent Dragons and will look to make an impact in his first year at the club.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: The squad has a real international flavour to it withArgentinians Eusebio Guinazu and Marcelo Bosch, former Stormers prop Wicus Blaauw, Samoan Pelu Taele, former Highlanders and Crusaders fly half Matt Berquist and Australian full back Dane Haylett-Petty just a few of the players who hail from below the equator.
Connacht Rugby
Connacht are the fourth provincial team in Irish Rugby. For many years they have had a status of a development side. In reality they were former internationals and youngsters who didn’t make it at the other 3 provinces were sent to play there Rugby.
There has been a shift in attitude over the last few years which has coincided with an improvement in performances and results. There is still a long way to go before they are genuinely competitive on a regular basis at the top end but they are moving in the right direction. An exemption from new rules limiting the number of foreign players at Irish provinces should give them a leg up. Realistically they are many years away from being in contention to win a pool but they are still a potential banana skin for the more fancied teams.
Last year they found a pool that included Toulouse, Harlequins and Gloucester very tough going in their debut season in the Heineken Cup. They did however manage to record their first victory against Harlequins who would later go on to secure the English Aviva Premiership title.
Betting Odds: 500/1
Country: Ireland
Home Ground: Galway Sportsgrounds, Galway
League:RaboDirect Pro12
2012 League Position: 8th
Qualification: Additional place for Irish team due to Leinster winning the Heineken Cup
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Pool Stages
Pool: 3
Coach: Eric Elwood
Key Players: Captain John Muldoon and lock Mike McCarthy provide much needed experience in the pack along with Johnny O’Connor who earned the nickname Johnny O’Concrete for his no nonsense tackling while at Wasps. Irish full back Gavin Duffy and Tongan wing Fetu’u Vainikolo are the most experienced backs. The addition of Scottish International fly half Dan Parks should bolster the back division.
New Players*: Wing Danie Poolman has been signed from the Stormers, which experienced Scottish international Dan Parks has been drafted in from the Cardiff Blues. Young Irish wing Tiernan O’Halloran is one to watch out for.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Poolman joins fellow South African Ethienne Reymecke and New Zealand trio Rodney Ah You (prop), George Naoupu (back row) and Miah Nikora (fly half). The most recognisable player in the squad is probably former Highlanders wing Fetu’u Vainikolo.
Harlequins
Winning last season’s Aviva Premiership title is a testament to the huge transformation Quins have gone through in the three years since Bloodgate. Not only did they top the table in the regular season but they also won the final against Leicester who were the form team in England going into the final.
Two seasons ago Quins also won the Amlin Challenge Cup, their 3rd time to win Europe’s 2nd tier competition. Last season they finished second to Toulouse in their pool. A shock defeat to Connacht in the final round of pool games cost them a Quarter Final spot. On the same night Toulouse lost to Glasgow but Quins defeat with a losing bonus point still meant that Toulouse took the pool by a single point.
This year as English Champions expectations will be high and all of Europe will wonder if they can perform at the top table. Again Fate has been particularly cruel in drawing Quins in the same pool as Connacht again this year. They will be looking for revenge rather than a repeat of last year in a pool that looks like a straight shootout between themselves and Biarritz.
Betting Odds: 10/1
Country: England
Home Ground: Twickenham Stoop, London
League:English Aviva Premiership
2012 League Position: 1st, Winners
Qualification: Finished in the top 6 of the English Aviva Premiership
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Quarter Finals 1997, 1998, 2009
Pool: 3
Coach: Conor O’Shea
Key Players: England Captain Chris Robshaw is an integral part of the pack that also includes his International team mate Nick Easter. Nick Evans is an essential part of their backline and really makes them tick. Bad boy Danny Care can turn a game for them when he’s focused on his rugby. The squad also includes England wing Ugo Moyne.
New Players*: For those who didn’t watch the SA v England summer test series prop Joe Marler will be a new name. The good news is he won’t be hard to spot with his distinctive hairstyle. Jordan Turner-Hall and Mike Brown will be expected to play larger roles this year following their representative honours for England.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Former All Black Nick Evans is the big name in this category. Samoan Rugby League convert Maurie Fa’asavalu plays flanker. In addition there are 3 English qualified New Zealand born players, namely Tim Fairbrother (prop), Nick Mayhew (prop) and Ben Botica (fly half).
Zebre
Zebre are new entrants in this year’s Heineken Cup and Pro12. They replace Aironi who were stripped of their franchise by the Italian Rugby Federation. Although little is known about the new team as they have yet to play wither a Pro12 or a HEC game. The majority of their squad have been signed from the defunct Aironi.
In their first season any good performance against the 2 big guns in the group will be seen as a success. With Irish side Connacht in the pool a first victory in their debut season isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.
Betting Odds: 2000/1
Country: Italy
Home Ground: XXV Aprile Stadium, Parma
League:RaboDirect Pro12
2012 League Position: N/A
Qualification: One of 2 Italian teams chosen to play in both the Pro12 and Heineken Cup.
2012 Heineken Cup: N/A
HEC Best Performance: N/A
Pool: 3
Coach: Roberto Manghi
Key Players: In their first season they will be heavily reliant on their Italian Internationals especially Matias Aguero, Salvatore Perugini, Marco Bortolami, Luciano Orquera and Matteo Prathetti. USA international prop Dave Ryan also brings some added experience to this new outfit.
New Players*: With the unconfirmed nature of their squad this season is probably too early to pick out new players who will shine. Technically their entire squad is new to the team.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Argentinian prop Luciano Leibson and South African back row Dries van Schalkwyk are joined by recent signing Daniel Halangahu from the Waratahs.
This year was my first year that I actually truly followed Super Rugby rather than just dip in and watch a game or two each weekend it was on. I found the information posted on G&G very helpful in getting to know a little about the history of players and teams that I wasn’t overly familiar with. So in a hands across the equator move I would like to reciprocate in a small way and present this guide to the 2013 Heineken European Cup. Hopefully even 1 person from Aus who decides to follow this year’s HEC finds it useful.
You will probably find better guides out there in the vast internet but this one provides 1 big advantage. It’s right here on G&G so you don’t have to do too much leg work.
Let me get the disclaimers out of the way now. Firstly I’m dyslexic so I apologies for any spelling mistakes or sentences that simply don’t make any sense. I’ll try to self edit and keep that to a minimum. Secondly any factual errors are my own and I apologise wholeheartedly for them and will correct them once pointed out to me. Finally any opinions expressed are also my own and I will not under any circumstances apolgise for those, well maybe under the threat of legal action.
I’ve tried to provide an even amount of information on each team. But for some teams like Zebre or some of the French teams my knowledge is not as in depth as for the Pro12 or Aviva Premiership sides. While this is not a guide for the likes of Lee Grant, Qwerty, Nusadan, Sudrugby, Dai Bando, Kronic etc. I would welcome any contribution from these guys to add interesting facts or to highlight up and coming players I may not know about.
Now onwards to the guide itself:
Heineken European Cup 2013
The Heineken Cup is the top European Club competition contested each year by the best teams from England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales.
Qualification
Unlike Super Rugby the 24 teams in the Heineken Cup are not ring fenced, although the spots for the Pro12 teams may as well be. Instead qualification for this year’s competition is based on performance in last season’s domestic and European competitions. Qualifying for one of the 24 places is possible by achieving one of the following in the previous season:
6 places go to the first 6 finishers in the French Top 14 League.
6 Places go to the first 6 Finishers in the English Aviva Premiership.
3 Places go to the Top 3 Irish teams in the Pro12.
3 Places go to the Top 3 Welsh teams in the Pro12.
2 Places go to the Top 2 Scottish teams in the Pro12.
2 Places go to the Top 2 Italian teams in the Pro12.
1 additional place goes to the country of the winner of the Heineken Cup.*
1 Additional place goes to the country of the winner of the Amlin Challenge Cup.*
· * France and England are restricted to a maximum of 7 places in the Heineken Cup. In the event that the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup are both won by French teams or both won by English teams. Then one additional place is given to the next ranked nation according to ERCs rankings.
When I do the team by team guide I will include how each team qualified.
The Format
The competition consists of 24 teams split across 6 pools of 4 teams. During the pool stages each team plays the other 3 teams in their pool home and away for a total for 6 games played per team.
Scoring is similar to Super Rugby with 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 BP for 4 or more tries in one game and 1 BP for a losing by 7 points or less.
At the end of the Pool stages the 6 pool winners and the best 2 runners up qualify for the Quarter Finals. These 8 teams are ranked on their performance in the pool stages (similar to the overall log in Super Rugby) and this determines the match ups for the Quarter Finals.
In the event of two teams being equal on points after the pool stages their relative placing is determined as follows:
If the 2 teams were in the same pool then it goes on the result of the two head to matches with ranking determined on this sliding scale Match Points > Tries Scored > Aggregate Points Difference.
If the 2 teams are from different pools the ranking is determined by their pool performance on a sliding scale is as follows: Tries Scored > Aggregate Points Scored > Fewest Red Cards/Suspensions > Toss of a Coin.
In the Quarter Finals the match ups are as follows:
Seed 1 v Seed 8
Seed 2 v Seed 7
Seed 3 v Seed 6
Seed 4 v Seed 5
Seed 1 through 4 have home country advantage.
The Semi Final line up is determined by a draw that takes place prior the Quarter Final games being played.
The Final is in a venue determined before the start of the competition, the venue changes each year. In 2013 the Final will be played in Dublin at the Aviva Stadium (Landsdowne Road to purists). 2013 will be the first year that both the Amlin Challenge Cup and Heineken European Cup will be hosted in the same city. The Amlin Challenge Cup Final will take place at the RDS (Leinster’s home ground) the day before the Heineken European Cup Final.
The Pools
Pool 1:Edinburgh, Munster, Racing Metro 92, Saracens
Pool 2: Benneton Treviso, Leicester Tigers, Ospreys, Toulouse
Pool 3:Biarritz, Connacht, Harlequins, Zebre
Pool 4:Castres Olympique, Glasgow Warriors, Northampton Saints, Ulster
Pool 5:Clermont Auvergne, Exeter Chiefs, Leinster, Scarlets
Pool 6:Cardiff Blues, Montpellier, Sale Sharks, Toulon
Match Dates
Amlin Challenge Cup and Heineken European Cup games will be played on the following dates:
Round 1 – 11/12/13/14 October 2012
Round 2 – 18/19/20/21 October 2012
Round 3 – 6/7/8/9 December 2012
Round 4 – 13/14/15/16 December 2012
Round 5 – 10/11/12/13 January 2013
Round 6 – 17/18/19/20 January 2013
Quarter-finals – 4/5/6/7 April 2013
Semi-finals – 26/27/28 April 2013
Finals – 17/18/19 May 2013
Where to watch
The following broadcasters have rights to show Heineken European Cup games live:
Europe
UK & Ireland Sky Sports
France France Television 2 & 4 and Canal+
Italy Sky Sports Italia
Oceania - Latin America
Australia, Argentina ESPN/Setanta
New Zealand Sky TV- Rugby Channel /ESPN
Fiji, Tonga Eurosport Asia
Europe - North America
Spain TVE
Greece Netmed
PolandPolsat
Czech Rep, Hungary, Slovakia Sport 1
USA Setanta
Africa, Maghreb, Middle East
South Africa Supersport
Other African Countries Canal Plus, Supersport
Team Guide
Edinburgh Rugby
Edinburgh are generally considered pool stages also-rans. Only once prior to last season did they make it out of their pool. However last year they won their pool which included Cardiff Blues, Racing Metro & London Irish. They then went on to cause a huge upset by dumping out the Kings of Europe Toulouse in the Quarter Final. They then fell to Ulster in the Semi Finals in a hard fought game.
It will be interesting to see if they can back up again this year or if it was just a flash in the pan. How they cope with the loss of, Scottish international scrum half, Mike Blair to Brive and the retirement of Chris Patterson will go a long way in determining that. Also the fact that they’re in one of this year’s toughest pools won’t help their chances either.
Betting Odds: 100/1
Country: Scotland
Home Ground: Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh
League:RaboDirect Pro12
2012 League Position: 11th
Qualification: Technically they finished as one of the top 2 Scottish teams in the Pro12 and thus qualified. In reality there are currently only 2 Scottish teams in the Pro12 so they qualified automatically.
2012 Heineken Cup: Semi Final
HEC Best Performance: Semi Final 2012
Pool: 1
Coach: Michael Bradley
Key Players: Hooker Ross Ford, prop Allan Jacobsen and captain Greig Laidlaw will be expected to provide the leadership on the field. All eyes will be on David Denton to see how he goes this year after such an impressive season last year. Nick De Luca provides much needed experience in a relatively young backline.
New Players*: Dutch winger Tim Visser, now Scottish qualified, may be a new name to some SH fans. He missed playing against Australia by a week or so on residency qualification but played in the rest of Scotland’s summer tour. He scored 2 tries against Fiji on his Scotland debut. He was last year’s Pro12 top try scorer with 14. His younger brother Sep is also in the squad. Prop John Yapp has been signed from Cardiff Blues. Tom Brown had a breakthrough year last season with Scotland and is one to watch this year.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Prop WP Nel and Lock Izak van der Westhuizen have both signed from the Cheetahs for the coming season. Former Blues & Highlanders back Ben Atiga has been signed from Otago. Fijian international back row Netani Talei has been at the club for a couple of years now.
· This refers both to players who are new to the team (new signings) and players who may already be at the club but could make their Heineken Cup debut or play a more pronounced role in the 2013 HEC.
Munster Rugby
Munster are 2 times winners, 4 times finalists and one of European Rugby’s power houses. Year in year out they make it to at least the Quarter Final, with 2011 being the lone exception in the past 14 seasons. Their years of success came from having one of the strongest packs in club Rugby. Currently they are in a rebuilding phase after a number of retirements.
They’ve looked a little more vulnerable in the past 2 seasons but still managed to win all 6 pool games in a pool that included Northampton Saints (2011 Finalists), Scarlets and Catres. Twice they won games with drop goals after 80 minutes with one being won after holding onto the ball for 41 phases. They fell to Ulster in the Quarter Final.
They may not be the Munster of old but they’re still a pretty good team with some very promising youngsters coming through. Also Munster are probably the best supported club team in the world. The number of fans they take to away games across Europe is staggering.
Betting Odds: 11/1
Country: Ireland
Home Ground: Thomond Park, Limerick
League:RaboDirect Pro12
2012 League Position: 3rd, Semi Final
Qualification: Finished in the top 3 Irish teams in the Pro12.
2012 Heineken Cup: Quarter Finals
HEC Best Performance: Winners 2006, 2008
Pool: 1
Coach: Rob Penney, Anthony Foley (assistant)
Key Players: Captain Paul O’Connell, who was injured last season, returns and will be at the heart of everything Munster if he can remain injury free. This will be a big year for scrum half Conor Murray who’s development stalled a little last year. Ronan O’Gara as ever will be expected to provide guidance and control from fly half. Centre Keith Earls will provide some of the spark in the backline. A lot will be expected of lock Donnacha Ryan, back row Peter O’Mahony and wing Simon Zebo after their breakthroughs last year.
New Players*: Centre James Downey returns to Munster after an impressive few years at Northampton Saints. Another Centre, Casey Lualala, who scored the winning try for the Crusaders in a Super Rugby final, has been signed from Cardiff Blues. Back-rower CJ Stander has been signed from the Bulls.
Fly half Ian Keatley may play a larger role if Munster decide it’s time to bed in Ronan O’Gara’s replacement. It’s not beyond the realms of possibilities to see JJ Hanrahan, who was a standout player in the recent Junior World Cup, get a couple of run ons. However there is still life left in the old dog and don’t expect ROG just to step aside.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Doug Howlett’s injury last year paved the way for the emergence of Simon Zebo. Doug should be back firing fit next season and ready to challenge for his place back. He’s still as good a finisher as he ever was. South African props BJ Botha and Wian de Preez have been at Munster for a couple of seasons.
Racing Metro 92
I hope Sudrugby will forgive me for describing his team as the other team from Paris. After a period outside the Top14 they’ve been back with a bang over the last few seasons. This year is the 3rd in a row they’ve qualified for the Heineken Cup and they did so by piping city rivals Stade Francais to 6th place in the Top14.
Have never advanced beyond the pool stages but they’ve given some of Europe’s best sides some tough matches in the last 2 years. If Munster and Saracens take points off each other they are certainly capable of causing an upset.
Betting Odds: 66/1
Country: France
Home Ground: Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Colombes
League:French Top14
2012 League Position: 6th, lost in play-off
Qualification: Finished in the top 6 of the French Top14.
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Pool Stages
Pool: 1
Coach: Pierre Berbizier
Key Players: Captain Lionel Nallet has been with the club since their promotion back to the Top14 and has played a major part in their success since then. He forms a very experience locking partnership with Santiago Dellape. Flyhalf and former World Player of the Year nominee Juan Martin Hernandez will be another familiar name. Italian wing Mirco Burgamasco will be familiar to most. Another Italian Andrea Lo Cicero provides some grunt in the scrum.
New Players*: Hernandez’s lesser known international colleague Juan Jose Imhoff will be someone to watch out for on the wing. Former Fijian international back row Masi Matadigo has signed for the coming season as have Frenchmen Mathieu Belie (scrum/flyhalf) and Luc Ducalcon (prop). England International fly-half Ollie Barkley was signed from Bath.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Former Fijian international wing Sireli Bobo is still a dangerous customer to deal with. South Africans Francois van de Merve (Lock), Bernard La Roux (Back row) and former Bulls Jacques Cronje are all at the club. Another Bok Francois Steyn was with Racing before he returned to SA with the Sharks this year.
Saracens
Saracens set a new world record club attendance for their Aviva Premiership top of the table clash against Harlequins last year. The way they go about the business and revenue generation side of the game may well be a blue print to the future for many clubs. Last year they tried to move one of their Heineken Cup pool games to South Africa and only failed because of a dispute about which ground would host it. Don’t be surprised if they succeed in moving one of their home pool games this year.
Last season they won their pool which included Biarritz, Osprey and Aironi who have since been replaced by Zebre in both the HEC and Pro12. A lot of the talk before their Quarter Final with Clermont was about holding a very lucrative potential Semi Final against Leinster at Wembley. In the end Clermont ran out easy winners beating them 22-3 on their home ground. However there’s no doubt that Saracens are a coming power in European Rugby.
Betting Odds: 16/1
Country: England
Home Ground: Vicarage road, Watford
League:English Aviva Premiership
2012 League Position: 3rd, lost in Semi Finals
Qualification: Finished in the top 6 of the English Aviva Premiership.
2012 Heineken Cup: Quarter Finals
HEC Best Performance: Semi Final 2008
Pool: 1
Coach: Mark McCall
Key Players: With a host of former Boks and current England internationals it’s hard to single out just a few players as being key to Saracens. Players like John Smit, Schalk Britz, Steve Borthwick, Mouritz Boutha, Kelly Brown, Neil de Kock, David Strettle and Chris Ashton mean they have a very impressive team. However how the younger generation of scrum half Richard Wigglesworth, fly half Owen Farrell, centre Brad Barritt and full back Alex Goode handle the big games will determine how much they progress in this years competition.
New Players*: Chris Ashton, yes the same Chris Ashton who won the “Player you would most like to punch” poll on GAGR, has signed for Saracens for this season. There are bound to be a few flair ups during the pool games with him around. Flanker Nick Fenton-Wells from the Stormers and lock Alistair Hargreaves have joined the already large South African contingent at Vicarage road.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Some of the notable South African names at the club include Schalk Brits, John Smit, Earnst Joubert and Neil de Kock. Former Crusaders and NZ Maori Joe Maddock is also at Saracens.
Benetton Treviso
In recent years getting an Italian side in your pool made people think that it would be an easy ride and 2 teams would qualify from that pool. Although they finished bottom of their pool last year they still managed to get a draw against the Ospreys and stunned Biarritz by beating them 30-26. A defeat that ultimately cost Biarritz a Quarter Final place.
They have improved immensely since their inclusion in the Pro12 2 years ago. They are still a long way off challenging for top spot in a pool but I wouldn’t bet against them causing an upset or two this year.
Betting Odds: 1000/1
Country: Italy
Home Ground: Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso
League:RaboDirect Pro12
2012 League Position: 10th
Qualification: One of 2 Italian teams chosen to play in both the Pro12 and Heineken Cup
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Pool Stages
Pool: 2
Coach: Franco Smith
Key Players: Unsurprisingly the heart of this Treviso team is their Italian internationals. From Ghiraldini, Cittadini, Favaro and Zanni in the pack to Burton and McLean in the backs there are plenty of experienced internationals in the team.
New Players*: Italian international wing Giulio Toniolatti has been signed from Aironi. Tongan born Japanese international centre Christian Loamanu joins from Toulon.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Among the new players recruited this year were Australian James Ambrosini from Queensland A and South Africans Doppies La Grange from the Lions & Jacobus Roux from French youth team Bordeaux-Begles. On top of the Italian qualified players born in Australia the club has a lot of players with Southern Hemisphere roots.
Leicester Tigers
Leicester are among a very exclusive group who have won the Heineken Cup on 2 or more occasions. They also have an ability to raise their performance for big European games even when they are struggling domestically. They also often start to hit form at the end of the season making them a dangerous opponent to meet in the knock out stages of the HEC.
Last year they finished 3rd in a very tight pool behind Clermont and eventual finalists Ulster. A crushing 41-7 defeat to Ulster in the Round 5 ended any chance they had of progressing from the pool.
Leicester struggled with injuries through most of last season but their form picked up after their HEC exit and they managed to reach the Aviva Premiership Final. There end of season performances suggest they will be a tough prospect for the other teams in pool 2. It will be interesting to see how the cope with the loss of experienced trio Julian White, Jeremy Staunton & Alesana Tuilagi.
Betting Odds: 16/1
Country: England
Home Ground: Welford road, Leicester
League:English Aviva Premiership
2012 League Position: 2nd, Losing Finalists
Qualification: Finished in the top 6 of the English Aviva Premiership
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Winners 2001 & 2002
Pool: 2
Coach: Richard Cockerill
Key Players: Captain Geordan Murphy is an integral part of the team. He is one of those players who’s International career never quite hit the heights of his club performances. Leicester will be hoping that Tom Croft can rediscover the form that saw him become a stand out performer for the Lions 4 years ago. With some senior players moving on lock Louis Deacon will provide leadership in the pack. Martin Castrogiovanni didn’t have his best year last season and Tigers fans will hope it was a blip rather than the beginning of the end for propping legend. Manu Tuilagi’s barn storming runs will be a big feature of Leicester’s attacking play.
New Players*: Fijian wing Vereniki Goneva is the most notable signing for the new season. He will be expected to provide the same threat out wide as the departing Alesana Tuilagi.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Former Tahs versatile forward Steve Mafi, Canberra native Julian Salvi and New Zealand trio Craig Newby, Daniel Bowden & Scott Hamilton are some of the players that may be familiar.
Ospreys
Often the performance of the Ospreys players in big games leaves fans scratching their heads. How such a star studded team fails to produce on the big stage can sometimes be baffling. Winning last year’s Pro12 final away to hot favourites and Heineken Cup holders Leinster may be a sign that the team are ready to deliver on the big stage.
Last season they failed to progress further than the pool stages in a disappointing European campaign. This included a shock draw against lowly Italian side Benetton Treviso. They cannot afford a repeat of that this year after a quirk of fate sees them again drawn in the same pool. With 2 true giants of the Northern Hemisphere game in Leicester and Toulouse their new found resolve will be tested to its fullest.
How will cope with the huge exodus in the offseason that included Welsh legend Shane Williams, Irish wing Tommy Bowe, Welsh internationals Huw Bennett, Barry Davies, Paul James, Sonny Parker & Gareth Owen along with Scotland International Nikki Walker? Even with these players missing there is still a number of the Welsh Grand Slam winning side there and the departures may provide opportunities for another group of young Welsh starlet to emerge.
Betting Odds: 22/1
Country: Wales
Home Ground: Liberty Stadium, Swansea
League:RoboDirect Pro12
2012 League Position: 2nd, Champions
Qualification: Finished in the top 3 Welsh teams in the Pro12
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Quarter Finals 2008,2009, 2010
Pool: 2
Coach: Steve Tandy
Key Players: The pack is full of season Welsh internationals including Adam Jones, Duncan Jones, Ian Evans, Alun Wyn Jones & Ryan Jones. In the backs there are question marks about the attitude of Flyhalf Dan Biggar but he possesses undoubted talent.
New Players*: Although not new at the Ospreys centre pairing Ashley Beck and Andrew Bishop will be expected to take on more responsibility in the coming campaign. Justin Tipuric has been making a name for himself in NH rugby he may be a new name to some in the SH but that won’t last for long if he continues developing at the same pace.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Samoans George Stowers and Kahn Fotuali’I (formerly of the Crusaders) are the big name South Hemisphere players at the club.
Toulouse
The Kings of Europe, 4 times winners of the Heineken European Cup, more than any other team. This is definitely one name you don’t want to see coming out of the hat for your pool. They’ve only failed to reach the Quarter Finals 3 times in 17 years. On top of that they are current French Champions.
Last year they stumbled a little in the pool stages before eventual topping the table ahead of subsequent English champions Harlequins, Gloucester and Connacht before suffering a shock Quarter Final defeat to Edinburgh.
Toulouse rarely have 2 poor Heineken Cup campaigns in a row and the fact that reaching the Quarter Finals can be considered a poor year says a lot about their European pedigree. Expect them to be back to their best this year and a very hard team to beat. If anyone is going to knock Leinster off their perch Toulouse have the equipment and experience to do it.
Betting Odds: 5/1
Country: France
Home Ground: Stade Ernest-Wallon, Toulouse
League:French Top14
2012 League Position: 2nd, Champions
Qualification: Finished in the top 6 of the French Top14
2012 Heineken Cup: Quarter Finals
HEC Best Performance: Winners 1996, 2003, 2005 & 2010
Pool: 2
Coach: Guy Noves
Key Players: 2011 IRB World Player of the Year Thierry Dusautoir captains the side. There isn’t much I can say about how good this guy is that hasn’t already been said. Wing Vincent Clerc is the top try scorer in Heineken Cup history with 32 and will be looking to add to that tally this year. Other notable players in this star studded squad include prop Jean Baptiste Poux, back row Yannick Nyanga, fly half Lionel Beauxis and full backs Maxime Medard & Clement Poitrenaud.
New Players*: Up and coming French wing/full back Yoann Huget has been signed from Bayonne and will be itching to make an impact in his Heineken Cup debut season.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: The squad includes former Bulls and Sharks hooker Gary Botha, Samoan prop Census Johnston, Argentinian Internationals Patricio Albacete & Nicolas Vergallo, former Brumbies & ‘Tahs scrum half Luke Burgess and former Blues and All Black Luke McAllister.
Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque
Along with Toulouse, Biarritz are one of the few French clubs that really bought into the idea of the Heineken European Cup early. Attitudes are slowly changing with more French teams chasing European glory rather than seeing it as a distraction to the more important business of the Top14. They are also very proud of their Basque identity.
They’ve been runners up twice including a very memorable final defeat to a very strong Munster team. They again made the finals 2 years ago and suffered another close defeat to French rivals Toulouse.
Last year they failed to progress from their pool that included Saracens, Ospreys and Benetton Treviso. Their shock defeat to Treviso effectively ended their hopes of making the Quarter Final. Ironically it put them on the path to their first piece of European silverware.
Having finished second in their pool and among the 3rd to 5th rank second place finishers they earned a spot in the Amlin Challenge Cup knock out stages. They went on to beat fellow French team Stade Francis in the final.
Betting Odds: 14/1
Country: France
Home Ground: Parc des Sports Aguilera, Biarritz
League:French Top14
2012 League Position: 9th
Qualification: Won the Amlin Challenge Cup
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Runners up 2006 & 2010
Pool: 3
Coach: Patrice Lagisquet
Key Players: The team is led by the iconic Imanol Harinordoquy and their play centres around the work done by a pack which includes English international Magnus Lund. This is not to say they lack quality in their backline. French internationals Dimitri Yachvili, Benoit Baby & Damien Traille will be important when they decide to move the ball as will the electric Takudzwa Ngwenya who famously outpaced Bryan Habana to score a try in the 2007 RWC for the USA.
New Players*: Welsh wing Aled Brew has been signed from Newport Gwent Dragons and will look to make an impact in his first year at the club.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: The squad has a real international flavour to it withArgentinians Eusebio Guinazu and Marcelo Bosch, former Stormers prop Wicus Blaauw, Samoan Pelu Taele, former Highlanders and Crusaders fly half Matt Berquist and Australian full back Dane Haylett-Petty just a few of the players who hail from below the equator.
Connacht Rugby
Connacht are the fourth provincial team in Irish Rugby. For many years they have had a status of a development side. In reality they were former internationals and youngsters who didn’t make it at the other 3 provinces were sent to play there Rugby.
There has been a shift in attitude over the last few years which has coincided with an improvement in performances and results. There is still a long way to go before they are genuinely competitive on a regular basis at the top end but they are moving in the right direction. An exemption from new rules limiting the number of foreign players at Irish provinces should give them a leg up. Realistically they are many years away from being in contention to win a pool but they are still a potential banana skin for the more fancied teams.
Last year they found a pool that included Toulouse, Harlequins and Gloucester very tough going in their debut season in the Heineken Cup. They did however manage to record their first victory against Harlequins who would later go on to secure the English Aviva Premiership title.
Betting Odds: 500/1
Country: Ireland
Home Ground: Galway Sportsgrounds, Galway
League:RaboDirect Pro12
2012 League Position: 8th
Qualification: Additional place for Irish team due to Leinster winning the Heineken Cup
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Pool Stages
Pool: 3
Coach: Eric Elwood
Key Players: Captain John Muldoon and lock Mike McCarthy provide much needed experience in the pack along with Johnny O’Connor who earned the nickname Johnny O’Concrete for his no nonsense tackling while at Wasps. Irish full back Gavin Duffy and Tongan wing Fetu’u Vainikolo are the most experienced backs. The addition of Scottish International fly half Dan Parks should bolster the back division.
New Players*: Wing Danie Poolman has been signed from the Stormers, which experienced Scottish international Dan Parks has been drafted in from the Cardiff Blues. Young Irish wing Tiernan O’Halloran is one to watch out for.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Poolman joins fellow South African Ethienne Reymecke and New Zealand trio Rodney Ah You (prop), George Naoupu (back row) and Miah Nikora (fly half). The most recognisable player in the squad is probably former Highlanders wing Fetu’u Vainikolo.
Harlequins
Winning last season’s Aviva Premiership title is a testament to the huge transformation Quins have gone through in the three years since Bloodgate. Not only did they top the table in the regular season but they also won the final against Leicester who were the form team in England going into the final.
Two seasons ago Quins also won the Amlin Challenge Cup, their 3rd time to win Europe’s 2nd tier competition. Last season they finished second to Toulouse in their pool. A shock defeat to Connacht in the final round of pool games cost them a Quarter Final spot. On the same night Toulouse lost to Glasgow but Quins defeat with a losing bonus point still meant that Toulouse took the pool by a single point.
This year as English Champions expectations will be high and all of Europe will wonder if they can perform at the top table. Again Fate has been particularly cruel in drawing Quins in the same pool as Connacht again this year. They will be looking for revenge rather than a repeat of last year in a pool that looks like a straight shootout between themselves and Biarritz.
Betting Odds: 10/1
Country: England
Home Ground: Twickenham Stoop, London
League:English Aviva Premiership
2012 League Position: 1st, Winners
Qualification: Finished in the top 6 of the English Aviva Premiership
2012 Heineken Cup: Pool Stages
HEC Best Performance: Quarter Finals 1997, 1998, 2009
Pool: 3
Coach: Conor O’Shea
Key Players: England Captain Chris Robshaw is an integral part of the pack that also includes his International team mate Nick Easter. Nick Evans is an essential part of their backline and really makes them tick. Bad boy Danny Care can turn a game for them when he’s focused on his rugby. The squad also includes England wing Ugo Moyne.
New Players*: For those who didn’t watch the SA v England summer test series prop Joe Marler will be a new name. The good news is he won’t be hard to spot with his distinctive hairstyle. Jordan Turner-Hall and Mike Brown will be expected to play larger roles this year following their representative honours for England.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Former All Black Nick Evans is the big name in this category. Samoan Rugby League convert Maurie Fa’asavalu plays flanker. In addition there are 3 English qualified New Zealand born players, namely Tim Fairbrother (prop), Nick Mayhew (prop) and Ben Botica (fly half).
Zebre
Zebre are new entrants in this year’s Heineken Cup and Pro12. They replace Aironi who were stripped of their franchise by the Italian Rugby Federation. Although little is known about the new team as they have yet to play wither a Pro12 or a HEC game. The majority of their squad have been signed from the defunct Aironi.
In their first season any good performance against the 2 big guns in the group will be seen as a success. With Irish side Connacht in the pool a first victory in their debut season isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.
Betting Odds: 2000/1
Country: Italy
Home Ground: XXV Aprile Stadium, Parma
League:RaboDirect Pro12
2012 League Position: N/A
Qualification: One of 2 Italian teams chosen to play in both the Pro12 and Heineken Cup.
2012 Heineken Cup: N/A
HEC Best Performance: N/A
Pool: 3
Coach: Roberto Manghi
Key Players: In their first season they will be heavily reliant on their Italian Internationals especially Matias Aguero, Salvatore Perugini, Marco Bortolami, Luciano Orquera and Matteo Prathetti. USA international prop Dave Ryan also brings some added experience to this new outfit.
New Players*: With the unconfirmed nature of their squad this season is probably too early to pick out new players who will shine. Technically their entire squad is new to the team.
Southern Hemisphere Watch: Argentinian prop Luciano Leibson and South African back row Dries van Schalkwyk are joined by recent signing Daniel Halangahu from the Waratahs.
