Under Discussion: the semi-finals of the Heineken and Amlin Challenge Cups
Chatting are: Julian Bennetts, Tony Leen, Ian Moriarty and Simon Lewis
Irish Examiner sports editor TONY LEEN: Well Mr Lewis, the man with the identity crisis for the final - he's from Northampton - we'll kick off with Saturday's fever at the Aviva. A great way for Leinster to win a semi-final against a firing Toulouse. Digging in, even when not playing that well..it all augurs well for the final?
Irish Examiner rugby corr, SIMON LEWIS: There's no problem with impartiality at Irish Examiner Sports, everyone knows that! But was it just me or did Northampton stand up and send a message that May 21 in Cardiff won't be the simple coronation Leinster were hoping for?
English rugby writer JULIAN BENNETTS: I can certainly vouch for the fact that the message was loud and clear!
French-based rugby writer IAN MORIARTY: From a Toulouse point of view they can't see past Leinster as potential winners!
JULIAN BENNETTS: Important to note though that Toulouse would have been speaking before Northampton's performance, though. I wonder if they might be singing a different tune having watched events in Milton Keynes.
SIMON LEWIS: Having seen Leinster win so impressively against Toulouse, I was inclined to agree with Ian but the way the Northampton pack pulverised Perpignan has made me reel that in somewhat. I think we're going to get a cracker of a final now.
TONY LEEN: Ian, would Toulouse feel that they produced as good a performance as they could on the day?
IAN MORIARTY: Toulouse put their best performance of the season in against Leinster. Guy Noves was relatively happy with the performance but argued his side simply came up against a better team. In France, it's acknowledged that Perpignan are not the force they were and they proved it yesterday, even with the 'help' of Mr Clancy.
TONY LEEN: Is the the Leinster fifteen set in stone at this stage. Because I still don't think Leinster are getting the best out of Sean O'Brien at 7. Heaslip has No 8 locked down, but could Schmidt shuffle the back row for the final? What you have to admire about Leinster is the totality of the package. They're now ticking all the defensive and offensive boxes and their bench is bursting with impact. If Isaac Boss was elsewhere he'd be a top level starter, Shane Jennings too. Also, is Luke Fitzgerald finding a bit of form. He looked like a player Saturday who was working really hard at the basics in the hope of finding some rhythm to his game.
SIMON LEWIS: Where Noves, at least through his translator, said Toulouse fell down against Leinster was at the breakdown, leaving their own tackled players isolated and giving away too many penalties. He and captain Jean Bouilhou, who put in a brilliant shift in the back row, both said they had been taught a lesson by Leinster. On Luke, Joe Schmidt was incredibly loyal to Fitzgerald in retaining him in that back three given his previous form and although he is still not back to his best this was a big improvement. There was one clanger in the first five minutes when Leinster as a whole were not at the races but apart from that I think he probably did just enough to hold off Fergus McFadden for a final starting spot, although McFadden looked very bright during his 11-minute cameo as a blood replacement for Fitzgerald.
TONY LEEN: Donal Lenihan makes the point in the Examiner today that for the first 20 on Saturday, we saw a Leinster side struggling to deal with pressure and expectation. Well if they thought Saturday was difficult, they're going to be red hot favourites for the final. Won't Mallinder love that...
JULIAN BENNETTS: Northampton are genuinely in a no-lose situation here. They probably never expected to get this far, and have developed as a side far quicker than could possibly have been hoped. Lose to Leinster and everyone will say 'oh well'. Win, and they are the heroes.
And Mallinder is proving to be an extremely shrewd judge of talent, as well. Make no mistake, Leinster will have all the pressure on their shoulders in Cardiff.
IAN MORIARTY: There's no doubt Northampton are a superb side, well coached and in form but I would genuinely question yesterday. Perpignan essentially went missing in the first half. That won't happen in Cardiff.
SIMON LEWIS: Just to go back to the point about the Leinster back row, we won't be sure Sean O'Brien will even make the final if he gets cited for his entanglement with Nyanga early in the second half. But I think the balance is right with him at seven. He's dynamic with or without the ball and and brilliant taking it into contact. I'd have him there, no question.
IAN MORIARTY: Yeah, no matter was Nyanga was doing, retaliation like that is punished. Similar to Paul O Connell, O'Brien will probably get a few weeks, tragic for a player who's been a star this year.
SIMON LEWIS: I'm really looking forward to the front row match up between Tonga'uiha, Hartley and Mujati and Healy, Strauss and Ross. It should be titantic. The Leinster boys were outstanding in dealing with the Toulouse scrum after an early wobble and having been targetted they turned the tables on the French front row in some style.
JULIAN BENNETTS: I am hugely looking forward to that match-up as well, Simon. I won't say Northampton will win if they gain control of that area, but they will certainly lose if they don't. Remember with how little fuss Euan Murray was shipped out of Saints earlier this season? This is a top-class front row that Saints have there. The way they destroyed Perpignan was hugely impressive. They also appear calm and completely in control as a unit - no more of the impetuosity that unfortunately characterised Hartley's early days
IAN MORIARTY: If there's one are where I think Saints can really go at Leinster it's at the set piece. I thought their scrum was outstanding Sunday and could be a real threat in the final. It's not often I've seen a Perpignan scrum go backwards.
TONY LEEN: Will there be an amount of French naval-gazing now that they have no finalist in the main event? Or did they fear the worst the way the draw panned out?
IAN MORIARTY: This is only the fifth year since the competition started that there will be no finalist from France. When the semi finals were drawn I think most people realised it would be a tough call for both French teams. Toulouse will hold their heads high and move on. The same can't be said for Perpignan.
TONY LEEN: In hindsight, was Perpignan's epic quarter-final win against Toulon in Barcelona their final? They had the look of a side in Milton Keynes yesterday that had no belief. And in fairness to Northampton, they gave them no glimmer of hope either, not least up front.
IAN MORIARTY: It proved to be a step too far for Perpignan, a point echoed by coach jacques Brunel. They have a combative set of forwards - who I thought would be up for taking on Saints - but Perpignan are a real old school French team in many ways, not least in the way they can wilt if they're away from home and things go against them.
TONY LEEN: Northampton centre James Downey is beginning to get a bit of publicity here Julian - and it will crank up again for the final. Is he international class or just a good club player?
JULIAN BENNETTS: I'm not surprised James Downey is getting a fair bit of focus, though I wouldn't say he is guaranteed Test-class. He is most certainly solid, though - he makes his tackles, runs intelligent lines and will not let anyone down. You have to wonder why Leinster and Munster both passed on him, having said that. As a World Cup squad member, he might be worth a chance as he wouldn't panic if required in a big game. But I think he has a huge amount to prove in Cardiff - and who better to prove it against?
TONY LEEN: Stephen Myler, folks. Is he the man to control the Saints offence in the white heat of a Heineken Cup final. He's Mr Solid, but won't Northampton need more than that in Cardiff?
SIMON LEWIS: I think Downey may struggle against D'Arcy and O'Driscoll and that could be crucial for Leinster. As for Myler, he wasn't at his best early on for Saints and Leinster will look to unsettle him. Like Julian's assessment of Downey, the Northampton fly-half is solid but not Test-class. You wouldn't want to write him off though.
JULIAN BENNETTS: Myler divides opinion in England. He does the simple things very well, and one argument is that when you have the likes of Foden and Ashton around, you need someone to do the basics at 10. My opinion is that Sexton will show him up in Cardiff - and as discussed before, Mallinder has tried Shane Geraghty, and will try Ryan Lamb next season, as flashier alternatives. Myler is a relative weakness that could be exploited.
SIMON LEWIS: The overall feeling though has to be that this is Leinster's final to lose but Northampton are capable of giving it one hell of a rattle, anyone disagree?
IAN MORIARTY: I think N'hampton will give one hell of a rattle, hence why we can't really call it as one to lose for Leinster. In my opinion, Leinster have the edge on paper but Saints young side could push them all the way.
JULIAN BENNETTS: Northampton will be going for this all guns blazing in Cardiff. Don't forget, a Premiership and Heineken Cup double is still on for them. They are strong enough to win the arm wrestle up front, in my opinion, and Ashton and Foden can provide a cutting edge. In my view, Leinster have the better half-backs and centres, and have to make that count.
IAN MORIARTY: I just worry from Leinster's point of view that the potential loss on Sean O'Brien would be huge. Anyone agree?
JULIAN BENNETTS: How could losing O'Brien be anything other than huge? What a player.
SIMON LEWIS: O'Brien has reached almost talismanic status at this stage, such has been his impact on games during the Heineken Cup campaign but Shane Jennings is a capable if not totemic replacement.
JULIAN BENNETTS: I would also be interested to know what the feeling is on Roger Wilson. He is really proving himself over here - not as showy as some of Saints' forwards, but brutally effective.
IAN MORIARTY: Thought he was superb Sunday. A much improved player since he left Ulster.
SIMON LEWIS: Agreed, but Northampton are the sum of their of parts and it's a very impressive unit. The likes of Downey and Wilson can shine and a lot of that has to be down to Mallinder.
JULIAN BENNETTS: A common theme - I've only really started watching him since he came to Northampton, but think he has proven that he was fully justified in leaving Ulster. While Tom Wood and Phil Dowson get the plaudits, Wilson is vital.
AMLIN CHALLENGE CUP
TONY LEEN: Let's move on, reluctantly it has to be said, to the Amlin and the shocker of a Munster performance at Thomond Park. The pity from a Quins point of view is that the paucity of the Munster performance will garner all the headlines. It's heresy to say Munster just didn't show up for a European cup semi at Thomond, but they were off the pace from the first whistle - and there were several shocking displays. Not even the converted try before half time and the introduction of O'Connell could half the malaise. What went wrong?
JULIAN BENNETTS: I must say that I've been reading some very different headlines to you - Quins have been praised to the absolute hilt in Sunday's English papers - and rightfully so.
TONY LEEN: And I think that's right. They hit hard and often, their intensity was superb and Conor O'Shea had the game plan mapped out to perfection. But Munster were so embarrassed afterwards that Tony McGahan rightly passed up the opportunity to have a pop at Romain Poite because it might be seen as an excuse
IAN MORIARTY: Questions have to be asked about the mental preparation of the side. While I think Munster have plenty of issues at the moment, Saturday's match was all about guys seemingly not in the right state of mind - no disrespect to Quins who were superb.
TONY LEEN: Is there a possibility some believed simply a question of turning up....and let's be honest, they won't have been disappointed to see that Clermont had lost the other semi final...
IAN MORIARTY: I'd imagine that's a question for Tony McGahan. He may say they were training well during the week, looked in focus but during his tenure, Munster have endured several occasions when they didn't look all there. Baffling to say the least...
JULIAN BENNETTS: I don't think I've ever seen such a disparity in intensity between two sides in such an important game. It seemed to me that Munster almost couldn't be bothered to win Europe's second competition, whereas for Quins it was everything. And what a feather in the cap for O'Shea...
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/HGHIS-OZby0/post.aspx
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