Leicester Tigers

The two finalists of Europe—the great usurpers of Ireland against the born again powerhouse of England, by quirk of fates and rules, their paths here were vastly different.

Leinster arrives on the grand stage in their first Heineken Cup final, having taken down Munster, the former darlings of the European championship, at Croke Park 25-6.

It was a result that propelled them to a summit, having strode out from the immense shadow of the red army, and now looking to be the third Irish team to hoist what is regarded as the symbol of Northern hemisphere club supremacy.

To call them upstarts is hardly fair—they did win the Magner’s League last season—and they possess a squad that boasts more than 15 men whom have represented their country of origin in either Irish, Wallaby, or Puma colours.

But when you play in the same nation as two-time winners and two-time runners-up Munster, you are not often mentioned in the discussions of rugby greatness.

The Tigers are often in such forums.

In the last twelve months we have seen a remarkable metamorphosis of the 129-year-old English rugby club.

Their history is all but unrivaled. They have been two-time champions of Europe and two-time runners up. To go with that, they have seven English championships since 1988, six Anglo-Welsh cups, and a strong claim to be the most decorated club in the North.

Midseason in this year’s Guinness Premiership, Heyneke Meyer departed with the club sitting in seventh place, and not looking like a threat to England nor the premier tournament of Europe.

Since then Richard Cockerill—a former Tiger himself—has reinvigorated the team. Many have since led comparisons to this now seemingly great team to the side that Dean Richards and Martin Johnson had striding the rugby continent several years, unchallenged.

They defeated London Irish, in a somewhat dour final, to have the team on the cusp of a remarkable domestic and European double.

On the face of this, they deserve their place in the final.

But their path here was controversial to say the least.

Far be it for me to attack the rules that govern our great game, but for a finals position to be decided via a penalty shootout was a travesty.

It certainly could have gone either way.

Cardiff could argue to being the form team of the Northern Hemisphere coming into the match, being on a 12-match cup winning streak. The conquerors of Toulouse and EDF champions were favoured to tip the Tigers.

But a Jordan Crane kick saw that dream fail.

So now we are here, at Murrayfield, where we will either see Leinster lift their first European crown, or see the Tigers join Toulouse as the only team to have won the title three times.

For Leinster, a team with almost as many Irish internationals as Munster, they certainly have the arsenal to take this most elusive of titles.

They have overcome their fourth semi final to reach the final match of the championship, but must do against the odds. They will not have the master Felipe Contepomi to guide their operation around the park. 

Equally, so much hinges on Brian O’Driscoll. Can the warhorse last?  He will head to South Africa as the only recognised outside centre. This year will become a battle of attrition with his physical well being.

Much will depend on the efforts of Rocky Elsom, the inspirational blind side who almost destroyed the efforts of the Munster back row by himself.

Here, the match will be decided.

The Tigers' reinvention has come at the breakdown. Cockerill regards this as the holy grail of rugby coaching. Ben Kay and Martin Corry have remarked that he spends more time going through the ruck and contact area than any other aspect.

Combined with a rediscovered flair for running rugby, the Tigers appear on the verge of rediscovering the greatness of their golden age, a trait that may again see the trophy cabinet at Welford Road filled again.

Despite the pedigree and history that the Tigers bring to Murrayfield, one feels that Leinster will not let this one go, after creating history against Munster at Croke Park.

A team full of Irish warhorses should bring this home narrowly, in a tight tussle, not a spectacle, by four points.

Leicester Tigers

• Road to final: W W W L W L W D
• HC history: Champions (2000/01, 2001/02) Runners up (1996/97, 2006/07)

Leinster

• Road to final: W W W L L W W W
• HC history: Semi finalists (1995/96, 2002/03, 2005/06)

Previous Heineken Cup clashes

• HEAD TO HEAD: Played 9, Leicester Tigers 5, Leinster 4

Nobody can argue that Leicester Tigers and London Irish have not earned their places in this year’s Guinness Premiership final.

The two sides have been the most consistent throughout the nine-month season, and have been the team to beat for every other side.

Their respective Directors of Rugby, Richard Cockerill and Toby Booth, have steered their squads through the long and arduous season, coping without several international players apiece, and maintaining their quality right through to a convincing semi-final victory.

Leicester versus Bath was billed as an epic contest between two old rivals, where no love is lost, where nothing would be left on the pitch and any other cliche you can think of. In reality, the game was relatively one-sided as Leicester took a commanding first-half lead, and despite something of a fightback, Bath could not recover.

To be so dominant at the breakdown throughout the game, stealing possession left, right and centre, and then to be able to bring on flanker Lewis Moody shows an incredible strength in depth, and is a mark of the quality squad that Cockerill has fostered.

Later that afternoon, London Irish upset the odds to defeat local rivals Harlequins. To be so effective as to prevent the Home team from scoring a single point is worthy of admiration - granted, the Quins kickers missed several chances, but credit should must to the Irish defence.

Once their lead had been established, the professional manner in which Mike Catt and Peter Hewat kept their foes pinned in their own territory was remarkable, so much so that you almost felt sorry for Dean Richards’ side when they couldn’t escape from the headlock in which they were held.

And so to Twickenham next Saturday. The Tigers will be favourites, but the Exiles proved that favouritism does not always count. Irish will compete in the final for the first time against the Leicester old-timers, and who will win is anyone’s guess. All we know is that it will be an occasion to savour between the two best sides in the country.

If the bookies are to be viewed as a trustworthy source, the Leicester Tigers are set to win the ‘double’ of the Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup titles.

The Tigers are favourites to win each competition since their incredible victory over Cardiff after a penalty shootout at the Millennium Stadium, and only a brave man would bet against them.

This Saturday, they take on Bath in the Guinness Premiership semi-final, the following weekend is the final, and then the weekend after that is the Heineken Cup final so they are in for a busy few weeks as they strive to achieve what no other club has managed since Wasps in 2004.

The news that fly-half Toby Flood has been ruled out with an Achilles injury appears at first to be a blow to their chances, but the Tigers have arguably been at their best in the last couple of months by starting Sam Vesty at 10 with Aaron Mauger outside him at 12, so they’ll be forced into that lineup now that Flood is out.

The way the Tigers have put their coaching blues behind them after the brief tenure of Marcelo Loffreda and Heyneke Meyer’s early return to South Africa is impressive. Richard Cockerill has taken control to end all discussion of a rudderless ship, and his strong squad of players seem to respond to the former England hooker.

In the Premiership, they should be too strong for Bath who have had mixed results in their last few fixtures, and in my view, neither Harlequins nor London Irish would be capable of an upset at Twickenham in the final.

Having overcome Munster, you could argue that Leinster can beat anyone, with their dogged defence and dominance at the breakdown, but they’ll need to produce another similar performance to clinch the title in Edinburgh having seen Leicester perform so well for 75 minutes in Cardiff last week and it may well be one game too far. The back row battle will be fascinating to watch in the final, given that both had the upper hand over their respective semi-final opponents, but my money is on Leicester.

Leicester to win the double? What do you think?