Bookies Make Toulouse Favourites

This year’s beaten finalists Toulouse have been installed favourites to capture next season’s Heineken Cup following the Pool Draw yesterday that sees them pitted against Bath, Newport-Gwent Dragons and Glasgow Warriors in Pool 5.

The French side are 4/1 with Ladbrokes ahead of London Wasps (5/1) whose Pool includes Leinster, Castres Olympique and Edinburgh.

Title holders Munster come next on 6/1 bracketed with Stade Francais – in Pool 4 along with Llanelli Scarlets, Ulster and Harlequins.

Commenting on the draw, Munster team manager Shaun Payne said, “There’s not an easy Pool anywhere and perhaps we are in one of the more difficult ones. Getting two French teams was a bit of a stinger.

“We know Clermont Auvergne of course very well from last season. They are going to be immense games, both home and away. There’s a lot of history between ourselves and Sale Sharks, while Montauban are an unknown quantity. We will have to do a lot of homework on them.”