Draw Leaves Munster No Margin For Error

A draw that sees them pitched into a Pool with title holders London Wasps, their 2007 quarter final conquerors Llanelli Scarlets and recent French Championship finalists Clermont Auvergne, leaves Munster absolutely no magin for error in next season’s competition.

With just one side almost certain to emerge from Munster’s Pool and from Pool 6, the lopsided result of yesterday’s proceeding in Cardiff means that five potential winners will be eliminated at the Pool stage.

All the previous compettion winners find themselves confined to three groups – four in two –  while the French sides, Stade Francais, Biarritz and Perpignan look certain to qualify for the knock-out stages

Biarritz will probably be happiest of all grouped as they are with Italians Viadana, a Glasgow outfit that could only manage 7th in the Magners League this past season and newcomers Saracens although their French colleagues Perpignan will also be pleased to have the other Italian side Benetton Treviso, The Dragons who qualified through the ‘back-door’ system and London Irish as their Pool opponents.

Nevertheless Munster coach Declan Kidney remaineed upbeat about the draw,

“Firstly, after all the doubt of whether or not the competition would go ahead, it’s great that it is.

“In terms of the draw itself, we’ve landed ourselves a very tough one with the title holders (Wasps), the up and coming French side,
Clermont Auvergne just beaten in the French championship final and then Llanelli Scarlets whose record in the competition speaks for
itself never mind the fact that they put us out of the competition last season.

“So it’s going to be a huge challenge and to that end I believe the Magners League assumes even greater importance because it will serve
as the ideal preparation for those matches. In the competitive sense, I have no doubt whatsoever that the Magners League will leave us and
the others (Leinster & Ulster) right for the challenge that the Heineken Cup presents.”