Heineken Cup Quarter Finals review

Well folks, what did you make of that?

A great game by Edinburgh to put it mildly, and probably the greatest game in Scottish club history, but what happened to Toulouse? Edinburgh could have had 14 men for the whole game and probably would have still won - they showed their intentions from the first minute and Toulouse never responded, or ever really showed they would.

Leinster - Cardiff was a bit of a sad game to watch and was almost gruesomely one sided, with so many players leaving things look very grim for Cardiff and one has to wonder what's happening to the regions in Wales - a real need to reconnect with fans and players alike. For Leinster its almost difficult to conclude much so great was their superiority - still nice shirts for Cardiff as observed by my daughter (she decided to switch to watching Cinderella when Cardiff were still in front so maybe that swung it?)

Munster - Ulster - a cracking game, Ferris was inspirational and their defence in the latter stages of the second half was fantastic and Ulster and their fans must be thinking of the final - a rematch with Clermont or an all Irish clash with Leinster. For Munster, the next few years may see a transition phase I think

Saracens - Clermont - not pleasant from an English point of view, once Clermont matched them up front the result was decided and there was no Plan B, the bigger, better, stronger side won and after 20 minutes (like Leinster - Cardiff) it was just a formality for the Michelin men. Rougerie put in the performance he always threatened in the Six Nations and its back to the drawing board for Saracens and the rest of the Aviva Premiership in Europe - obviously questions will be raised both there and in the valleys about the wage cap

Elsewhere two all French semis in the Challenge Cup, and I was particularly sad to see Exeter denied a fairly tale win right at the death, but Allez les bleus on all fronts, not since Blanco or Austerlitz has their been such total domination!