Neither game ever threatened to live up to its billing but for diametrically opposed reasons. The match in Wales was a disappointment because of the uncanny predictability of the game from start to finish. Leicester WERE not ambitious and DID set out to protect their bonus point advantage which saw them through to an unlikely home quarter final.
The Ospreys DID try and play with a little more tempo than the Tigers but never, as Ospreys watchers expected, throw caution to the wind sufficiently to produce a pace to trouble the iron willed men of Leicester.
The Saints showed how to beat the Leicester defence a few weeks ago but the Ospreys lacked the nerve to gamble, knowing that a win would almost certainly put them through.
And so it did but another two points on top of their six winning margin would have given them Bath at home (an extremely difficult tie in its own right) instead of the dreaded trip to Munster. Ospreys have individual talent but lack belief and at times direction; Leicester has immense resolve and organisation but lack the class to win this tournament although it will take a sharp performance to remove them.
However there remain a few sharp performers. Two of them are Bath and Toulouse but both clubs were battered more by the elements Sunday than the other side. Atrocious, torrential hale removed speed and ambition and inexorably turned a game we hoped could catch fire into a tactical battle. Toulouse showed the power of their pack in the first half and Bath a resilient second half. Come the firmer grounds of April these teams will travel to Cardiff and Leicester respectively with high hopes of victory.
Toulouse, in particular, will have to be at or near their best to beat a Blues team that has power, pace and most importantly of all, the once missing reserves of self belief. It stands out as the tie of the round. Elsewhere Munster should be strong favourites to beat the Ospreys who must cast caution to the wind if they are to win in Limerick. It is possible but doubtful whether they have the same degree of belief as Cardiff to make this mission possible.
The fourth quarter final is Harlequins at home to Leinster. On form the Harlequins have a great chance of making the semi finals but Leinster, a struggling outfit at the moment, have time to regroup and a cast of high quality players to make this one a thriller.
The Ospreys DID try and play with a little more tempo than the Tigers but never, as Ospreys watchers expected, throw caution to the wind sufficiently to produce a pace to trouble the iron willed men of Leicester.
The Saints showed how to beat the Leicester defence a few weeks ago but the Ospreys lacked the nerve to gamble, knowing that a win would almost certainly put them through.
And so it did but another two points on top of their six winning margin would have given them Bath at home (an extremely difficult tie in its own right) instead of the dreaded trip to Munster. Ospreys have individual talent but lack belief and at times direction; Leicester has immense resolve and organisation but lack the class to win this tournament although it will take a sharp performance to remove them.
However there remain a few sharp performers. Two of them are Bath and Toulouse but both clubs were battered more by the elements Sunday than the other side. Atrocious, torrential hale removed speed and ambition and inexorably turned a game we hoped could catch fire into a tactical battle. Toulouse showed the power of their pack in the first half and Bath a resilient second half. Come the firmer grounds of April these teams will travel to Cardiff and Leicester respectively with high hopes of victory.
Toulouse, in particular, will have to be at or near their best to beat a Blues team that has power, pace and most importantly of all, the once missing reserves of self belief. It stands out as the tie of the round. Elsewhere Munster should be strong favourites to beat the Ospreys who must cast caution to the wind if they are to win in Limerick. It is possible but doubtful whether they have the same degree of belief as Cardiff to make this mission possible.
The fourth quarter final is Harlequins at home to Leinster. On form the Harlequins have a great chance of making the semi finals but Leinster, a struggling outfit at the moment, have time to regroup and a cast of high quality players to make this one a thriller.
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