French sides seek to shine on European stage

Just three weeks after their victory in the Six Nations, French rugby will once again take centre stage this weekend in the quarter-finals of the European Cup. Four French teams are still in the H Cup, as Europe's top rugby competition is known here in France, and all of them will fancy their chances of making the final in the Stade de France on 22 May.

Reuters

First up will be Clermont Auvergne, who face a daunting trip to play European Champions Leinster in Dublin on Friday night. Clermont lost to Stade Francais last Saturday but their head coach Vern Cotter hopes his side can lift their game in the Irish capital.

"We’d like to have played at home but we’re going to Leinster so that’ll make the job a little bit more difficult. There'll be a hostile crowd environment. Hopefully that’ll bring us together… and get us concentrating. Because if we don’t, things will happen very quickly and we could be out of the competition."

It's a hard game to predict. Leinster have home advantage and have been boosted by the return from injury of their world-class centre pairing of Brian O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy. But Clermont's side is also packed with talent and includes French internationals Morgan Parra, Thomas Domingo, Aurelin Rougerie and Julien Bonnaire.

One man well placed to assess the game is Brive secondrow Damian Browne. The 29-year-old started in both his team's defeats against Leinster in the H Cup pool stages and he has also played four derby matches against Clermont during his two seasons in France.

“They’re the typical French pack up front but with one slight difference,” he says of Clermont. “They’re very organised in attack and defence the way they work, the way they hit rucks in numbers. They’re very strong at set-piece.

“Behind the pack they have a lot of very good strike runners - Nalanga, Rougerie, Malzieu - all those back-three players are real good gain-breakers. They have a very strong half-back pairing who dictate the game for them and Brock James is obviously a hugely prolific points scorer. They’re very well-rounded and, for me, probably the best team in the French championship.”

Browne predicts there will be “a hell of a battle” between the two packs on Friday but that O’Driscoll and D’Arcy could swing the tie Leinster’s way. Nonetheless, he feels Clermont have the ability to win in Ireland.

“I’d never write them off just because of the strength they have throughout their squad. They’re very experienced and have a lot of depth.

“Can they go there and win? I think they can. Will they? I don’t know. I think there’s a lot to be said for having a history and a pedigree in the H Cup. One thing’s for sure, Leinster have that and then they’re defending champions and they're at home. I think it’ll be close. It should be a cracker of a game as well but I think Leinster might just edge it.”

In the south of France on Saturday, Biarritz will take on Welsh side Ospreys. Home advantage is often decisive, particularly at this stage of the competition, but Ospreys will look to their two wingers who performed so well in the Six Nations to provide some inspiration. Shane Williams scored tries in three of Wales's matches, while Tommy Bowe was named player of the tournament for his performances with Ireland. Biarritz wll hope the likes of bruising French number eight Imanol Harinordoquy, Fabien Barcella and Damien Traille can make the difference.

In Saturday's second game, Irish side Munster will take on Northampton, the sole English representative left in the competition. These sides won one game each in their encounters in the pool stages but, having won the tournament in 2006 and 2008 and with an excellent home record in this tournament, Munster are favourites to qualify.

The fourth quarter-final is an all-French tie between Toulouse and Stade Francais. Stade, driven on by talismanic centre Mathieu Bastareaud, would dearly love to reach the final, which is this year being held at their home ground in Paris.

But that scenario looks unlikely. Toulouse have won this competition three times, and with experienced players like French captain Thierry Dusautoir and New Zealand's Byron Kelleher in their ranks, they should safely progress to the semis.