Leinster Host Leicester, Ulster Face Northampton
The match-ups in this season’s Heineken Cup quarter-finals were confirmed on Sunday evening, with Leinster set to host Leicester Tigers in a repeat of the 2009 final and Ulster facing a trip to Northampton Saints.
Leinster, who topped Pool 2 and qualified as the second-ranked team overall, have met Leicester Tigers on ten previous occasions in the Heineken Cup. They have five wins each.
The Blues got the upper hand when the sides clashed in the 2009 final at Murrayfield, with Jonathan Sexton’s 70th-minute penalty steering them to a famous 19-16 win.
Leicester, who currently top the Aviva Premiership, defeated Leinster in quarter-final ties in 2002 and 2005.
For their first quarter-final since the 1998/99 season, Ulster will relish the task of going to Northampton to try to end Saints’ unbeaten run in this season’s competition.
The reward for the winners of the Leinster v Leicester and Northampton v Ulster games is ‘home country’ advantage in the semi-finals. The draw for the semi-finals was made this evening – click here for full details.
Northampton’s squad includes ex-Ulster back rower Roger Wilson, whose side secured the number one seeding after London Wasps’ dramatic round 6 win over defending champions Toulouse.
The French giants are away to Biarritz Olympique in the last-eight, in what is a repeat of last season’s final. Munster’s conquerors, Toulon, will travel to Perpignan in the second all-French tie.
The quarter-final matches will be played over the weekend of April 8 to 10.
Meanwhile, Munster are one of the three Heineken Cup pool runners-up to qualify for the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
Tony McGahan’s men are away to French side Brive in the knockout stages of European club rugby’s second tier tournament. If they win that match, they will have a home semi-final against either Harlequins or London Wasps.
Brive lost to Leinster home and away last season and are currently third-from-bottom in the Top 14 table. However, they did manage to go unbeaten during the pool stages of the Amlin Challenge Cup, claiming a notable double over Sale Sharks.
The Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals will take place over the weekend of April 8 to 10.
2010/11 HEINEKEN CUP QUARTER-FINALS:
Northampton Saints v ULSTER
LEINSTER v Leicester Tigers
Perpignan v Toulon
Biarritz Olympique v Toulouse
2010/11 AMLIN CHALLENGE CUP QUARTER-FINALS:
Stade Francais v Montpellier
Brive v MUNSTER
La Rochelle v Clermont Auvergne
Harlequins v London Wasps
– Ties to be played over the weekend of April 8/9/10