European Rugby returns in style tomorrow with the Heineken
Cup but for those who can’t wait the Challenge Cup provides something to keep
us ticking over. Rugby’s Europa League, the Cup basically compromises Europe’s
second tier of Rugby sides and with various league targets – qualification for
the Heineken Cup is by no means easy unless you’re n the Magners League but there
are plenty of places for those good enough – and the one question that you have
to ask when finding the winner is how seriously your picks will take it. The
likes of Bath, Gloucester, Perpignan, and Stade Francais (the latter of which
look to be the best value at 8/1 ) especially have the potential to win this competition,
but the best bet may be to get all the dropouts from the Heineken Cup onside.
Two of the last three winners have been Heineken Cup dropouts
and this year’s pool structure makes 13/8 especially appealing when considering
not only the class of some of the potential dropouts, but also how keen some of
the clubs in the pool stage from the start may or may not be – the top four in
the betting are all capable of going for no matter what but they would be
vulnerable if fielding second string teams, and the all-important draw too can
change things at the drop of a hat.
With the especially cutthroat pools for this year’s Heineken
Cup, we could easily see a top class side dropping down. Frenchmen and last year’s
Champions Biarritz and Cardiff have dropped down, and with Leinster and Clermont
(neither of whom should drop out, although nothing is impossible with those two
against eachother) in the same pool, no top seed will be completely safe - there are two best runners’ up spots. One
of Leicester or Toulouse could well drop out, Harlequins and Biarritz lock
horns in Pool 3, while Saracens (up against a Munster side with an impeccable
record in the Heineken Cup) and Northampton (similarly vulnerable to last year’s
finalists and Pro 12 leaders Munster) are just two of the names that could drop
down, and all would have a big chance with the incentive at the quarter final stage
of a place in the Heineken Cup for next season a much more lucrative promotion
than now, making the 13/8 offered on a Henieken Cup team dropping down look
like a superb bet.
Of the teams involved now, Stade Francais look the best bet
having gone close in the last two seasons. Losers of a final and semi-final by
just 3 points in total over the last two years, they can count themselves unlucky
not to have won both, having taken full control during the second half of their
final against Quins only to let in a late try, while they faced an almighty task
travelling to Toulon on the road only to lose out to a Johnny Wilkinson drop
goal. They’ve got enough pedigree and class to go very deep in this competition
and are 8/1 with Hills, meaning a win for them or a Heineken Cup side guarantees
a profit.
Advice
6 pts Any Heineken Cup team to win (13/8 Betfred)
1 pt Stade Francais (8/1 Hills)
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