LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO HAS tipped Leinster to keep their hopes of back-to-back Heineken Cups alive with a daring French raid against Clermont Auvergne this Sunday.
But the former England captain isn’t putting his money on an all-Ireland final on 19 May in Twickenham, warning Ulster that the tournament’s surprise package Edinburgh could pull off yet another shock.
Ulster are still sweating on the fitness of scrum-half Paul Marshall and back-row Chris Henry ahead of Saturday’s showdown in the Aviva Stadium.
It’s the province’s first return to the semi-final stages since 1999 when they went on to beat Colomiers in the final, and Dallaglio believes that a strong start by Edinburgh could unsettle Brian McLaughlin’s men.
“[Edinburgh's] quarter-final triumph over Toulouse was the result of the season and they have become the big story of the tournament,” Dallaglio said.
“Ulster will obviously have more fans at the Aviva Stadium and have a hard edge to their side with their strong South African influence. But I can see Edinburgh’s game plan causing Ulster a few problems.
We went to Dublin to face Munster back in 2004 for a Heineken Cup semi-final and the first thing we had to try to do was silence the crowd. We did that and eventually won the game, and the title. That will be Edinburgh’s first task – to put the crowd on the back foot as well as Ulster.
The weight of history will be against Leinster in Bordeaux on Sunday afternoon. Only one team in the last three seasons has won a semi-final outside their home country but the reigning champions are now 13 games unbeaten in the competition and that could tip the balance in their favour, Dallaglio says.
“This is their third semi-final in a row and that experience is bound to count for something on the day.
“Clermont are newcomers to this stage, but confounded me with their performance against Saracens. I didn’t think they would be able to travel to Vicarage Road and match the English champions physically, but they did that and more.
To beat Leinster they will have to impose themselves up front and no doubt Nathan Hines will be leading the way against his old teammates. If Leinster get good possession, they showed in their quarter-final destruction of Cardiff Blues how dangerous they can be.
