Heineken cup

[Drogba's Bitch]

Just a quick review on todays games. Not got much time so i have knicked the team news from online Aironi vs Ulster Ulster have made two changes to their line-up for their must-win clash with Aironi. A victory over the Italians will secure Ulster a place in the last eight - although whether it is as pool winners or as one of the two best-placed runners-up will depend on the outcome of Biarritz's clash with Bath. With Rory Best and BJ Botha ruled out through injury, Nigel Brady and Declan Fitzpatrick come into the front row, while Andi Kyriacou and Jerry Cronin start on the bench. Aironi are determined not to let Ulster have things their own way, though, with the Italians welcoming back some of their star players. Matias Aguero, Fabio Ongaro, Marco Bortolami, Quintin Geldenhuys and former Saracens number nine Mickey Wilson are among those included in the starting XV. Aironi: 15 Julien Laharrague, 14 Pablo Canavosio, 13 Rodd Penney, 12 Gilberto Pavan, 11 Matteo Pratichetti, 10 Vickus Liebenberg, 9 Mickey Wilson, 8 Josh Sole, 7 Jaco Erasmus, 6 Gareth Krause 5 Quintin Geldenhuys, 4 Marco Bortolami, 3 Fabio Staibano, 2 Fabio Ongaro, 1 Matias Aguero. Replacements: 16 Roberto Santamaria, 17 Salvatore Perugini, 18 Alberto de Marchi, 19 Carlo del Fava, 20 Aldo Birchall, 21 Tito Tebaldi, 22 Riccardo Bocchino. Ulster: 15 Adam D'Arcy, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Nevin Spence, 12 Paddy Wallace, 11 Simon Danielli, 10 Ian Humphreys, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Pedrie Wannenburg, 7 Willie Faloon, 6 Stephen Ferris, 5 Dan Tuohy, 4 Johann Muller (capt), 3 Declan Fitzpatrick, 2 Nigel Brady, 1 Tom Court. Replacements: 16 Andi Kyriacou, 17 Bryan Young, 18 Jerry Cronin, 19 Tim Barker, 20 Chris Henry, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Ian Whitten, 23 David McIlwaine. Aironi have nothing but pride to play for and should be there for the taking, Ulster will want the bonus point win and i think will get it. A few early scores should set them up nicely for a good win. Ulster -15 @ 1.9 (paddy power)

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup Biarritz vs Bath Damien Traille will move to his familiar role in the centres for Biarritz's must-win clash with Bath. A win will see last season's beaten finalists qualify for the knockout stages - although their final position in the pool will depend on what happens from Ulster's trip to Aironi. Julien Peyrelongue replaces Traille at fly-half, while lock Pelu Taele and flanker Samiu Vahafolau are also handed starts. Bath are also in the mix for a place in the last eight, although they will need a bonus point win and hope other results go their way to claim one of the two best-placed runners-up spots. And Bath head coach Steve Meehan knows nothing other than a victory in France will do. "It's very simple, if we go to Biarritz and win, we give ourselves a chance at continuing on in the competition, if we don't, we haven't," he said. "There are obviously lots of different possible outcomes, but the calculator has stayed in the draw, and we will see how the results have gone after the weekend. "Biarritz are certainly not invincible. As we saw, Toulon recently delivered a good performance against them which put them under pressure. They are a side that ticks over the score board so we have to make sure we lessen their opportunities to do that through good discipline and controlling the game as much as we possibly can. "All that comes from a set piece that delivers well and in the last few weeks that area of our game has improved a lot. "You can try and frustrate them and keep them out of penalty and drop goal range, and it will be up to us to be physical and aggressive in our play and control the ball as much as we can. If we can do that then we will have a chance." Biarritz:15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Takudzwa Ngwenya, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Damien Traille, 11 Iain Balshaw, 10 Julien Peyrelongue, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Raphael Lakafia, 7 Imanol Harinordoquy, 6 Samiu Vahafolau, 5 Erik Lund, 4 Pelu Taele, 3 Sylvain Marconnet, 2 Benoit August, 1 Eduard Coetzee. Replacements: 16 Romain Terrain, 17 Yvan Watremez, 18 Eusebio Guinazu, 19 Jérôme Thion, 20 Benoit Guyot, 21 Yann Lesgourgues , 22 Arnaud Mignardi, 23 Ilikena Bolakoro. Bath: 15 Nick Abendanon, 14 Matt Banahan, 13 Olly Barkley, 12 Shontayne Hape, 11 Tom Biggs, 10 Butch James, 9 Michael Claassens, 8 Ben Skirving, 7 Luke Watson, 6 Simon Taylor, 5 Danny Grewcock, 4 Stuart Hooper, 3 David Wilson, 2 Lee Mears, 1 Duncan Bell. Replacements: 16 Pieter Dixon, 17 David Flatman, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Ignacio Fernadez Lobbe, 20 Josh Ovens, 21 Mark McMillan, 22 Sam Vesty, 23 Jack Cuthbert. Biarritz will want to win the group so at the very least need a win. A bonus point may be to much to ask for with the tight bath defence but i think they will score enough to beat the handicap Small stakes Biarritz -11 @ 1.9 (paddy power)

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup Ospreys vs Toulon Ospreys director of coaching Scott Johnson has challenged his side to bounce back from their Heineken Cup exit by toppling pool winners Toulon. The 24-12 defeat to London Irish ended the Ospreys' hopes of reaching the last eight - and things will not get any easier against the big-spending French side. However, with the carrot of possible qualification to the Amlin Challenge Cup, Johnson insists his side will be going all out for the win. Johnson, said: "It's been a difficult week, there's no getting away from it. There's been a lot of looking inward and identifying where things went wrong last Sunday, but it's a good thing that we can get straight back on the horse to play a damn good Toulon side who will want to finish in style. "At this level the difference between success and failure comes down to the finest of margins. A dropped ball here, a missed overlap there, split second decisions can have such huge implications. We've got to get that right, we've got to be making the correct decisions if we want to win these important games. "Toulon have shown over the course of this pool that they are quality team and it should be great game on Saturday on many different levels. "We will be determined to begin the process of redeeming ourselves, to show the true Ospreys, and who knows, maybe bag an Amlin Cup place, while Toulon will want to try and secure a home quarter-final so there is plenty for both teams to play for." Toulon scum-half Matt Henjak will captain a much-changed side at the Liberty Stadium. Director of rugby Philippe Saint-André has made 14 changes following the win over Munster, with only fly-half Jonny Wilkinson retaining his place in the starting XV. Ospreys: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 Nikki Walker, 13 Sonny Parker, 12 James Hook, 11 Richard Fussell, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb, 1 Duncan Jones, 2 Richard Hibbard, 3 Craig Mitchell, 4 Ian Gough, 5 Alun Wyn Jones (capt), 6 Ryan Jones, 7 Justin Tipuric, 8 Jonathan Thomas Replacements: 16 Huw Bennett, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Cai Griffiths, 19 Jerry Collins, 20 Marty Holah, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Ashley Beck, 23 Shane Williams Toulon: 15 Rory Lamont, 14 Benjamin Lapeyre, 13 Geoffroy Messina, 12 Mafi Kefu, 11 Thierry Brana, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Matt Henjak ©, 8 Fotu Auelua, 7 Thomas Sourice, 6 Olivier Missoup, 5 Dewald Senekal, 4 Jocelino Suta, 3 Carl Hayman, 2 Jean-Philippe Genevois, 1 Saimone Taumoepeau. Replacements: 16 Mickael Ivaldi, 17 Benjamin Basteres, 18 Mehdi Merabet, 19 Joe van Niekerk, 20 Joe El Abd, 21 Tom May, 22 Laurent Magnaval, 23 Kris Chesney Slighty more difficult to call as both teams are fielding weakend sides. 14 changes for Toulon will make things very disjointed. However i have lost a fair bit going against them on the handicap this season so this time i will go with them Small stakes Toulon +6 @ 1.9 (paddy power)

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup Munster have made seven changes for Saturday's Heineken Cup Pool Three match against London Irish at Thomond Park. Three of the changes are forced, with Donnacha Ryan tweaking a hamstring in the defeat to Toulon last Sunday, while Paul Warwick also suffered a heavy knock in that game. Sam Tuitupou strained a hamstring in training this week. Johne Murphy takes over at full-back from Warwick with David Wallace switching to blindside flanker in place of James Coughlan, while Niall Ronan is handed the number seven jersey. Also up front, Mick O'Driscoll is preferred to Donncha O'Callaghan as lock partner for captain Paul O'Connell. In the backs, meanwhile, Lifeimi Mafi replaces Tuitupou and Tomas O'Leary starts ahead of Peter Stringer at scrum-half. Further additions are Denis Hurley, who starts on the left wing, while Scott Deasy and Tom Gleeson have both been named on the bench. Hurley said Munster are in a positive frame of mind, despite failing to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition for the first time in more than a decade after their 32-16 loss in France. "Of course I understand the supporter's disappointment," he told the club's website. "We feel it just as keenly. People went to extraordinary lengths and huge expense in difficult times to support us last weekend. And you like to repay that sort of loyalty. But I think we still can." Momentum Meanwhile, following London Irish's much-needed win against the Ospreys last weekend - the Exiles' first in 11 games - they have stuck with Dan Bowden at fly-half for the third game in a row, with Darren Allinson starting at scrum-half. Topsy Ojo moves to full-back in place of Delon Armitage, who picked up an eight-week ban on Thursday, while winger Adam Thompstone makes the starting XV for the first time in over a year after coming off the bench last weekend. Head coach, Toby Booth said: "The win against the Ospreys was fantastic, we worked hard and earned a result. We need to keep that momentum rolling. "We are under no illusions about the task ahead of us, Munster is an extremely well resourced side and we expect it to be tough. The squad has prepared hard this week and we will fight tooth and nail to get a victory." Munster: 15 Johne Murphy, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Lifeimi Mafi, 11 Denis Hurley, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Tomas O'Leary, 8 Denis Leamy, 7 Niall Ronan, 6 David Wallace, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Mick O'Driscoll, 3 John Hayes, 2 Damien Varley, 1 Wian du Preez. Replacements: 16 Mike Sherry, 17 Darragh Hurley, 18 Tony Buckley, 19 Donncha O'Callaghan, 20 James Coughlan, 21 Peter Stringer, 22 Scott Deasy, 23 Tom Gleeson. London Irish: 15 Topsy Ojo, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Elvis Seveali'i', 12 Seilala Mapusua (capt), 11 Sailosi Tagicakibau, 10 Dan Bowden, 9 Darren Allinson, 8 Chris Hala'ufia, 7 Jamie Gibson, 6 George Stowers, 5 Matt Garvey, 4 Nick Kennedy, 3 Faan Rautenbach, 2 James Buckland, 1 Alex Corbisiero. Replacements: 16 Brian Blaney, 17 Dan Murphy, 18 Paulica Ion, 19 Richard Thorpe, 20 Kieran Roche, 21 Marcus Watson, 22 Ryan Lamb, 23 Paul Hodgson. Irish got back to winning ways but i dont think they will have enough to caus an upset in Munster's back yard. Comfortable win for the home side Munster -10 @ 1.9 (bet 365)

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup Edinburgh vs Cardiff Edinburgh coach Rob Moffat insists his side are desperate to bounce back from their defeat to Northampton when they face Cardiff Blues. Edinburgh went down 37-0 at Franklin's Gardens, however they have won five of their last six European games at Murrayfield. And Moffat believes his players are fired-up to set the record straight. "The guys were frustrated and disappointed after last Friday's game, and it's really come across in training this week that they want to make amends and give our supporters another good win at home," he said. "Not much went our way down in Northampton, but equally we know that we made too many mistakes at crucial times to quibble with the result. "Regardless of the overall situation in the pool, we need to give a better account of ourselves against Cardiff and finish our involvement in the Heineken with a really positive performance and result. The players know that better than anyone, and I sense a real determination on their part to deliver." Moffat has made five changes to his line-up, with Lee Jones, Simon Webster, Allan Jacobsen, Lewis Niven and David Denton all handed starts. Permutations Edinburgh, though, will be without the injured Tim Visser and the ill David Blair. Cardiff Blues have opted against making any changes for the trip north. The Blues know that they must win to have any chance of reaching the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals - and then hope other results go their way. "We've looked at the permutations of qualifying, but first and foremost, we have to win. Then we also need two or three results to go our way," said Young. "It would be great if we could go up there and get a bonus point as that would put us in a better position again, but I don't expect the players to be focused on that." "Although it's been disappointing we haven't qualified for the Heineken Cup quarters, I think if we can go to Scotland and put in a good performance and get the result, then I don't it's a campaign we can be proud of, but it won't have been a disaster either." "If a win is enough to take us through to the Amlin, then great, if it's not, it's not." Edinburgh: 15 Jim Thompson, 14 Lee Jones, 13 Ben Cairns, 12 Nick De Luca, 11 Simon Webster, 10 Chris Paterson, 9 Mike Blair, 1 Allan Jacobsen, 2 Ross Ford, 3 Lewis Niven, 4 Scott MacLeod, 5 Esteban Lozada, 6 David Denton. 7 Alan MacDonald, 8 Roddy Grant (capt). Replacements: 16 Kyle Traynor, 17 Geoff Cross, 18 David Young, 19 Fraser McKenzie, 20 Stuart McInally, 21 Greig Laidlaw, 22 Ross Samson, 23 James King Cardiff Blues: 15 Chris Czekaj, 14 Leigh Halfpenny, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Richard Mustoe, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Tom Slater, 8 Maama Molitika, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Andries Pretorius, 5 Paul Tito ©, 4 Deiniol Jones, 3 Tafa'ao Filise, 2 T Rhys Thomas, 1 John Yapp. Replacements: 16 Gareth Williams, 17 Scott Andrews, 18 Sam Hobbs, 19 Bradley Davies, 20 Ben White, 21 Ceri Sweeney, 22 Dafydd Hewitt, 23 Tom James Cardiff have to win to stand any chance of qualifying for the amlin. The scots are always stronger at home but i really rate Parks and if he turns up Cardiff should get the win Cardiff to win @ 1.9 (paddy power)

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup Castres vs Nothampton Castres have recalled their big-name forwards for the visit of pool winners Northampton in the Heineken Cup. Benjamin Kayser, Scott Murray and Chris Masoe are among 10 changes made by the Top 14 outfit - with Castres looking to secure their place in the Amlin Challenge Cup. Michaël Coetzee and Rodrigo Capo Ortega are also added to the pack, although the Castres backline will be without a couple of their stars. Seremaia Bai and Marc Andreu are both missing with Yoan Audrin, Pierre-Manuel Garcia, Vincent Inigo, Pierre Bernard and Sébastien Tillous-Borde handed run-outs. Northampton boss Jim Mallinder is expecting a difficult contest in France, despite the Saints having so far won all five of their group games. Difficult "They will be strong," Mallinder told the club's official website. "We saw that when they came here. They have a very good squad and pushed us really close. "They have come out publicly and made no secret about the fact they want to maintain their unbeaten home record so it will be very difficult for us to go down there and get the win." Mallinder has made just one change to his line-up with Mark Sorenson swapping places with the benched Christian Day. England international Shane Geraghty is also added to the replacements, with rising star Joe Ford dropping out the squad. Castres: 15 Florian Denos, 14 Matthieu Nicolas, 13 Yoan Audrin, 12 Pierre-Manuel Garcia, 11 Vincent Inigo, 10 Pierre Bernard, 9 Sébastien Tillous-Borde, 1 Michaël Coetzee, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 3 Daniel Saayman, 4 Scott Murray, 5 Rodrigo Capo Ortega, 6 Chris Masoe, 7 Steve Malonga, 8 Jannie Bornman. Replacements: 16 Akvsenti Giorgadze, 17 Anton Peikrishvili, 18 Luc Ducalcon, 19 Joe Tekori, 20 Gambo Adamou, 21 Alexandre Albouy, 22 Seremaia Bai, 23 Romain Martial Northampton: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Joe Ansbro, 13 Jon Clarke, 12 James Downey, 11 Paul Diggin, 10 Steve Myler, 9 Ryan Powell, 1 Soane Tongauiha, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Brian Mujati, 4 Calum Clark, 5 Mark Sorenson, 6 Phil Dowson, 7 Tom Wood, 8 Roger Wilson. Replacements: 16 Brett Sharman, 17 Alex Waller, 18 Tom Mercey, 19 Christian Day, 20 Mark Easter, 21 Stu Commins, 22 Shane Geraghty, 23 Bruce Reihana. Gonna be a massive ckash upfront with these 2 sets of forwards and i think this is where the battle will be mostly won or lost. Im gonna back my team Northampton to finish the group on a high with a tight away win. Northampton -3 @ 1.8 (coral)

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup One other bet a few safer handicaps for a larger stake Ulster -7 @ 1.25 Cardiff +7 @ 1.33 Munster -6 @ 1.4 Northampton +3 @ 1.36 All with ladbrokes

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup A good day with a nice bit of profit. Ulster -15 @ 1.9 :ok Small stakes Biarritz -11 @ 1.9 :@ (only lost with a last second try) Small stakes Toulon +6 @ 1.9 :@ Munster -10 @ 1.9 :ok Cardiff to win @ 1.9:ok Northampton -3 @ 1.8 :ok Ulster -7 @ 1.25 Cardiff +7 @ 1.33 Munster -6 @ 1.4 Northampton +3 @ 1.36 :ok Lets hope tomorrow brings some more!

[PerryPFC]

Re: Heineken cup Nice work DB:clap Robbed by Bath :cry

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup Leceister vs Treviso After their convincing win at the Scarlets last week, Leicester Tigers retain the same 23-man squad for the home game against Treviso. The only change in the line-up sees Dan Cole start at tighthead prop, as Martin Castrogiovanni drops to the bench. Treviso have made five changes to their starting line-up. Leicester have already qualified for the last eight but they can top the pool if they secure a bonus point and Perpignan do not against Scarlets. Kristopher Burton, Fabio Semenzato, Joe Maddock, Michele Rizzo and Valerio Bernabo all come in for Treviso.

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Leicester boss Richard Cockerill: "We needed to win last week to retain any chance of qualifying and it was a good team performance at the Scarlets. The team showed great resolve and resilience to win that game under some pressure. "Now we have to win again. Treviso played very well against us in Round One, they have a lot of experienced international players in the squad and we treat them with a lot of respect."

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Leicester: Hamilton; Smith, M Tuilagi, Allen, A Tuilagi; Flood, Youngs; Cole, Chuter, Ayerza, Deacon, Skivington, Waldrom, Newby, Crane. Replacements: Hawkins, Stankovich, Castrogiovanni, Slater, Mafi, Grindal, Staunton, Agulla. Treviso: Williams; Nitoglia, Galon, Garcia, Maddock; Burton, Semenzato; Cittadini, Ghiraldini, Rizzo, Pavanello, Van Zyl, Vermaak, Bernabo, Derbyshire. Replacements: Sbaraglini, Fernandez Rouyet, Di Santo, Pavanello, Zanni, Sgarbi, Botes, Benvenuti. It's a big handicap but i think Leicester will have enough to cover it. They shipped 44 at home last week so fingers crossed Leicester -30 @ 1.9 Betfred

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup Perpignan vs Scarlets Perpignan have made four changes to their line-up as they go in search of the win they need to reach the last eight. The Scarlets, though, haven't given up hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals themselves. Florian Cazenave, Guilhem Guirado, Bertrand Guiry and Damien Chouly all come into the side, with Marius Tincu and David Mélé dropped to the bench and Jean-Pierre Perez and Grégory Le Corvec injured. Scarlets coach Nigel Davies insists his side will be fully motivated by what is at stake at the Stade Aime-Giral. "We are still in the fight, we have a difficult place to go and get a result but there is so much at stake you don't need much more motivation," said Davies. "For us, to still be in with an opportunity for the Heineken Cup next stages or Amlin on the last weekend is a significant step forward for this squad from where we have been and it shows the progress we've made in the last 18 months." Davies has made just one change to his line-up following the defeat to the Tigers, with Jonny Fa'amatuainu replacing Vernon Cooper in the second row. Perpignan:15 Jérôme Porical, 14 Farid Sid, 13 David Marty, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Julien Candelon, 10 Nicolas Laharrague, 9 Florian Cazenave, 8 Henry Tuilagi, 7 Bertrand Guiry, 6 Damien Chouly, 5 Guillaume Vilaceca, 4 Olivier Olibeau, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Perry Freshwater. Replacements: 16 Marius Tincu, 17 Kisi Pulu, 18 Benoit Bourrust, 19 Robins Tchale Watchou, 20 David Mele, 21 Gerrie Britz, 22 Ovidiu Tonita, 23 Joffrey Michel, Scarlets: 15 Rhys Priestland, 14 Morgan Stoddart, 13 Gareth Maule, 12 Jon Davies, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Tavis Knoyle, 1 Iestyn Thomas, 2 Matthew Rees (capt), 3 Simon Gardiner, 4 Lou Reed, 5 Jonny Fa'amatuaniu, 6 Rob McCusker, 7 Josh Turnbull, 8 David Lyons. Replacements: 16 Emyr Phillips, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Phil John, 19 Damian Welch, 20 Ben Morgan, 21 Martin Roberts, 22 Lee Williams, 23 Richie Pugh. Tight one to call this. Handicap looks pretty good, depends on what Scarlets bring. If they turn up and make a game of it, i would expect it to finish close but still a home win. If Perpignan score a couple early, Scarlets could crack and the handicap would be covered easily. Small stakes Perpignan -14 @ 1.9 paddy power

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup Wasps vs Toulouse Wasps director of rugby Tony Hanks has made just two changes to his line-up for the visit of defending champions Toulouse. Following the 20-10 defeat to Glasgow, Wasps need a bonus point victory to stand a chance of making it into the last eight - and then hope other results go their way. Dom Waldouck and Richard Birkett come into the starting side, with Riki Flutey and James Cannon dropping to the bench. Toulouse, on the other hand, have made nine changes to their line-up for the visit to Adams Park. Florian Fritz and Jean-Marc Doussain come into the backline, with Clément Poitrenaud moving to full-back and Maxime Medard switching to the wing. In the pack, Yannick Nyanga, Daan Human, William Servat, Yoann Maestri and Louis Picamoles are all handed starts. Wasps: 15 Mark van Gisbergen, 14 Tom Varndell, 13 Ben Jacobs, 12 Dom Waldouck, 11 David Lemi, 10 Dave Walder, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Andy Powell, 7 Serge Betsen, 6 Joe Worsley, 5 Richard Birkett, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Zak Taulafo, 2 Tom Lindsay, 1 Tim Payne. Replacements: 16 Joe Ward, 17 Charlie Beech, 18 Ben Broster, 19 Marty Veale, 20 James Cannon, 21 Nic Berry, 22 Riki Flutey, 23 Richard Haughton. Toulouse:15 Clément Poitrenaud, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Maxime Medard, 10 David Skrela, 9 Jean-Marc Doussain, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Yoann Maestri, 3 Census Johnston, 2 William Servat, 1 Daan Human. Replacements:16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Jean-Baptiste Poux, 18 Yohan Montes, 19 Grégory Lamboley, 20 Nicolas Vergallo, 21 Cédric Heymans, 22 Frédéric Michalak, 23 Shaun Sowerby There's just something about Wasps that puts me always off them. Dont really rate them as a top side. If toulouse can keep hold of the ball when they start their passing game they will score tries, hopefully quite a few! Toulouse -4 @ 1.9 @ Will Hill

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup Dragons head coach Paul Turner insists the clash with Glasgow Warriors on Sunday is not a dead rubber. With neither side able to qualify for the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup or reach the Amlin Challenge Cup, there is little for either side to play for. However Turner claims that neither side will be taking it easy at Rodney Parade - with his Dragons determined to build on their battling display against defending champions Toulouse last time out. "The players should be very proud of their performance against Toulouse last weekend," said Turner. "It was a little bit backs-against-the-wall, but I was pleased with how we muscled up. We frustrated Toulouse - they expected to beat us easily but that wasn't the case. It's important to back up that performance this weekend. "There's no such thing as a dead rubber in rugby really, not even if it's a friendly. I wasn't surprised by Glasgow's win over Wasps - they're always capable of winning at home and it was a very strong performance. Superb "Their nine played well, the pack and Kellock in particular were superb. They have a good set-piece and are well-coached. Their ten is playing better and they were without some major players in Morrison, Barclay and Evans, although the last two may be back for our game." The Warriors have made two changes for the trip to Rodney Parade, with DTH van der Merwe and Jon Welsh coming into the side. Canada winger van der Merwe replaces Hefin O'Hare, while Welsh gets the nod ahead of Ryan Grant at loosehead. And Glasgow coach Sean Lineen believes the Dragons will be looking to throw down a marker ahead of the Magners League clash. Lineen said: "We always look forward to going down to Newport. It's a great atmosphere and the crowd are fantastic, you really want to play in that kind of environment. "The players enjoy it, especially if you can silence the crowd which is pretty difficult - that's their 16th man down there. "The Dragons will be looking to get a win before we play them in the Magners League in a month's time so both teams have reasons to win this game." Dragons: 15 Will Harries, 14 Adam Hughes, 13 Tom Riley, 12 Ashley Smith, 11 Aled Brew, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Wayne Evans, 1 Phil Price, 2 Thomas Willis (capt), 3 Ben Castle, 4 Luke Charteris, 5 Rob Sidoli, 6 Danny Lydiate, 7 Gavin Thomas, 8 Toby Faletau. Replacements: 16 Steve Jones, 17 Gethin Robinson, 18 Pat Palmer, 19 Scott Morgan, 20 Lewis Evans, 21 James Leadbeater, 22 Pat Leach, 23 Mathew Jones. Glasgow: 15 Bernardo Stortoni, 14 Colin Shaw, 13 Federico Aramburu, 12 Peter Murchie, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Ruaridh Jackson, 9 Colin Gregor, 1 Jon Welsh, 2 Dougie Hall, 3 Moray Low, 4 Aly Muldowney, 5 Alastair Kellock (capt), 6 Robert Harley, 7 Richie Vernon, 8 Ryan Wilson. Replacements: 16 Fergus Thomson, 17 Ryan Grant, 18 Kevin Tkachuk, 19 Paul Burke, 20 Chris Fusaro, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Peter Horne, 23 Hefin O'Hare Bit of a nothing game just pride to play for. Home advantage will make it a close game but i think Glasgows will have enough to stay within 8 Glasgow +8 @ 1.72 ladbrokes

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup

Nice work DB:clap Robbed by Bath :cry

Tell me about it, the last attack started in their own half and Biarittz just melted. Looked like they couldnt be bothered to get back in position. Was not happy! :@

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup Finally another accy with a few better handicaps for larger stake Leicester -22 @ 1.25 Perpignan -6 @ 1.25 Toulouse win @ 1.44 Glasgow +15 @ 1.29

[homercleese]

Re: Heineken cup Hi DB, well played yesterday man, had some success myself, mainly bet the margins with ppower, willhill and stanjames myself. Had a nice double northampton and cardiff 1-12 points in willhill. anyhow, my bets for tomorrow are a double leicester and perpignan to beat the handicaps, they both need to get a maximum to qualify from what i can see. Im confident on leicester, and to be honest, perpignan wont take any chances with the scarlets, with the outside possibility of scarlets getting through. Early lead for perpignan and they scarlets'll wilt is how i see it i'm undecided on wasps game. 1-12 for 12/5 is a big price in william hill. THe one thing that has me looking at it is thatwasps have a good home record, and, what could be crucial, kelleher is still out and theyve some nipper in there. Couple with the fact they were battered by stade away last week, i think i might have a punt on that wasps price/ How do you feel about that SH issue? Plus toulouse have guaranteed qualified and they won it last year and they mightnt be as hungry (no bonus v dragons last week) and they only need a losing bonus for a home QF etc etc etc. ! On the dragons game, ill be taking 1-12 8/5 dragons. Bottom line is, these two know each other very very well, everyone's putting their hand's up for for national squad selection (mainly the welsh players as glasgow and edinburgh are all the scots have bar a few outside players). I wouldnt be surprised if the dragons went 13+, but id hope familiarity will keep it tight and home advantage winning out. ANy thoughts on that wasps game in light of what i said?

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup Yeah you have a valid point about Wasps home record i just dont trust them. I was on Toulouse -25ish in the reverse fixture and if they would have held onto the ball in the 22 they would have made it. If i remember right it was a wet day and they made sooooo many mistakes. Good conditions in Wycombe today should hopefully produce some good flowing rugby from the French outfit. They have the players to hammer any side, but as you said it depends on their hunger.

[homercleese]

Re: Heineken cup went with wasps and dragons 1-12 double willhill. absolutely disgusted with myself though- didnt get the 50 quid double down on perp and leicester to beat the handicaps (-14, -31) - i assumed the games were on at 1330 like yesterday....bloody things started at 1300. Very very bad from me, not happy.

[KennyDelight]

Re: Heineken cup Good call on pool 5 lines, barring the foot off the pedal syndrome it looks done and dusted :ok

[homercleese]

Re: Heineken cup pity i missed the bloody kick offs!! feckin head IS MELTED! Broke too!

[homercleese]

Re: Heineken cup SHIT! THAT RED CARD COULD SCREW ME IN WASPS 13+ PLUS! FECK!

[Drogba's Bitch]

Re: Heineken cup Small loss today, mainly down to Toulouse dropping the bloody ball and a harsh red card! :wall Leicester -30 @ 1.9 :ok Small stakes Perpignan -14 @ 1.9 :ok Toulouse -4 @ 1.9 :@ Glasgow +8 @ 1.72 :ok Leicester -22 @ 1.25 Perpignan -6 @ 1.25 Toulouse win @ 1.44 Glasgow +15 @ 1.29 :@