'Untouchable' Leinster poised to dominate Europe

CHAMPIONS CUP QUARTERFINALS: Two Irish provinces will have the task of showcasing the depth of the PRO14 as the Champions Cup quarter-finals start this coming weekend.

Ulster, well beaten by Leinster in a one-sided PRO14 final at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin a few days ago, will join the champions of their league in the last eight after finishing second in Pool 3 of the Champions Cup behind French club Clermont Auvergne.

By virtue of the fact that they finished three points behind Clermont, Ulster will have to travel for their game on Sunday, with their destination being Toulouse.

There wasn’t that much between the two top teams in Pool 3 and they lost just once in six games, which vindicates Ulster’s claims to being one of the top teams in Europe even though they came a distant second to Leinster in their pool in the PRO14 and there was a yawning chasm between them and the winners in the PRO14 final.

Ulster have been tough and popular competitors in Europe in the past and their quarter-final against Leinster last year, watched by 55 000 people, is still talked about.

Leinster have been as impressive so far in the 2019/2020 edition of the Champions Cup as they have been in the PRO14, winning all six of their pool games to finish comfortably ahead of second-placed Northampton, from England, in Pool 1.

Of course, Leinster are unbeaten this year in all competitions and haven’t lost since last year’s Champions Cup final in Newcastle, meaning that they now boast a 25-game winning streak.

The Leinster determination to go all the way and make up for last year’s disappointment in the European competition was advertised by their coach Leo Cullen’s decision to play Ireland and British and Irish Lions flyhalf, Johnny Sexton, off the bench in the PRO14 final.

Sexton came onto the field in the second half and his cameo will have been the perfect warm-up for him for the Aviva Stadium quarter-final.

Indeed, the entire Leinster team should benefit from having scored such an emphatic victory in a high-pressure final, with their ability to lift a gear when it was needed being very much in evidence against Ulster.

They may need to engage full intensity from the start, rather than give away early points as they have in their last two games, against Saracens, who finished second in Pool 4 behind Racing 92 but just ahead of another PRO14 team, Munster, in what was considered the Pool of Death.

Commenting on Saturday's Pro14 final, Ulster head coach Dan McFarland admitted how difficult it is to close the gap between Leinster and other Pro14 sides.

And McFarland probably spoke for many of the other coaches in the competition when he acknowledged what right now looks a reality.

“There are 14 teams in our league and there can only be one winner. At the moment there's a team that's outstanding and nobody's really touching them,”

Quarter-finals

Leinster v Saracens

Clermont Auvergne v Racing 92

Toulouse v Ulster

Exeter v Northampton

Source: @Pro14Official