Lawrence Dallaglio has actually hailed the Ospreys as the tale of the European period, yet other British & & Irish Lions symbol Brian O’Driscoll thinks the DHL Stormers will certainly get the headings in the last 16 of the Champions Cup.
Looking in advance to the knockout phases of the competitors where all 8 Vodacom United Rugby Championship groups certified out of the swimming pool phases, O’Driscoll has his eyes established on Cape Town and also the house of the URC champs for the connection of the round.
“It’s great to have the South African teams getting into the knockout stages in their first year. Stormers versus Harlequins has the makings of a great game. They both like to play rugby. That could be potentially the fixture of the last 16 on paper,” he claimed.
“The Stormers possess this huge power game, with big advantage line players, and have numerous fleet of foot backs. They can play lots of different variety to their game. They will be a very tough team to beat in Cape Town on a fast track down there. They are scoring some great tries.”
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Despite being attracted with English and also French victor Leicester Tigers and also Montpellier in the Champions Cup, Toby Booth’s Ospreys won 3 of their 4 swimming pool suits and also scheduled a place in the following round of the Champions Cup with a remarkable 27-26 triumph over the Premiership champs at Welford Road.
Ospreys currently take a trip to Saracens in the last 16 on the weekend break of 1 April and also talking on BT Sport, Dallaglio claimed: “The Ospreys are the tale of the competitors until now. To most likely to Montpellier and also win and also do the exact same in Leicester, to defeat the French and also English champs, you extensively deserve your area in the last 16.
“They were resilient enough to stay in the fight through their defence and then showed their game management and attacking skills. They have got so much quality across their back row and that can sometimes really keep them in big games.”
All 4 Welsh sides from the URC have actually gotten approved for the European knockout phases, with the Scarlets, Cardiff and also Dragons proceeding in the Challenge Cup, which Dallaglio really feels is partially to the Warren Gatland impact.
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He included: “Since Warren Gatland has been announced as coming back to Wales, suddenly there has been a huge lift. It was all doom and gloom in Welsh rugby. He comes back and suddenly some of their best players are playing very well. There are some Welsh players really putting their hand up.”
Dallaglio likewise tipped O’Driscoll’s previous group and also present URC leaders Leinster to raise theChampions Cup Asked to select his favourites to be crowned European champs, Dallaglio claimed: “You’ve got to say Leinster. They are scoring 37.5 points per game on average. With the final in Dublin, they are the favourites, come on.”
O’Driscoll hedged his wagers a little bit much more. “La Rochelle, Toulouse and Leinster – I see the winner out of the three of them,” claimed the Ireland and also Lions tale. “I am always wary of La Rochelle. They are going about their business quietly.”
Leinster made it 16 triumphes of 16 suits in all competitors this period with a 36-10 triumph over Racing 92 before a group of greater than 40,000 at the Aviva Stadium to end up top of Pool A. But they were routing at one factor and also O’Driscoll did see some indicators of susceptability from his previous group.
“You thought who is going to put it up to them and then they looked human and again it’s against one of the big powerful teams in Europe,” claimed the previous centre. “If you are searching for some type of Achilles heel, where they have actually come unstuck in the past, it’s protested huge resistance, Saracens,La Rochelle They located it challenging versus Toulouse also.
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“They are most definitely mosting likely to need to deal with their protective trample. They have actually had a bit of weak point there. They are mosting likely to need to maintain their self-control, so groups do not have possibility to kick right into that 5 metre network and also trample them over.
“You’ve got to bring your power game against Leinster, stop them in the collision zone and slow their ruck ball down.”
It will certainly be an all-Irish face-off in the Champions Cup last 16, with Leinster holding Ulster, that certified many thanks to a 22-11 gain Sale in a titanic tussle at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.
O’Driscoll commented: “Ulster have actually remained in a quite huge opening. They had actually shed 6 of the last 7 prior to the weekend break. They simply could not get a win and also there were uncertainties and also unpredictability sneaking in. It was the ball-carrying capacity of a few of Ulster’s huge gamers, like Nick Timoney and also Duane Vermeulen, that provided that necessary move forward and also some system.
“I am not saying they have fully recovered, but they have shown some bottle after a tough few weeks. They are still alive which is the most important thing. When you are alive, there is hope.”
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Giving his ideas on their last 16 journey to Dublin, O’Driscoll claimed: “We have actually been below prior to. Ulster extremely virtually transformed Leinster over in a quarter-final a couple of periods back. Those derby video games can often be equalisers.
“But you have to anticipate, on what we’ve seen in the competition so far, that Leinster will just have too much fire power for them.”
O’Driscoll likewise applauded a “pretty impressive” Munster display screen in a slim 20-16 beat away to five-times champs Toulouse.
Both Scottish groups are with to the knock-out phases of Europe, with Edinburgh settling their team project with a 20-14 victory over Saracens.
Dallaglio claimed: “They looked like they were winning that all the way through. They travel to Leicester in the last 16 now and that will be a really interesting one. The Tigers have already lost at home once in Europe this season, to the Ospreys, they won’t want to do it again.”
Photo: INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Thinus Maritz
