The league is beginning to fall into its pattern. There are still some clubs that are probably higher than they will end up and visa-versa. The next few weeks will really put sides into the relevant league quadrant where they will compete for the rest of the season (Top 4, Europa League Chasers, Mid-Table and Relegation). This weekend, the below three clubs need a win to ensure they don’t slide into a position that might be hard to battle back from.
Everton (Home) vs Aston Villa
When the draw for the knock out stages of the Heineken Cup is being made there are a few teams that you always secretly hope you will avoid. Always in that small group are this weekend’s visitors to Dublin, the Leicester Tigers. Aside from the fact that the Tigers have hit top gear over the last number of weeks, they possess a pedigree and an attitude tha hands them the ability to go anywhere and fear nobody. Two time winner and coach Richard Cockerill will have his troops primed with that mindset and they will arrive in Dublin full of confidence.
With that said, the hosts themselves should have no fear of their visitors. They have been the stand out team in European competition this season and have produced a style of rugby that none, even the aristocrats from Toulouse, have managed to match. After a brief period of uncertainty during the season’s opening rounds, Joe Schmidt has seen his side click into action with a combination of power, running lines and off loading that few teams can contain. Unfortunately, the Six Nations pulled Schmidt’s squad asunder over the past two months. Their momentum has been taken away from them and it remains to be seen can they bring the same level of cohesion to their play that they displayed against European heavyweights Clermont in December.
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