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The Dallaglio verdict on Saints, Quins in 'shot to nothing' semis
Two-time Champions Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio has shared his thoughts on whether the upcoming final at Tottenham on May 25 can feature at least one Gallagher Premiership side.
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No English club has featured in the decider since Exeter lifted the trophy in the behind-closed-doors October 2020 showpiece against Racing in Bristol.
This weekend, the Premiership has two clubs contesting the semi-finals but Northampton and Harlequins face daunting challenges.
The Saints are heading to Dublin on Saturday to take on Leinster in front of a capacity 82,300 crowd, while Quins head to France the following day to face Toulouse in their home city with 33,000 due to attend.
Dallaglio knows what it is like to win big away from home at this stage of the tournament. He was the Wasps skipper when they came to the old Lansdowne Road to upset Munster in front of a partisan crowd in a memorable 2004 semi-final.
However, with Premiership clubs these days restricted by salary caps, the 2004 and 2007 cup-winning skipper reckoned Northampton and Harlequins have got mountains to climb and that a win for either club would be a phenomenal achievement in the current climate.
Speaking exclusively to RugbyPass ahead of the semi-finals, Dallaglio said: “If you had said to us at the beginning of the tournament who do you think will be in the last four, you’d have probably said definitely Leinster and Toulouse. You wouldn’t have said Harlequins and Northampton, but they have all earned the right to be there.
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“Winning away from home in this tournament has always been hard and it’s becoming more and more difficult, especially with South African teams involved etc. But that is the challenge the English clubs face.
“A couple of years ago there were hardly any English clubs in the last 16, let alone the quarter-finals. Look, those with big resources and slightly bigger budgets can compete both domestically and at European level.
“I think just being brutally honest with the salary cap constraints that currently exist in England, you can still be successful in this tournament as an English club but you need everything to go in your favour really. You need to keep all your players fit and you probably need home advantage all the way, and even then it’s whatever.
“I suspect it’s a bit of a shot to nothing for both these teams if you look at the language being delivered by all these clubs. Leinster would say that they are in the place they want to be but they are not playing as well as they have done in previous years and there is still a bit of improvement there.
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“Toulouse, it’s business as usual. They expect to be here. It’s interesting when you have got Harlequins saying it’s the biggest game in the history of the club and you have got Toulouse almost saying, ‘Well, it’s just another semi-final really of a competition we have won five times’.
“Both English clubs, Saints and Quins, have got mountains to climb. If they are to win either of those two games it would be a phenomenal achievement.
“Barring a disaster you’d expect the final to be Leinster against Toulouse but having gone away to the Aviva Stadium myself many, many years ago against Munster and walked out to a crowd of 55,000 with 54,500 wearing red shirts it was quite something but it can be done.
“Quins themselves sort of thrive in that environment. They know that to beat Toulouse they have got to score tries but fortunately, the one thing Quins are very good at is scoring tries.
“It’s a shot to nothing. They will give it everything they have got. They have only got to look at the Exeter game [last month’s quarter-final] to realise how good Toulouse can be when they are in the mood. And yeah, it’s quite exciting really.
“It has been another fascinating tournament. It’s still one of the greatest tournaments in the world. It’s got a new sponsor [Investec], it has a new format, it has lots of different things happening. I was lucky enough to win it a couple of times.
“We probably should have won it a couple more times but it’s a tough tournament to win, and there are so many great sides. Lots of challenges across a tournament that starts in December and finishes in May. It’s segmented, there are many tournaments in between, but it throws up stories every year.”
- Coming to RugbyPass this Sunday: Lawrence Dallaglio on how Wasps saved his life and why he is now so heavily invested in Dallaglio RugbyWorks, the foundation supporting young people who have been excluded from mainstream education in the UK
Comments on RugbyPass
I reckon it may be Jordan at 10 and Nohamba at 9, both players have played together alot and both have been on the Radar for a long time. After Pollard got injured in 2022 with Elton sidelined on a path of self destruction Erasmus and Nienaber indicated that the other options in the country at the time were thin but that Jordan and Manie were the 2 they were looking at. In the end Frans steyn played flyhalf, Willemse slotted in there on the end of year with Libbok as back up. Jordan was right there in the thinking back then so expect him to take the Jersey either as the starter.
1 Go to commentsHaha did he always say it in a sarcastic teacher sort of manor or was it the petulant English snob sort of wail?
37 Go to commentsWell said Mils. It is a big boost at last having Fergus Burke back at 10 for the Crusaders. Had a great season last year as the article says. Mils is also right about captain Codie Taylor’s performance in his return to the Crusaders last week. He was all class.
4 Go to commentsLet’s make them both Capt. I think we'd get the best of both of them and it would help alleviate some of the pressures of the role. They'd have to confer over on field decisions which should lead to “ learnings “ for both. They are our two best consistent performers.
16 Go to commentsOur best player by far..but not a good Captain..poor tactician cost the AB'S and Canes games by not taking the easy points and going for tries when the lineouts were a shambles..can he read a game? And his throat slitting gesture should disqualify him from the AB Captaincy..it is not the appropriate behaviour of an AB Captain.
16 Go to commentsForget what was said or how many players said it. TONY BROWN IS THE NEW ATTACK COACH. That’s the only story worth freaking out over. The springboks are going to grow their game an awful lot over the next cycle and it’s not just the 19 disgustingly arrogant Irish players who refused to shake Ebens hand and said “see you in the final if you can cheat your way past France” who will find that out first hand.
122 Go to commentsOn one hand I think it's a bit ridiculous that this gar into the season and with only 2 wins the Crusaders may make the finals. On the other hand if it was only top 4 or 5, then that last several weeks may be mainly dead rubbers. Nope, 8th place after round robin shouldn't be able to lift the trophy.
4 Go to commentsI do think the media in NZ treated him badly. Sam is a legend. He is humble, a great rugby mind and leader. What happened in the final could happen to anyone. The margins is so fine these days. I lay blame at the feet of the coaching staff and NZ rugby. The stats tell’s all. The AB’s was the worst disciplined side in the WC with more red and yellow cards than anyone else. Problem is NZ rugby is not training their players to play safer. And thats the danger a fast game brings. More yellow and red cards. But Sam Cane in my eye was and still is a great ambassador for the game, that just had a stroke of bad luck.
6 Go to commentsI hope Jim and co. Add this to their list of icebreaker questions they can ask all their guests going forward. So we can eventually hear what everyone thinks about this subject. “What do you think Ireland meant…”
122 Go to commentsHe’s a dominant personality. That might be both a good and bad thing in team dynamics. Certainly it ruined Smith’s first crack at 10 with Owen at 12. BTW, Bristol flatter to deceive. When things really matter, they tend to deliver less rather than more. Farrell would have been good for them
37 Go to commentsGot a lot of over the top abuse from Crusader fans, in particular, who thought every 7 they had was miles better. Now we will see if anyone is better? Laid his body on the line every game so finishing early makes sense. A lot of life left after rugby.
6 Go to commentsA poor decision to appoint Carley as not only is Pearce a better referee but also importantly speaks French.
2 Go to commentsHe is 100 % on the mark. Malicious arrogance with a lack of respect for the other teams mostly the south. they must learn from True rugby nations like the Boks and Kiwis
122 Go to commentsThis Outiniqua boy has played sublime rugby and deserves a spot in BI LIONS team. Well played son
4 Go to commentsI don’t like to see players miss big matches but this ban looks to be tailored to allow him to compete in the final. In principle a suspension for a very dangerous tackle in a semi should warrant missing the relevant final. Done now. One the flip side having both teams with very strong squads/teams available for the final will add to the occassion hopefully.
1 Go to commentsTalent to burn and a huge engine..hope he gets a shot at higher honours
2 Go to commentsIf anything like his dad he has a bright future, Soane was the best ball carrying props ive ever seen using a combination of pace power and footwork.
1 Go to commentsThose who saw Sharks vs Clermont and Ox N'Che vs Rabah Slimani should have a good idea of the best scrumagers… May be not the best props…
2 Go to commentsIt's been an unusual era of unpopular, highly competitive, domineering, fairly big fly halves in the home nations with Farrell, Sexton and Biggar. Russell is different in personality and player I think. I'd rank Sexton first of the three because he is just as good a game controller but also has a great passing game. And his competitiveness never seems to cause problems with refs.
37 Go to commentsThank goodness he wasn't born in Scotland, he'd have been a great candidate for the Scottish Barbarians. I wouldn't put it past them to push for a “where the player was conceived” rule 😂
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