HAVING been placed among the bottom tier of teams for next season's Heineken Cup, Glasgow and Edinburgh expected a tough draw for the group stage, and they duly received one.
In Pool Five, Glasgow face two former winners of the competition in Toulouse and Bath, and will also play Newport Gwent Dragons, while Edinburgh are up against 2007 European champions Wasps – Guinness Premiership winners this year – Magners L
eague winners Leinster and Castres of France in Pool Two.
With only the group winners plus the two best runners-up from the six pools qualifying for the quarter-finals, both Scottish sides will have to excel themselves if they are to reach the knockout stages. However, Edinburgh coach Andy Robinson for one felt able to look on the draw in a favourable light.
"I am delighted with the way the draw has panned out for us," he said. "It will give us the opportunity to test ourselves against the champions of England and the team that came out on top in the Magners League race.
We know Leinster well, having faced them in last season's Heineken Cup, beating them well at Murrayfield.
"Our fans also don't need to be reminded of the fact that Edinburgh beat Wasps in the tournament opener three seasons ago, so their return to our place is a mouthwatering prospect. Taking on Castres will be new territory, but overall it is a great group and we are looking forward immensely to the challenge."
Edinburgh have already agreed to play a pre-season friendly against Wasps, whose director of rugby is Ian McGeechan, who once held the same post with the Scottish Rugby Union. "Ours is a challenging group, but that's what you'd expect from the Heineken Cup as the top club competition in Europe," McGeechan said. "Looking at the groups across the draw, they are all very well spread and there's no bad team.
"But we'd expect that in such a premier competition. Whoever wants to qualify from this group will have to be outstanding to win it."
The draw for the 2008-09 tournament was the first to use the new ranking system based on performances over the last four seasons. The standard of play across the 24 teams is at a higher general standard than ever, with even the two Italian teams, Treviso and Calvisano, appearing better placed than before to be something other than makeweights.
While Edinburgh's task looks difficult enough, Glasgow's is if anything even more arduous. Toulouse were runners-up to Munster in last season's final, former winners Bath were the most-improved side in England in 2007-08, and Newport Gwent Dragons have been one of the Scottish team's most difficult opponents in the Magners League.
"It is a very difficult group for us," Gary Mercer, Glasgow's assistant coach, admitted. "But the team could draw inspiration from the heroics produced last season at Firhill when we beat Biarritz."
Munster were drawn alongside Jason White's Sale Sharks, Clermont Auvergne and Montauban, featuring former Scotland record cap holder Scott Murray.
Exceptional talents lie in wait for Scottish sidesPool Two: Edinburgh play ... WaspsHeineken Cup winners in 2004 and 2007, the English champions will have to cope without Lawrence Dallaglio next season following the international back-row player's retirement. Second favourites behind Toulouse.
LeinsterThe Magners League champions can call on the Argentine stand-off Felipe Contepomi as well as Ireland stalwarts such as Brian O'Driscoll, Malcolm O'Kelly and Gordon D'Arcy. Heineken Cup semi-finalists three times.
CastresThe club from the south of France have won two European Challenge Cups and one European Shield. Edinburgh need to beat them home and away to have a chance of reaching the knockout stages.
Pool Five: Glasgow play ...
ToulouseTwice winners, three times runners-up, the French club were quickly installed as bookmakers' favourites following yesterday's draw.
BathThe first British winners of the Heineken back in 1998, Bath had their best season for some time in the campaign just ended. They won the European Challenge Cup and finished a creditable third in the Guinness Premiership, but will have to improve again if they are to challenge Toulouse.
Newport Gwent DragonsThe Welsh team have never progressed to the knockout stages of the Heineken, and only managed eighth in last season's Magners League. Glasgow will target both matches against the Dragons as must-win contests.
FACT BOX
Heineken Cup drawPOOL ONE: Munster, Sale, Clermont Auvergne, Montauban
POOL TWO: Wasps, Leinster, Castres, Edinburgh
POOL THREE: Leicester, Perpignan, Ospreys, Treviso
POOL FOUR: Stade Francais, Llanelli, Ulster, Harlequins
POOL FIVE: Toulouse, Bath, Newport Gwent Dragons, Glasgow
POOL SIX: Biarritz, Gloucester, Cardiff, Calvisano
The first round of matches will be played on 10-12 October
The full article contains 793 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
