Heineken Cup: Saracens boss up against old friend

McCall was the club captain when Ulster were crowned European champions in 1999, although a neck injury which ultimately ended his career denied him the chance to play in the final against Colomiers. David Humphreys captained Ulster in McCall’s absence but the iconic photograph shows the two great friends jointly lifting the Heineken Cup trophy at Lansdowne Road. Today, in a twist of fate, they will be in opposite coaching boxes at Twickenham, with Humphreys now the Ulster director of rugby.

Seven years after that Heineken triumph, McCall delivered the Magners League title to his native province after graduating to become Ulster head coach. But while his rugby roots lie at Ravenhill, McCall’s loyalty is firmly with a Saracens side who are top of the Aviva Premiership and targeting a first Heineken Cup semi-final. “If you are asking me about the Ulster connection, for me it won’t make it any better or worse if we win or lose because I have a real attachment with this group of players,” McCall said.

“We have been together for four years now and we have been through a lot. To get into a semi-final with this group of players would be a great thing. I don’t even know nine of their potential starting line-up. I am great friends with Jonny Bell and great friends with David Humphreys and those friendships will continue regardless. “If we lose, I hope they win the thing – but I hope we win the thing.”

McCall played with Humphreys and Conor O’Shea for London Irish in the early days of professionalism. All three are in Heineken Cup quarter-final action this weekend, with O’Shea now in charge of Aviva Premiership champions Harlequins.

“It was a brilliant time. We were in our mid-20s in London with the first couple of years of professional rugby,” McCall said. “It doesn’t surprise me that they moved into jobs that they are doing. When David became captain of Ulster, things changed for him. He was always a great thinker of the game. He could have been a lawyer but decided to go into the coaching, which is great.”

McCall’s own route into coaching opened up when Colin Wilkinson, the former Ulster full-back, decided to focus on his career as a car salesman. “Ulster had a part-time backs coach [Wilkinson] who was a car salesman who couldn’t get away. He was asked to do it full-time but said no and I jumped in,” said McCall, who moved into the top job in 2004. In today’s other quarter-final, star-studded Clermont Auvergne will be protecting a 58-game unbeaten home record against French rivals Montpellier.

• Leinster booked a home Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final against Biarritz with a performance of ruthless efficiency against Wasps at Adams Park last night. The fallen Heineken Cup champions were guided to a 48-28 victory in Europe’s secondary competition by a masterful display from fly-half Ian Madigan. Starting because Jonny Sexton is still out injured, Madigan scored 28 points and he showed sharp footwork to score the second of Leinster’s five tries.

The Irish province led by five points at the interval and then tries from Mike Ross and Isa Nacewa added to Gordon D’Arcy’s early score for a convincing win.

In the other match, Perpignan beat Toulouse 30-19.