With the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup fast approaching, scourers of Irish rugby players and fans can turn their attention to the nailbiting encounters of exciting European rugby ahead. It is a chance for the returning Irish internationals to put the ghosts and missed tackles to rest, and once again show the clinical finishing and raw passion that Irish club rugby is notorious for.

A potential clash of the titans is almost inevitable as Leinster and Munster could meet in the final of this year’s Heineken Cup after the sides were kept apart in the semi-final draw. The Irish sides will have to do it the hard way, however, as both will have to travel away from home if they get through their respective quarter-final clashes.

Should Leinster beat Clermont Auvergne, they will travel to play the winners of Toulouse and Stade Français, while Munster must once again overcome Northampton at Thomond Park to face either Biarritz or Ospreys in the semis.

Reigning champions Leinster have an appointment with Clermont, which should prove the must-see match of the quarter-finals. “First up for us is Clermont,” said Leinster captain Leo Cullen. “If we can get past them then we will start looking at the challenge of facing either Toulouse or Stade Français in Paris. The quality of the teams left in the Heineken Cup is just unbelievable, and this season the French teams have really hit back with their teams winning four of the six pools.”

For both provinces, the French teams left in the competition will be the most daunting of opponents, as all French opposition have a vast pool of talent with players returning from an unbeaten Six Nations. The first of the two quarter-finals on French soil will launch the Saturday sequence of matches when Biarritz Olympique entertains the Ospreys.

The Pool Two winners will be taking their fixture across the border into Spain, to play at the 32,000 Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastian. It will be the fourth knockout match Biarritz have played at the venue and their sixth game overall.

As well as beating Munster and Sale Sharks in the last eight in Spain, they also defeated Bath there in the semi-finals in 2006. Their only Heineken Cup defeat in San Sebastian came in 2007 when Northampton Saints pipped them 7-6 in the quarter-finals.

Meanwhile, Connacht received a favourable draw in the quarter-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup after they were handed a home tie against French side Bourgoin.

Whatever the fate is for our remaining Irish provinces in European cup rugby, it will undoubtedly be an enthralling final which once again shows the quality of rugby being played by the Irish clubs and European counterparts in the northern hemisphere.

UCD Marian came very close to grasping victory away from Shamrock Rovers Hoops in their Superleague clash last Thursday evening, but the game – which went into overtime – symbolised a contest that was so close but yet so far.

UCD played admirably, with scintillating runs from Michael Higgins and Luke McCrone, as they looked by far the form team, but an unfortunate lack of discipline and a breakdown in communication led to Shamrock Rovers Hoops having the final say in a gripping encounter between these two southside rivals.

The first quarter had an air of tenacity for Frank Ryan’s students, as in quick succession they took the lead on three different occasions with captain Niall Meany and Luke McCrone both scoring impressive baskets. However, Hoops were an impressive outlet with a strong physical core, particularly in the daunting Carlton Aaron who accumulated an impressive 36 points throughout the game.

The second quarter brought a similar pattern for UCD, with the vocal encouragement from the home crowd and the strong leadership from Niall Meany leading their fightback in the local derby. Notable performances in this quarter came from Conor James and Ian McCormick. Frustratingly however, UCD lacked the requisite clinical finish and were unfortunately lacklustre and wasteful when it mattered most.

It was evident from the third quarter that both sides were suffering from fatigue in this nailbiting encounter. Conor Meany and Neil Baynes had outstanding performances, scoring 26 and 16 points respectively, but their individual performances were no match for an on-form Hoops who were playing in perfect sync – at one stage, it seemed that every shot was a basket. UCD didn’t back down under this concerted pressure from their opposition, though, and still managed to finish the quarter just eight points behind their rivals.

The game’s climax was a dramatic affair, with both teams battling hard until the final whistle. A moment of skill and luck for UCD brought them right back into the game as an impressive shot from Michael Higgins sailed through the net, leaving the score at 92-92 as the referee signalled full-time and brought the game to a fifth period.

As the five minutes’ added time elapsed, it became clear that both teams were suffering from the consistently high intensity of the match. Unfortunately for the home side it was Hoops, with some clever play and determination, who managed to edge themselves into the lead. As the referee blew her whistle for the last time, a collective mood of grief and frustration at missed chances could be felt from both the home players and supporters as the match ended 102-111.

UCD: Cathal Finn, Conor Meany, Jody O’Neill, Tomas Varga, Conor James, Paddy Young, Niall Meany, Michael Higgins, Neil Baynes, Luke McCrone, Ian McCormick.

UCD 1-11, Queen’s University 1-04 – UCD progressed to the semi-finals of the Fresher’s Cup last Wednesday, reports Patrick Guiney

UCD’s first year footballers overcame a determined challenge from Queen’s University Belfast on a blustery Wednesday afternoon last week, in the quarter final of the Fresher’s Cup. On home ground, however, the UCD side had a very difficult time subduing this physical Queen’s outfit.

With the elements against them and playing into the wind in the first half, UCD managed to outplay their opponents in the opening quarter, deservedly striking first in the eighth minute through the boot of Kingston, who slotted over from the edge of the twenty metre line. This gave the home side momentum as they quickly put Queen’s on the back foot. A well-taken, long range effort by midfielder John Helsin soared over the bar and exemplified their superiority.

UCD were playing free-flowing football and along with the vocal encouragement from coach Billy Sheehan, made the match very entertaining to watch for the crowd who had braved the weather to cheer the team on.

UCD early on quashed any worries of being physically outmatched by Queen’s, as on many occasions in the game they tackled aggressively but fairly. Carl Diaz and Conor Carty won their aerial battles early on, performing excellently in the half-back line and looking a formidable duo in the primitive stages of the game.

Four more points were added to the scoreboard by an array of players including corner forward Niall Kilroy and midfielder David Larkin, the latter navigating a tricky free kick over the bar after another defensive mistake from Queen’s.

As the first quarter ended Queen’s finally moved up a gear and registered their first point of the match. This began a closely fought affair, as the visitors rattled over three more points in quick succession. The atmosphere and tenacity spilled over to the crowd as a passionate UCD supporter exchanged words with the linesman over a poor decision.

All of sudden for the first time in this match, the home side began to drop their heads and let their rivals take a costly lead. The hosts’ defence, spearheaded by captain Ciarán Lenehan, had been near perfect for the first half, but a rare mistake by Alan Carr led to Queen’s netting the first goal of the game. Queen’s had narrowed the gap to two points and by half time Sheehan had some stern words for his players.

Unfortunately the beginning of the second half did not go according to plan for Sheehan’s team, who quickly found themselves with ground to cover. After a period of confusion in the UCD defence, and a lack of communication between the midfield pair, the team had their backs to the wall. Thankfully for the hosts, a Queen’s penalty drew a brilliant save from goalkeeper Richard Farrell who was giving an outstanding performance between the posts.

The drive of the team to win at this stage was evident throughout with Sheehan firing orders from the sidelines. Some newfound skill and aggression from UCD paid off, rewarded with a well-deserved goal neatly slotted home by Heslin after some questionable defending from a free kick by Eanna Tiernan.

As both teams began to yearn for the final whistle to provide refuge from the inclement weather, Sheehan freshened his side, introducing five substitutes in the last fifteen minutes. The decision paid dividends, as all five made a big impact on the game and ensured UCD stayed on course for victory. The hosts slowly took the game beyond Queen’s with a string of unanswered points from their late introductions, and the final whistle was met with a chorus of celebration from the players.

Sheehan, a former Laois senior player, will have been impressed with his team’s performance so far in this lively knockout competition, having seen his side previously defeat two very strong outfits in DIT and DCU.

Captain Ciarán Lenehan commented afterward that “overall the game was good… but the penalty saved by Farrell pushed the team on.” This game was a very positive sign of things to come for Sheehan’s men, who are looking more like champions with every passing game.

UCD: Richard Farrell; Alan Carr, Ciarán Lenehan (captain), Michael Furlong; Stuart Nerney, Carl Diaz, Conor Carty; John Heslin, Michael O’Regan; David Larkin, Peter O’Hara, Eanna Tiernan; Niall Kilroy, Donal Kingston, Lorcan Smith