Alan Quinlan thinks that Saracens might be something of a wounded animal for Leinster this weekend, following a bruising Six Nations campaign for the Englishmen in their side.
Alan joined Dave and Eoin in studio and also gave us a lengthy preview of Munster’s tie against Toulon, which he feels will be extremely tough.
“What jumps out at me is the Ireland-England at Twickenham [element] – is this a bit of a revenge mission for some of those Sarries guys? Is it a chance for redemption? Is it a chance to say ‘We’re back – don’t judge us on the Six Nations’?
“[Owen] Farrell is key for them – he’s a 50/50 chance according to [Mark] McCall. They say that England are a different team without Billy Vunipola – Saracens are a different team without him, no doubt. But they still have a hell of an amount of quality there.
“Sometimes when you sneak into the knockout stages, you get a massive sense of relief. Their form was indifferent in the pool stages. A very dangerous side. Probably the worst side that Leinster could get.”
On his native Munster, Quinny believes that the Red Army could be in for a bruising encounter and feels that the game will be won and lost in the centre.
“If you Google the Toulon squad and you look at the names and the amount of caps and experience they have – you’re looking for any sort of chink. You’re looking for any reason why they may lose in Thomond Park: the Thomond Park factor, the history of the competition, the pride in the jersey. Munster have prided themselves on the passion that you have for your home jersey.
“Toulon are probably the greatest team in the history of European rugby because they won it three times on the trot [...] How do you stop Bastareaud and Nonu in the centre, for example?”
For Munster fans, attention will turn to Thomond on Saturday afternoon to see if they have the answer.
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