Cockerill excited by Toulouse showdown for Tigers

Richard Cockerill has predicted a Heineken Cup “classic” when Leicester and Toulouse go head to head at Welford Road next Sunday.

Tigers are two points behind the French heavyweights and Pool Two leaders, with only the group winners guaranteed a quarter-final place. Victory for Leicester would take them through, albeit to then face a potential last-eight clash away against European title contenders like Clermont Auvergne or Toulon.

“We have set the occasion up for next week. That was our aim, and it should be a classic,” said Tigers rugby director Cockerill, following his team’s 15-15 Liberty Stadium draw against the Ospreys. “We are disappointed that we didn’t win today and won’t have a chance to be at home in the quarters, but we are set up for a winner-takes-all with Toulouse at Welford Road.”

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Ospreys substitute Jonathan Spratt’s 77th-minute try denied Leicester victory in an absorbing tussle. The visitors looked to have done enough through second-half touchdowns from Ben Youngs and Niall Morris after they trailed 10-3 for much of the contest after Ospreys posted a 34th-minute Joe Bearman try.

Dan Biggar and his opposite number, Leicester’s Toby Flood, each kicked a conversion and penalty, but the Ospreys would have won had Biggar not missed four penalties – three of them hitting the post or bar – and a late conversion.

Saracens head coach Mark McCall thinks his team came of age in the Heineken Cup with the “fantastic” 37-28 win over Racing Metro in France.

McCall saw his team recover from a horror opening half hour to clinch a vital win over the Paris giants on Saturday. And that has left Saracens one win away from only the third appearance in the quarter-finals of Europe’s leading competition in their history.

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“It was a fantastic performance and we’re very proud of the team after bouncing back from the setbacks in the first half of the early injury, the tries and a yellow card,”said McCall.

“We were off our game in that first half and not working hard enough. But we knew at half-time that if we rectify things then we could win the match.”

Munster remain in the hunt for a place in the knockout stages after a laboured 26-17 win over a lacklustre Edinburgh side.

A penalty try and a touchdown by Conor Murray plus 14 points from the boot of Ronan O’Gara sealed victory, while the home side’s points came through two tries from Dougie Fife, both converted by Greig Laidlaw, who also landed a penalty.