Richard Cockerill believes “massive” games are still to come in this season, but it didn’t feel that way in the aftermath of Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final.
A late try by Keith Earls – just as he did for Ireland last month – proved just enough for Munster to defeat Edinburgh in a gruelling Heineken Champions Cup battle at Murrayfield.
Two weeks after being dropped by Scotland, Jonny Gray has suffered the same indignity for Glasgow Warriors’ biggest game of the season and will be on the bench for the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Saracens.
Every test Darcy Graham has been handed this season he’s passed, and the Edinburgh flier is handed another “roll of the dice” examination by Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill for today’s Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final against Munster at Murrayfield.
Saracens “get their energy” from winding up the opposition so while Glasgow won’t take a step back they have to keep cool heads, believes Fraser Brown.
The customary clichés of re-signing contracts were trotted out by Hamish Watson ahead of this weekend’s Heineken Cup quarter-final – but this time they felt absolutely accurate.
Edinburgh’s Pierre Schoeman couldn’t resist a little dig at his countryman Johaan van Graan ahead of the Heineken Cup quarter-final at Murrayfield this weekend.
Just two weeks ago at Twickenham was evidence that England captain Owen Farrell can be pressurised and thrown off his game, and Sam Johnson is keen to find if the same can be done again.
Dave Rennie stirred up the bad blood between Glasgow Warriors and Saracens even further by accusing the former European champions of cynically trying to reverse decisions against them by starting “push and shove” fights.
Eighteen quarter-final appearances against just three is a measurement of how big a shock it would be for Edinburgh to overcome Munster in their Heineken Cup quarter-final, believes Richard Cockerill.