Leinster have been installed as 7/2 favourites to win a fourth Heineken Cup in five years according to the latest odds from Ladbrokes.
Joe Schmidt’s formidable squad warmed up for their Heineken Cup title defence with a 30-21 RaboDirect Pro12 win against Munster at the Aviva Stadium at the weekend and now turn their attention to the visit of new-boys Exeter Chiefs at the RDS on Saturday night.
Leinster are installed as the 7/2 favourites with
Ladbrokes to win three-in-a-row Heineken Cup titles outright this season followed by French powerhouses Toulouse and Toulon, who are 5/1 and 7/1 respectively for European glory, with Clermont Auvergne (8/1), Conor O’Shea’s Harlequins (10/1), Biarritz, Munster and Leicester Tigers are priced at 14/1, while Saracens are 16/1 and last year’s finalists Ulster are 18/1 for glory this season.
The 2009, 2011 and 2012 champions will also have Toulouse’s record of four titles in their sights when they launch the defence of their continental crown against new boys Exeter Chiefs at home on Saturday.
The province are unbeaten in their last 15 European ties with the only slight blemish a 16-16 draw with Montpellier last season and coach Schmidt has lost just one tournament contest in 18 matches in guiding them to their last two titles.
It has not been Leinster’s most fluent start to the season but last weekend’s PRO12 derby win over Munster will give Schmidt’s charges a boost ahead of an extremely tough and tight tussle for Pool Five honours and automatic knock-out qualification ahead of Clermont Auvergne, the Scarlets and Exeter.
It will be the fourth straight Heineken Cup tournament that Leinster and Clermont Auvergne have gone head-to-head in either group or knock-out matches. They clashed in the 2010 quarter-finals, the Pool stages in 2011 and last season’s semi-finals, which Leinster edged 19-15 at Stade Chaban Delmas. Schmidt’s side are the 4/6 favourites to win the Pool outright followed by their French adversaries at 13/8, Scarlets at 10/1 and Exeter are priced at 50/1 with
Ladbrokes.
Last season’s beaten finalists Ulster have got off to the perfect start with five wins out of five in the PRO 12 campaign and under new coach Mark Anscombe, the province certainly have the credentials to add to their last European success in 1999. With winger Tommy Bowe back in their ranks, they will be full of confidence going into Friday night’s clash with Castres in Pool Four at Ravenhill.
Munster too are under new management with Rob Penney taking charge this season and the province will aim to add to their 2006 and 2008 Heineken Cup wins this season.
Both Munster and Ulster are priced at 8/1 to reach the final at the Aviva Stadium next May with Leinster installed as the 2/1 favourites with
Ladbrokes followed by Toulouse at 5/2 and Toulon are 3/1, while Clermont and Harlequins are both 5/1 and last year’s semi-finalists Edinburgh are 50/1 to go a step further this season.
Leinster v Clermont tips – Leinster to gain Heineken Cup revenge