©Peter J Dean
Leinster will want to avoid sights like this
So here we are again, but something is different. Yes once more Leinster and Ulster are fighting for the opportunity to face each other in a tournament final, but against both camps wishes it isn’t the Heineken Cup this time around, rather the Rabo Direct Pro 12 is at stake for the two Heineken Cup rivals of 2012. No it isn’t ideal, both sides would rather be in the Aviva on the Saturday but to be fair, the Rabo is a far cry from the Magners League that preceded it and miles away from the Celtic League that came before. As the European competitions have grown and grown, so too has the significance of the domestic end of things. It has turned into more than a training ground, the addition of the Italian sides making a massive difference in a way they won’t be too happy to hear. You see once upon a time the tournament was seen as the lesser affair and it arguably still is to a degree but with the fledgling Italians entering the fray, the Welsh, Scots and Irish now have an example before them of teams who take the competition very seriously. They also regrettably have their fixtures against these sides to serve as the “easy” games to use as testing grounds and the grand scheme of the competition has taken a more intense position. It is telling that for all of the competition’s “insignificance”, the reigning European champions of three in the last four years, Leinster, haven’t held the league title since 2008. Or since they won their first Heineken Cup to be exact. In 2010 Ospreys spoiled the party winning the last Magners title (and first grand final), Munster took the consolation of domestic silverware in 2011 after they bowed out of Europe early and then last year Ospreys once again spoiled the part with a one point win over Leinster. Watch back any of those three finals and try find the point where it’s apparent that the trophy seems irrelevant to the victors, you won’t find it. With that bit of Rabo justification out of the way, let’s look at who’s likely to contest it. Read more
