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Richard Hill: key man

If they give Toulouse chances by kicking badly or don't get on top at the set piece, then Toulouse can pounce from anywhere. London Irish have to be right on top of their game in that respect. They must limit Toulouse's chances to a minimum

Miles Harrison
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Heineken Cup semi-finals
London Irish v Toulouse
(at Twickenham, Saturday April 26, kick-off 3pm, live on Sky Sports 2)
Saracens v Munster
(at the Ricoh Arena, Sunday April 27, kick-off 3pm, live on Sky Sports 2)

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Four teams are left in the mix for the Heineken Cup and the so-called smart money is on Toulouse and Munster making it through to the final.

The Guinness Premiership sides may be the new boys on the block as far as European experience goes, but Miles Harrison believes that in the Heineken Cup, you can teach old dogs some new tricks.

When you look at the experience that Toulouse and Munster have in Europe, Saracens and London Irish are definitely the underdogs aren't they?

MILES: I don't think any side minds being the underdog going into the semi-finals. The term implies no great expectation, so you might as well go out, play the best rugby you possibly can and see where that gets you. You never know, it might get you into a final.

In a way that sums up where London Irish and Saracens are in terms of the general view. With all their experience of this competition, Toulouse and Munster start as favourites and I don't think anyone could disagree with that scenario.

Having said that, and I always want to make the point, that over the years this competition has always turned up some surprise results because it takes players into areas that they would not normally go.

We had the perfect example of that in the quarter-final where the vast majority were saying that the Ospreys would not give Saracens a sniff in this game. Of course it turned out totally different to that.

So underdogs yes, but out of it? No!

Bob Casey has called Toulouse as close to perfect as possible, however they have some serious injuries and are at the end of a long hard season. How do you see that affecting Toulouse?

MILES: The point about the injuries is a fair one. They do have a long list of players who are going to be missing from this game. I think when you get to the big games, that is a key point.

But what Toulouse have got is a strong strength in depth, they have resources that perhaps no other side in Europe possess in terms of their ability to have quality cover in all positions.

You have to temper the loss of key players with the fact that those players who come in will be top-drawer players too. But there is that disruption to what Toulouse would call see as their "Cup Final" team and it just starts to make you think.

There is a great togetherness in the London Irish side and great fitness too - which was apparent in their game against Harlequins. They are one of the fittest teams around. Given the opportunity to play at Twickenham and if they can play the game they want to play, then London Irish will pose problems on that front I am sure.

What they must do is starve Toulouse of as much possession as possible. They really need to make there possession pitiful. If they give Toulouse chances by kicking badly or don't get on top at the set piece, then Toulouse can pounce from anywhere. London Irish have to be right on top of their game in that respect. They must limit Toulouse's chances to a minimum.

This should be a great game of running rugby as both sides do love to create opportunities don't they?

MILES: I have heard London Irish style described as simple. I know what people mean by that because they are a side who know exactly what they want to do. But there is nothing simple about facing London Irish. They are team full of ideas. A lot of little nuances that perhaps we did not see against Harlequins last week, but they still got the win which still builds the momentum going into a semi-final like this.

I think they are a clever team and they do pose a lot of problems. They key is making sure that they take those chances, at this stage it is about the side who takes their opportunities, it is the side that has the killer touch.

The other semi-final is Saracens taking on Munster, which is going to be another bruising encounter. The Munster forwards love to play on the front foot and we saw how they cleaned Gloucester up at the breakdown. However Sarcens welcome back Richard Hill, how vital will he be for them at the breakdown?

MILES: I think that is going to be the key to the match. It was certainly the key to the Ospreys match where it was Hill vs. Hola.

Richard Hill was brilliant and hats off to him. But it was not just about Hill. Paul Gustard was superb and Ben Skirving as well. Also the likes of Hugh Vyvyan and Kris Chesney were getting around like extra back row forwards.

Both have played there and it really showed. The speed to the breakdown, the ability to commit just the right numbers of players to win that ball and still have players to go on attack was brilliantly done by Saracens. But it was also brilliantly done by Munster at Kingsholm.

You have Donncha O'Callaghan and Paul O'Connell doing the Vyvyan and Chesney role and then you look at that Alan Quinlan, David Wallace and Denis Leamy backrow.

If you have to pick out one name, which is always difficult, I would pick out Alan Quinlan for Munster. He did the Hill job on Gloucester - or Hill did the Quinlan job on the Ospreys - whatever way you want to look at it.

This is going to be the key to this game. Munster were a terrific team when they won in 2006, but I think that they are an even more rounded team in 2008.

They have added the likes of Doug Howlett, Rua Tipoki and Lifeimi Mafi has really grown into the role to compliment this backline.

They are bringing on homegrown players in Denis Hurley and Tomas O'Leary. We are seeing something growing that potentially could be better than that 2006 team.

If Munster are allowed to play at the Ricoh Arena, which is a stadium which lends itself to a fast game, then we could see a more rounded performance from Munster this week, one that suggests that if they are victors, they would go into the final with a very strong chance of winning the final.

That is Saracens' challenge, they did it to the Ospreys - they cut off their supply and they unsettled them.

Can they do it to Munster?