Leinster get off to a flying start Leinster 22 Leicester 9

Flying the Blue at the RDS
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Leinster and Munster both face their own "group of death" this year in the Heineken Cup. Leinster have drawn Leicester (last years defeated finalists), Toulouse and Edinburgh in a system where the top two teams are unlikely to qualify. The qualifying structure in the Heineken Cup is based on the best eight teams from just 6 groups. In practice this means that any group with a couple very weak teams (usually Italian!) stand the best chance of having 2 teams qualify. We can predict now that Pools 1 and 4 are most like to have two qualifiers and in each of the rest it will be just the winner getting through.

Munster also have the challenge of Wasps (last years winners) plus Clermont (big spenders in the pre-season, John Smit World Cup winning captain of the Springboks has just joined) and Llanelli. Ulster started the week-end with a defeat in Ravenhill; this was not a good omen.

Contepomi's Kicking on form
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On Saturday Leinster had a great start - a confident second half performance in the RDS means that they beat Leicester 22-9. The great news is that Leicester didn't get a bonus point which means that a close encounter in Wellford Road could be very valuable.

Of course it was at home and it's just the start of the campaign. However the performance was convincing, Contepomi's kicking was superb, the back row defence from Leinster was pretty awesome.

Jamie Heaslip
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You have to say that Leicester were probably at their one dimensional worst and will only get better as the season goes on. In the end it could have been closer and only some great covering back from Horgan catching Geordan Murphy just short of the line saved a try and conversion which would have given the extra point. There was a great atmosphere in the RDS with a sell-out crowd of 18,000. The Dublin 4 crew will never match the passion and intensity of a Munster crowd - but that's as it's always been.

Munster had a great away game against Wasps. The intensity of the Munster-Wasps clash was in sharp contrast to the Leinster-Leicester game. Munster nearly stole it and lost 24-23 in the end. It's a very valuable extra point. They now face Clermont at home - a must win match, as all of the rest of the games are now.