The Heineken Cup Pool draw has been kind to Munster and Leinster this year. Munster have that great prize - and Italian club - it give a great chance of a home draw, with lots of scores and bonus points home and away a racing certainty. Ulster are in Pool 4 have probably one of the the toughest pools. They are in with Bath, Stade Francais and Edinburgh.
Leinster, in Pool 6, have Brive, who barely made it into the Heineken this year; Scalets, who they regularly beat in the Magners League - last game Leinster won 45-8 just six days after beating Munster in the semi-final and London Irish had a good season last year losing out to Leicester in the premiership final, but they are not a team that Leinster should fear.
Munster have to face Perpignan recently crowned winners of the Top 14 in France, in Pool 1. Dan Carter was brought into the side last season with that in mind. It worked! However it was a one season deal and he is back to super 14 next year and that will take a lot away from Perpignan. It would have been great to see him in Thomond Park - but we'll take the points instead! Northampton Saints are not the team they were when they beat Munster in their first final all those years ago. They are just back in the Premiership and are in the Heineken Cup because they won the Challenge Cup this year. The real bonus is Treviso - maybe even a trip to Venice thrown in for good measure!
The other Pools are:Pool 2: Biarritz, Glouster, Dragons, GlasgowPool 3: Leicester, Ospreys, Clermont, ViadanaPool 5: Toulouse, Cardiff, Sale, Harlequins
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