Heineken Cup round four reaction
In the words of the coaches and players
Wow, what a weekend that was! The last-gasp wins in Swansea and Bourgoin, Wasps' destruction of the team that beat them soundly just seven days before, the video call in Watford, and the apparent punches and niggles in Cardiff.
Here is the reaction of the coaches and players involved in a another cracking weekend of Heineken Cup rugby, some diplomatic, others less so…
“My understanding is that you can go upstairs for the try scorer but not the person who gave the pass so in that respect the officials got it wrong. But we don't feel cheated because it wasn't a try.
“It was very disappointing to concede that penalty under the sticks at the end. It will be difficult for us to qualify now. Ideally we needed to win and if not we needed a bonus point.
“We'll do our best in the last two games. We dug in, scrambled and did our best but on the day it just wasn't good enough.
Ulster coach Mark McCall laments the eight-point loss against Saracens in Watford, but refuses to blame the officials.
“They are passionate fans, but they are obviously very knowledgeable about their rugby and it was great to turn that hostility on it’s head during the game, and the same people who were booing us when we came out for the warm up, were applauding us when we came in at the end of the game."
Leeds scrum-half Justin Marshall enjoys the banter with the Perpignan fans in France.
"We got a fright, but it shows the quality they have in that they can run in scores like that. It was certainly topsy-turvy. We're nothing if not entertaining."
Munster coach Declan Kidney makes light of his team's struggle to victory over the lowly Dragons.
"It's not about that penalty, it's the errors that cost us. The try we conceded in the last play of the first-half and the intercept pass just after the break. If we can cut off those errors, I am sure we'll improve. To be honest, I think it was a game where we came back quite well."
Leinster fly-half Felipe Contempomi refuses to shoulder the blame for defeat after missing a 58-metre penalty with the last kick of the game in Bourgoin.
"It was a disgrace. There were children and other members of the public within earshot, yet Cockerill was ranting and raving, calling us ''f*****g w*****s and saying that we only did our talking in the papers while Leicester did theirs on the pitch.
"There is no place for that kind of thing. Leicester ought to be ashamed of themselves."
Ospreys managing director Mike Cuddy gets a little paternally enraged over his wayward opponents on Sunday.
"There was a lot of tension down there and Richard is an aggressive character."
Pat Howard doesn't quite deny Cudy's accusations, either.
"Last week Gavin had his head stamped on and there was no citing so I don't foresee repercussions."
Ospreys coach Lyn Jones deflects attention away from his centre and onto Sunday's opposition.
"We expected a lot of niggle. We had it last week in Calvisano, and we had it this week. There were a lot of cheap shots and there was a lot of gouging. We expected it, but you don't have to like it, and we were just concentrating on keeping everyone on the field."
Cardiff coach Dai Young insists the Italians crossed the line despite a heavy defeat to his Cardiff Blues on Saturday.
"We have got no complaints whatsoever. It was a second-best performance by us by a long way. We've had a walloping and been taught a lesson."
Scarlets coach Gareth Jenkins is gracious after his team's defeat at Wasps.
"We got the kind of response you would expect from a champion side. We are the champions of England and last week was not the kind of display you would expect from us. This was much more like it. We played with passion, aggression and some emotion and it was a very good performance.
"This week, the referee made sure anyone who contested the ball was on their feet and not on the floor, and we managed to get some quick ball."
Lawrence Dallaglio rightly praises his team for Sunday's win over the Scarlets, but can't resist one final excuse for defeat against the same Scarlets the week before.
"It's going very well at the moment. The team is going well, the fans are coming in and everyone is happy."
Sale's Kingsley Jones perfects the art of smug understatement after sale thrashed Castres 35-3 on Friday.
"If we win in Bourgoin (on January 13), and Leinster have success against Glasgow again, that will be like a mini-final. And we certainly owe Leinster for beating us at home last year."
Bath coach Mike Foley rubs his hands in anticipation of revenge after his team preserved a 100 per cent record in Glasgow.
"They are like an international team but I don't know what will happen when they come up against teams that are equally as strong. They are very well organised and have their own particular style. It is a very complete team but in certain positions, if they have injuries, Philippe may have some problems."
Castres coach Laurent Seigne casts doubt on Sale's European aspirations after his team departed Manchester on the back of a 35-3 defeat.
"I could criticise my players for not kicking enough, but who am I to argue with five tries and a bonus point?"
Toulouse coach Guy Noves is put in his place by his team's successful refusal to carry out wet-weather tactics.
