IT was another good weekend for the Irish provinces with three wins and a losing bonus point to show from the four games.
Munster and Leinster both got wins on the road, which are as rare as hen’s teeth in this competition.
Munster beat the Scarlets despite making many errors but it is testament to the battling qualities we take for granted from them that they found a way to win.
Unusually for Munster of late, they found themselves protecting a lead rather than chasing one in the last 10 minutes and they did it very professionally.
Ronan O’Gara made his 100th appearance in the Heineken Cup and, amazingly, he has had to kick the winning score in nine of those matches.
This Munster team are without David Wallace, Doug Howlett and Jerry Flannery who are injured.
They have Denis Leamy, John Hayes and Marcus Horan on the bench and Peter Stringer is on loan to Saracens.
All these players were a huge part of Munster’s history but it’s the two legends that remain; O’Gara and O’Connell.
They are setting the example and standards at training and in games. You couldn’t ask for two better leaders and both players’ form has been brilliant in recent weeks.
The young players who have come in are really starting to make names for themselves and the experience they are now getting will stand to them over the coming years.
Leinster won by five points at Bath and although they were criticised in some reports, I felt that there were a lot of positives to take from the game.
Leinster created four clear-cut try-scoring opportunities during the game and it was very uncharacteristic for them not to take any of them.
Joe Schmidt said he felt the team was too wound up in the warm up and it certainly looked like the players were anxious and maybe overly concerned with putting on a big performance.
Sometimes it’s about grinding out the win when the passes aren’t sticking and when Leinster went behind with 10 minutes to go there was a lot to admire about the way they gained territory in the Bath 22 and worked two penalties to win the game.
There will be times later in the competition when they fall behind and this match should help them stay calm.
Johnny Sexton was man-of-the-match and his game management and placekicking were world class.
His battle with his opposite number,
All Black Steven Donald, was fascinating and I feel Sexton edged it.
I expect Leinster to finish the job at the Aviva on Saturday and they could even get the four-try bonus point.
Leinster are very much on course for a home quarter as they will beat Montpelier at home and should be able to win in Glasgow as well.
Toulouse was the most impressive team of the weekend as they showed their ability against Harlequins at the Stoop.
Harlequins had won their previous 14 games but Toulouse showed how big the step up in the Heineken Cup is.
It was a big learning curve for Harlequins and some of their young players in particular.
They will find it hard to get anything from the away fixture in France and Toulouse look on course for a home quarter-final.
Clermont had won their last 34 games at the Stade Marcel Michelin and they never looked in danger of losing against Leicester on Saturday.
They are a star-studded side and having lost their first match away to Ulster they now look really focused on trying to win the Heineken Cup for the first time.
Leicester are always competitive but they don’t have the firepower this season and I think that Clermont can win at Welford. As expected, Ulster won against Aironi and will need to win away this week to qualify.
They are likely to qualify as one of the two best runners up as they have an Italian side in their group.
Connacht got a losing bonus point at home to Gloucester but I can’t help but feel they missed the opportunity to get their first and only win in the Heineken Cup.
They have now lost a record equaling nine games on the bounce.
Connacht need to ensure that they get back on track in the Rabo Direct pro 12 and qualify for next season’s Heineken Cup by finishing ahead of one of the other three Irish teams.
This weekend sees the last round of Heineken Cup action of 2011 and it promises to be another exciting weekend’s rugby action.