Reasonable Pool Draw?

The general consensus among the sparse attendance at yesterday’s Heineken Cup pool Draw in the Aviva Stadium was that Munster’s Pool 6 was the best of the Irish lot.

Munster were the only one of the 24 participating clubs represented at the draw conducted by ERC Chairman Jean-Pierre Lux and Chief Executive Derek McGrath and compered by former Ireland and Leinster wing Shane Horgan.

Certain to avoid fellow Tier 1 sides, champions Toulon, runners-up Clermont and Toulouse, first out of the draw drum for Munster was Perpignan whose last appearance in the competition was in 2010/2011 when they topped Pool 5 to be beaten in the semi final by Northampton Saints in Milton Keynes.

Next out was Edinburgh who Munster are well familiar with having played them four times last season and finally Gloucester who earlier in the day had been announced as one of Munster's pre-season opponents.

Gloucester's last venture in the Heineken Cup was the season before last when they competed in Pool 6 along with Toulouse who they defeated at Kingsholm and Connacht who they accounted for home and away.

Munster's last visit to Kingsholm was in 2008 when they won the quarter final clash 16-3 on the way to the capturing their second title.

Donncha O'Callaghan, speaking from Lebanon where he's on a field trip with UNICEF said. "I suppose you'd always want to be avoiding the top French sides and the likes of Leicester Tigers but Edinburgh, Gloucester and Perpignan will probably be looking at this Pool and thinking the same as us.

"I'd say the sides in our group are evenly matched and that means only one side is coming through. It's really a case of how you perform on the day, there won't be any margin for error in our one."