Tindall Challenges His Gloucester 'chokers' to Breathe Easily in Europe

There was more chance of spotting the Loch Ness monster at the Heineken Cup launch in Edinburgh yesterday than identifying a cast-iron tournament favorite. Not only were the French and Irish contenders absent but very few of the English club representatives are motoring into the competition via the high road. If a Guinness Premiership side conquers Europe next May it will be a surprise to many.

That is not to say the English are surrendering already, merely that European club rugby grows tougher by the year. For sides like Gloucester, in particular, there is the added handicap of not having won the biggest domestic prizes, let alone the Heineken. To call the Cherry and Whites "chokers" may sound harsh but even their captain, Mike Tindall, admits that it is a reasonable charge.

"I know people at the club get angry at us getting tagged as choking in big games but people have to realize - coaches, players, myself - that you're going to get tagged with that until you prove them wrong," he said. "You can't say it's not true. In finals and semi-finals we've got spanked."

Gloucester, as a consequence, have sought to change bad habits and their head coach, Dean Ryan, has challenged his players not to regress at home to Biarritz on Saturday. "In the past we've messed up in our home Heineken Cup games so we've got to make sure we get that right," Tindall said. "We know that if we can perform week in week out we can win this tournament. In some ways we've got to be looking for performances rather than just wins, because we know that if all 15 players go out and perform it normally means we'll get a victory."

Tindall also spoke for all the 24 teams when he warned that players could not endlessly blame others if they failed to win any silverware. "Coaches can prepare you endlessly but players have to go out there and pull that through. The biggest problem for us this year is that we've let teams in too easily by making poor decisions. Dean's been striving to put pressure on the players to make the right ones. We can't keep saying we're learning from mistakes because we've passed that point as a team. We should be competing and winning things. Dean's not been backward in coming forward to say that we've got a strong-enough squad for someone else to come in and have a go."

Leicester are a slightly different case because their South African head coach, Heyneke Meyer, who celebrated his 41st birthday yesterday, is in his first season at Welford Road. They kick off against the Ospreys, opponents who have caused them problems in the past. For the long-established Tigers captain, Martin Corry, however, sides who look backwards are in trouble before they start.

"History plays absolutely no part in this tournament," he said. "What happened last year or years ago is not going to make any difference to whether we beat the Ospreys on Sunday. It'll be the team who play the best rugby who win. People call this the premier club tournament in the northern hemisphere. I think it's the premier competition in the world."

The Scottish Rugby Union reports that 17,350 tickets have been sold for the final, at Murrayfield on the weekend of May 23-24. The two sides involved will be those best equipped to overcome any number of obstacles over a seven-month period. Injuries always play a part and the English teams are not particularly well-blessed in that respect either.

Leicester will be without the England flanker Lewis Moody for another four to six weeks. He is effectively out the autumn Tests, which could mean a squad recall for Bath's Michael Lipman. Gloucester and Sale are both counting the cost of a bruising week of domestic action and the Harlequins wing David Strettle is out after suffering yet another broken foot.

Best loses appeal

The Northampton and Ireland flanker Neil Best last night lost his appeal against an 18-week ban imposed after he admitted making contact with the eye of the Wasps' back rower James Haskell with his hand in the Premiership match against Wasps last month. Best, 29, who will not be free to play again until January 28, appeared before a disciplinary panel after being cited. He pleaded guilty and his argument that contact was accidental was accepted, but it was decided his offense was at the top end of the intention scale because he did not immediately withdraw contact when he realized what he had done. Worcester's Chris Horsman has been cited for kicking Mike Ross in Harlequins' 30-23 win at Sixways last week. The Wales prop will appear at a disciplinary panel in Bristol on Thursday. Paul Rees