“A loss would see us wave the Heineken Cup goodbye” – Julian Salvi

Securing away points is crucial for any team looking to make it out of the Heineken Cup group stages but for Leicester it seems a loosing bonus-point at Treviso on Saturday won’t be enough to qualify for the Quarter-finals.
Currently three points behind Toulouse at the top of Pool Two, the Tigers need to win their next two games – both away at Treviso and Ospreys – to remain in the hunt and set up a grand finale against the French giants at Welford Road on the last round, a situation flanker Julian Salvi is fully aware of.
He told The Rugby Paper: “The way the pool shaping up, this game could prove crucial for our qualification hopes. We have to win
“A win would set us up nicely in the group while a loss would pretty much see us wave the Heineken Cup goodbye.
“They put Toulouse under immense pressure in round 2 and I have no doubt they will try to upset us and get another famous scalp.
“But I’m confident we have the players and experience to get the job done just like Toulouse did.”
The Tigers hosted Treviso last week and the game was eventually over after a convincing first-half display but they took their foot off the pedal in the second half and saw the feisty Italians come back into the game.
They still got away with the five points but Salvi is adamant they will need an 80 performance this time around.
He said: “On a result point of view, it was good to get the five but on a performance point of view, there is a lot to work on.
“We were probably guilty of complaisance once we scored the four tries which invited them back into the game.
“We have to play for 80 minutes this week. They’re back on their home turf and we’re aware that a tough challenge is awaiting.
“They will be hugely physical up front with their mauling and scrum. We need to make sure we compete hard from the kick-off and try to knock their confidence down in the first 20 minutes.”
NICK VERDIER
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