Kelleher in a Rush to end Blues’ Euro challenge

Apr 1 2008 by Andy Howell, Western Mail

ALL BLACKS star Byron Kelleher has singled out fellow Kiwi Xavier Rush as the main threat to Toulouse’s bid for a record fifth Heineken Cup final appearance.

Three-time winners Toulouse will start as clear favourites to beat the Blues in Sunday’s quarter-final showdown in front of a sell-out Le Stadium crowd of 35,009.

And scrum-half Kelleher believes limiting the influence of Blues No 8 Rush will set them up for a semi-final date with either London Irish or Perpignan.

“I’m looking forward to meeting Xavier again on the pitch – he is such a strong player,” said Kelleher.

“Teams need leaders and Xavier is definitely that, but one person doesn’t make a team and it will be the team performance which will make the Blues tough opposition.

“Obviously we know that Gareth Thomas will be looking to take the victory and he will make sure they are well aware of our strengths and weaknesses.

“That said, the big difference will be their mentality. They will see the game as being winnable – even if it’s away from home – whereas the French teams have difficulty in believing in their ability to win an away game.

“A British or Irish team away from home can be just as dangerous as in their own back yard.

“The Blues are playing as a team and when they do that, those individuals will shine.

“The likes of Tom Shanklin did very well in the Six Nations because the team enabled them to play to their best and, if the Blues do that on Sunday, then he’s definitely a real threat.”

Toulouse warmed up for the Blues’ visit with a hard-fought 12-6 victory over Biarritz Olympique in the French Championship.

But Kelleher admitted it was not the perfect preparation for such an important game as the Heineken Cup quarter-final.

“We have had a lot of disruption with absent players and Biarritz have a great defence which prevented us from playing our best rugby,” he said.

“Despite the win, we were disappointed with our performance against Biarritz, having re-introduced the international players into the squad but with just a short week to prepare.

“Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and myself have been working on the communication side of things and we have some good banter on the pitch which enables us to work together.

“Obviously we have a lot of experience between us and were able to both be on the look-out for possibilities for gaining ground or scoring.

“JB is very good with his boot so having him at No 10 gives us an extra point of attack.

“However, it’s a step up for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals. The knockout phases are a totally different ball-game – everyone knows it’s an all-or-nothing game – and now it is down to the really serious stuff.

“We’ve re-grouped for one week and now we have to prepare for one of the most important games of the season.

“The intensity has to rise by three or four levels compared to what we produced against Biarritz.”