ON RUGBY:ONCE AGAIN the Heineken Cup rides to the rescue. Perhaps taking a leaf out of the county tribalism attached to Gaelic games, Irish teams and supporters have long since bought into their provinces, and that is thanks in the main to this tournament. It could have been invented with Irish rugby in mind, but then again Tom Kiernan was among the visionaries who drove the concept of a European Cup. Out of little acorns and all that.

Thus, after another anti-climactic Six Nations, for the 12th time in the last 14 seasons there is Irish representation in next weekend’s semi-finals. That would have been unthinkable when Ulster broke the mould in 1999 and, better still, for the fifth occasion in this time span, Ireland will have two teams in the last four.

Admittedly, the last time they were in opposite halves of the draw, as in 2002-03, both Leinster and Munster lost, away to Toulouse and Biarritz respectively, whereas on the other two occasions Munster and Leinster beat each other en route to lifting the trophy.

But therein lies the rub: the luck of the draw at semi-final time.

The ERC canvassed all six participating countries regarding this vexed matter and there was no real inclination to change the format, simply because there isn’t room in the calendar to work in two-legged semi-finals (by far the most equitable and exciting solution – witness its footballing counterpart), while neutral venues are still seen as too risky a proposition in terms of filling out stadia and ensuring a proper sense of occasion.

Nevertheless it is the cup’s biggest flaw. In the 16 seasons to date, the home team have won 20 of the 32 semi-finals, and two of the away teams advanced by dint of try countback and a risible penalty shoot-out after drawn games.

Take Leinster. Over the last four seasons they have been the best team in Europe, losing just three of their last 28 matches in the competition, at home to London Irish and away to Toulouse and Clermont Auvergne – since when they have been unbeaten in 13 matches.

There has never been consistency like it. Four seasons ago they were drawn away to Munster but as the game took place in Croke Park this effectively negated that factor and they won en route to their first cup triumph.

In each of the last two seasons they have bumped into Toulouse at this juncture, losing two seasons ago and winning last season.

It is not entirely beyond the bounds of possibility therefore, that had they been drawn away from home both times they might still be seeking their first Heineken Cup since 2009, whereas alternatively, had they been drawn at home both years, who knows, they might now be seeking a fourth cup in a row.

Now the luck of the draw has given them the hardest task imaginable. At least the game is not taking place in Clermont’s own ground of Stade Marcel-Michelin, where they are within three more wins of equalling the all-time French Championship record of 45 in a row.

Officially, Leinster have sold their allocation of 2,500 tickets, with others expected to swell that number, but the vast majority of the 34,000 sell-out will make the 320-kilometre, three-hour drive from the Auvergne to Bordeaux.

Unlike two seasons ago, when Jonathan Sexton was ruled out of the semi-final, at least Leinster are fully loaded and, recalling the pummelling they took from the Toulouse scrum that day, they will also not be inclined to leave Mike Ross on the bench.

They are also a better team than two seasons ago, Joe Schmidt helping to add a few more attacking strings to their bow on to the solid foundations he inherited from Michael Cheika in also making them the best team to watch in Europe – bar none.

Nevertheless, there are a few other unnerving factors about, not least that Leinster have not faced anything like the encounter they will experience next Sunday this season. And then there is the appointment of Wayne Barnes who along with Dave Pearson, would probably be one of the two refereeing appointments which the Leinster supporters would least have wanted.

Irish teams have not tended to do well with the English official in charge. Indeed, in six games under his control, Ireland have lost five, beginning with the 16-12 defeat to Wales at Croke Park in 2008.

The one exception was the following year, when Ireland beat Wales 17-15 in Cardiff to clinch the Grand Slam, but that was despite a 15-5 penalty count in favour of the home side.

In 2010, Barnes oversaw France’s 33-10 win over Ireland in Paris, when the penalty count was 11-7 in favour of France, and in June of that year, in Barnes’ first game in New Zealand since his much criticised handling of the All Blacks’ 2007 World Cup quarter-final defeat to France in Cardiff, he sent off Jamie Heaslip in the 16th minute and yellow-carded Ronan O’Gara in the home side’s 66-28 win.

Barnes also refereed Ireland’s 10-6 World Cup warm-up defeat in Scotland last August and, most recently of course, only yellow-carded Bradley Davies for that spear tackle on Donnacha Ryan before wrongly yellow-carding Stephen Ferris in awarding Wales their match-winning penalty.

He was helped in the first of those decisions by Pearson, who is again running the line on Sunday. Pearson was also in charge of Ireland’s 17-all draw in Paris, when the penalty count was 11-4 to the home side and of Leinster’s draw in the pool stages away to Montpellier, the only time in his last 14 Heineken Cup games that the home side didn’t win.

Similarly, Munster’s win in Castres courtesy of O’Gara’s last-ditch drop goal was the only time in Barnes’s last 14 Heineken Cup games the home side didn’t win. Of course, home advantage is huge regardless of the referees in the Heineken Cup. But again, therein lies the rub regarding the semi-final draw.

Leinster have won two of their six semi-finals thus far, and are competing in their fourth in a row, whereas Clermont are in virgin territory.

Completing a fairly unusual-looking line-up, Ulster will be partaking in their first semi-final since 1999, against an Edinburgh side who will be Scotland’s first representatives in the last four.

With two bonus-point wins against a team languishing 11th in the Pro12, Ulster will start seven-point favourites, but whereas Edinburgh are in bonus territory and, with Michael Bradley developing a Munsteresque Cup-like mentality, can again swing from the hip, Brian McLaughlin’s side must cope with widespread expectations of victory in front of 40,000-plus of their own fans.

That is different territory from travelling to Thomond Park as underdogs with a little bit of a chip on their collective shoulders and, in its own way, has to be unnerving for Ulster too.