RUGBY/European Cup: Within moments of the semi-final draw for the Heineken European Cup being made in Edinburgh yesterday, Leinster manager Paul McNaughton texted outhalf David Holwell to tell him "well done on the draw".

Meantime McNaughton's Munster counterpart Jerry Holland joked "that's the last time we send Christian (Cullen)". In truth the two former Wellington players were mere bystanders to contrasting draws for Leinster and Munster that were in time-honoured tradition.

Munster, almost inevitably, were faced with the most hazardous and circuitous route to the Murrayfield final on May 22nd, with the prospect of an away semi-final for the fifth time in six years should they beat Biarritz Olympique away in the quarter-finals.

By contrast, Leinster have been afforded a third Lansdowne Road semi-final out of three should they overcome two-time-winners Leicester at the same venue in the quarter-finals.

Prior to last season's epic at "home" to Wasps at Lansdowne Road, Munster's semi-finals have taken them to Bordeaux, Lille, Beziers and Toulouse, and the likelihood is their putative semi-final would be in France as well, as they have been put in the same half of the draw as the winners of the Stade Francais-Newcastle quarter-final.

Akin to 2003, Leinster have been afforded a Lansdowne Road route to the final, although this is no guarantee of success as witnessed in the defeat to Cardiff at the venue a decade ago, and, even more distressingly, to Perpignan two years ago when they also had the carrot (or should that be stick?) of a Lansdowne Road final.

Holwell agreed if Leinster were to overcome the Leicester Tigers in the quarter-finals, the likelihood is they would be playing the tournament's other two-time winners, Toulouse, rather than Northampton, "for the simple reason that they have got a home quarter-final. Obviously they've got a lot of tradition in this tournament. They've been to three finals and won it a couple of times."

Needless to say, the competition's leading points scorer wasn't too inclined to tempt fate, not least because Leinster haven't been producing the type of form required to beat Leicester.

"I believe we have to step it up a couple of notches to beat the Leicesters of this world," Holwell admitted. "They've got a lot of experience, especially in their forward pack. They've been in a tough pool and have shown they can mix it with the best. We can't afford to turn over any ball to them, and also our discipline has to be right up there because we've seen them in the past kick to touch five metres out and drive over."

That was a recurring theme of the Tigers' quarter-final 29-18 win over Leinster three seasons ago, admittedly at their Welford Road fortress. Indeed, there have only been seven away wins out of the 32 quarter-finals in the competition's history, although Munster will take heart from having supplied two of them, away to Stade Francais and Leicester, three and two seasons ago.

Admittedly, one of the semi-final defeats was against their prospective opponents in the last four, Stade Francais, in Lille four years ago. Once again, Munster really couldn't have planned a tougher route if they are to reach their Holy Grail.

"You've got to beat them all, haven't you? You can't do much about it," reasoned Cullen, while admitting there would be general disappointment over yesterday's draw. "That game (at home to Wasps) last year just showed you what can happen. The support up there was brilliant but hopefully if we get through they'll come again.

"It's always tough to beat the French, especially away, but it has been done before and for me, looking at what the All Blacks did to them on their home turf when they just thrashed them, shows you it can be done if you get everything right."

Echoing Holwell's sentiments, Cullen added: "We haven't played our best. We've played about 60 minutes of good footie in all those (pool) games. Having said that, we've only lost one away to a French side, but I don't think the backs have been functioning that well. We've had opportunities to get bonus points and we've put ourselves in this hole, so I guess we've got to dig ourselves out. But with the calibre of players we've got at Munster we can do that."

The draw was conducted, symbolically, in Baxter's Restaurant in Edinburgh's state-of-the-art Ocean Terminal rather than Murrayfield as a signal that the organisers and Scottish government will take the event to the city as much as the stadium.

Conducted by Lux and Patricia Robertson, the Scottish Minister for Sport, Tourism and Culture, the draw will appeal to the organisers as well, ensuring the semi-finals are held in two separate countries while, of course, it also keeps up the prospect of, eh, an all-Irish final.European Cup semi-final draw

Leinster/Leicester v

Stade Toulousain/Northampton.

Stade Francais/Newcastle v

Biarritz/Munster.

Ties to be played on April 22/23/24.