Nathan Hines, the former Scotland international lock, will join one of the Heineken Cup's most exclusive clubs if Clermont Auvergne are crowned European champions tomorrow.
Only four players have tasted Heineken Cup glory with two dif-ferent teams since the tournament began in 1995 but the Australia-born 36-year-old, who helped Leinster win the trophy in Cardiff two years ago, could join Philippe Carbonneau (Toulouse and Brive), Cedric Heymans (Brive and Toulouse), Federico Mendez (Bath and Northampton Saints) and Eoin Reddan (Wasps and Leinster).
French heavyweights Clermont are chasing their first European title, having reached the Dublin final through eight successive victories, with group rivals Leinster (twice), quarter-final rivals Montpellier and semi-final opponents Munster among those who could not stop them. Jonny Wilkinson's Toulon stand between Clermont and European honours in what could a prove dress rehearsal for the French Top 14 final on June 1.
"That final win with Leinster two years ago is right up there in my career," Hines said. "We were losing 22-6 at half-time, but I never felt that the game was over despite the fact that Northampton had dominated us. It was an amazing turnaround; in any professional game to come back from a deficit is pretty good but, in a big final, it is really something special."
Hines, a British & Irish Lion in South Africa four years ago, won 77 caps for Scotland but, since he stepped down from Test rugby in 2011, he has become a key part of Clermont's squad. On their march to the final they have scored 265 points in eight games and conceded just 88, producing an average scoreline of 33-11.
"We have a lot of leaders in the side: guys who've played in a World Cup final and in Challenge Cup finals. So while we know this will be a high-pressure match," Hines added. "I don't think we are under any particular pressure to deliver.
"It has been an objective of the club to win the French Championship and to win the Heineken Cup, and our aim this weekend is to win the Heineken. What people are saying about who are favourites doesn't bother us. How we want to play is more pressing than any degree of expectation. We've got the team on paper, but then so have Toulon. It is about how we play, how we cope with the physical pressure."
The clubs have already met twice in this season's Top 14, with Clermont winning 24-21 in November before they battled out a 26-26 draw a month ago. The championship semi-finals –they will be played on neutral territory in Nantes next weekend – pit Toulon against Toulouse and Clermont against Castres.
"You have guys like Bakkies Botha, Danie Rossouw and Chris Masoe in the Toulon line-up, and they are not exactly going to come out and start tickling you in a ruck, are they?" Hines added. "So, you could say it's going to be physical. Playing against Toulon, it's all about pressure. They have strong forwards and power-runners, so there is danger pretty much everywhere.
"It won't just be about preventing Jonny Wilkinson from controlling the game. He certainly puts Toulon in the right parts of the pitch, and then they turn the screw, they make you make mistakes and the penalties come. Jonny finishes what his team creates, so it goes without saying discipline will be incredibly important."
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