RICHARD Cockerill has challenged his Edinburgh side to prove it is not fluke that they have found themselves in contention when it matters on what Scottish rugby is hoping will be a breakthrough weekend in the European Champions Cup.
Both Scottish professional teams have reached the quarter-finals of the competition in the same season for the first time, but while Glasgow Warriors head south to face top seeds and English champions Saracens, Edinburgh have home advantage against Pro14 rivals Munster. They are looking to emulate the Edinburgh team which claimed victory the only previous time a Champions Cup quarter-final was hosted in Scotland when they shocked four times previous winners Toulouse, but their head coach reckons the difference this time is that there is no chance of their opponents being complacent.
“It’s an opportunity for us to make history and I think that’s important,” said Cockerill.“I don’t think any team takes us lightly anymore. Previously, you’d expect these big sides to beat us. I think it’s different from 2012 when… did Toulouse really know who Edinburgh were? No every team that plays us treats us with respect. They need to because if they don’t they get beaten.”
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The former England hooker, who played for and coached Leicester Tigers in the Champions Cup, said that was fully reciprocated when anticipating a visit from the 18 time quarter-finalists, who have twice won the competition.
“Having played against them a lot as a player and a coach, I have a lot of respect for Munster, what they do and how they go about their business,” he said. “I’d like to think that Edinburgh are starting to get that kind of reputation. It’s nowhere near where Munster’s is but when you hear them talking about us it’s about resilience, that we’re well organised and tough to beat. It’s what we talked about two years ago when we started this process. Two years later we’ve got teams like Munster and their coaching staff talking about how resilient, tough and hard we are. I think we should take pride in that… and then not disappoint them tomorrow when they come and play us.
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