Quins look the bet of the weekend.

By David Gee

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BETTING BOX
FIXED ODDS
	5.5pts Harlequins (-2) to beat Leinster at 10/11 (general).	In good form, Quins should more than cover the handicap.

Munster v Ospreys (Sunday 1300 BST)

Sunday's quarter-final action kicks-off with the Ospreys' trip to Thomond Park to take on European powerhouses Munster. The defending champions managed to overcome a mighty scare on the first weekend of the competition, where Montauban ran them close 19-17, but they recovered to top pool one relatively comfortably despite losing to Clermont in December. The Ospreys lost two games to Perpignan and Leicester but a victory over the Tigers on the last day of the pool stages meant that they qualified for the knockout stages courtesy of being one of the best runners-up which means they have made the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup for the second successive season. As expected, Munster are the strong favourites for this game, with the layers making them the eight-point favourites. It's virtually impossible to get away from Munster at Thomond Park at the best of times but in the Heineken Cup, they are quite simply unbeatable there. The Ospreys may well run them close, but quite often teams get broken there and it would be no surprise to see this happen to the Welsh province. Munster might not seem much of a giveaway giving eight points, but they won't be far away from that mark.

Verdict: Munster by 10

Harlequins v Leinster (Sunday 1530 BST)

Although Quins have just recently been replaced at the top of the Guinness Premiership, they are still right in there with a shout and are having a cracking season this year. It could get even better on Sunday if they manage to reach their first-ever Heineken Cup semi-final. Leinster, of course, have managed that feat a couple of times before but have always been seen as bridesmaids to compatriots Munster in this competition and have often disappointed in the knockout stages after looking so good in the pools. They managed to negotiate a tricky group and topped pool two despite losing games to Castres and Wasps either side of Christmas. Quins sailed a much more direct course through the choppy waters of pool four, a single loss to Ulster the only blot on their copybook. Although Quins have never reached the semi-finals, their coach Dean Richards knows all about Heineken Cup success, having tasted it twice with Leicester Tigers and if he can guide Quins to either Guinness Premiership or Heineken Cup success, he must go down as one of the most successful coaches in English history. This is not lost on the layers, who make Quins the two-point favourites for this game. However, you could argue that they should be stronger favourites than this and they probably rate as the strongest bet of the weekend. Leinster will be no pushovers, but in front of a packed Stoop, Quins can take another step towards making history.

Verdict: Quins by 7