Balshaw fires a warning to Toulouse
Tue, 04 May 2010 11:36
Biarritz players celebrate their semifinal victory
English fullback Iain Balshaw is adamant that his Biarritz side have what it take to beat favourites Toulouse in the final of the Heineken Cup.
Despite their mid-table finish in the Top 14, Biarritz defied the form-books to produce a top draw performance in the semifinals to knock out heavyweights Munster 18-7.
In the quarterfinals Biarritz were also able to lift their game against the star-studded Ospreys side to come out with a victory.
Beating quality sides like Ospreys and Munster will have given Biarritz great confidence leading into the final, that they can defy the odds once again and prevent Toulouse from capturing a fourth Heineken Cup title.
"We're in the final of Europe so we're delighted. This what you play rugby for," Balshaw told the Daily Mirror.
"You dream of playing in finals of the Heineken Cup, the Guinness Premiership or the Top 14.
"I'm quite happy that we're underdogs against Toulouse.
"We played them in Toulouse and they gave us a good seeing to, we played them down here and gave them a good seeing to.
"It's very evenly matched and hopefully the final will be a fantastic occasion.
"We haven't played very well this season consistently - we were lucky to beat the Ospreys because we made so many errors.
"But look at the Ospreys and Munster - they have international players littered throughout their squad.
"To come through those two games, having not played well for 80 minutes in both, makes us very happy.
"We know we can compete with the best but will have to tighten up."
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