Heineken Cup
Biggar fires warning to Biarritz
Scrum.com
April 6, 2010

Dan Biggar is hoping that the Ospreys' difficult defeat to Clermont Auvergne in the group stages of the Heineken Cup will help to inspire them when they travel to San Sebastian to face Biarritz in the quarter-finals this weekend.

The young fly-half is preparing for the biggest game of his career and is expecting a hostile environment at the Estadio Anoeta, home of Spanish football side Real Sociedad.

"It looks like a great stadium in San Sebastian and we hope there will be a packed crowd in probably the biggest game of a lot of our careers," he told ERC. "We came away from Clermont disappointed by the result but we all felt we wanted to play in atmospheres like that every week. It was great to run out in front of a noisy crowd like that - it was incredible and a privilege to play there.

"It was as hostile and intimidating as I have faced before kick-off and I remember there was a lot of booing as we ran out. I'm sure it will be similar against Biarritz. But we started well and that drained the atmosphere away a little bit, we tried to play rugby whereas a lot of teams go there to defend and get a bonus-point."

Biggar is developing a reputation as a commander on the field and is not fazed by ordering around his team-mates, regardless of their international pedigree.

"I think the Lions and the All Blacks actually enjoy me bossing them around on the pitch - it is what this club has needed," he said. "The region needed an enforcer and to really push the lads on the field. Jerry Collins has said when he has been captain that No.9 and 10 need to boss you around the field and the forwards need to shut up and work hard."

Biarritz's talismanic No.8 Imanol Harinordoquy, fresh from helping France to a Six Nations Grand Slam, is expecting a tough examination against the Ospreys, particularly in the back-row exchanges.

"We have never faced the Ospreys but we expect a really tough game," he said. "They have an incredible three-quarter line with extraordinary individuals and their squad consists almost entirely of internationals. They are capable of producing momentum and play the ball wide a lot and it is hard to compete when they hold the ball. As far as any weaknesses go, I think they have more qualities than defects.

"Their entire back-row has got massive experience and I think that in all positions they have heaps of serious candidates. As for the Welsh internationals they all know each other and play together very often so that also counts a lot towards the high level of this team while they have a key Irish player in Tommy Bowe so all in all it doesn't get much better than this in any European club.

"However, we shouldn't spend too much time looking at who we have opposite us because we may end up getting complexes but from now on each match will be like playing a final due to the intensity, quality and level of the competition."

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