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Gibson knows today is all that matters

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When it comes to hopes of European glory, Tigers centre Daryl Gibson believes the importance of today's penultimate Pool Four match against Cardiff Blues cannot possibly be overestimated. The former All Black number 12 is desperate to pick up some silverware this year and knows that defeat against the Blues would all but end the chances of that happening through the Heineken Cup.

"The way we're looking at it is that we can't have an opportunity to win the pool if we don't win this game," says Gibson. "The Munster game is irrelevant at the moment because we haven't done the first stage of a two-stage mission. All bets are off if we lose this weekend."

The 31-year-old believes Dai Young's side will arrive in Leicester with the desire to be adventurous in all aspects of their play. It's a challenge he and the rest of the Tigers squad are looking forward to immensely.

"Cardiff are quite an exciting team. They move the ball a lot, they're expansive and they're quite a balanced side. If there's ever a game to get our confidence back as a backline against a team that will come to Welford Road and want to play, Cardiff will be it as they've got nothing to really play for except pride. They'll come here and throw the ball around and have a go I'd imagine."

Having experienced cross-border success with the Canterbury Crusaders in what used to be the Super 12, Gibson would love to be a part of a victorious side when it comes to Europe's premier club competition.

"It's a fantastic tournament. The overall concept of playing in Europe against teams you don't normally come up against is brilliant. It's a great idea and it works well. Any sort of trophy this year would be great, but the Heineken Cup would be even better!"

Gibson admits that previous Heineken Cup exits are hard to forget - something which only acts as extra incentive for success in this year's competition. He also knows, however, that Tigers are capable of progressing through the tournament, even on occasions when others may have dismissed their chances.

"The losses stick out for me. The quarter-final against Bath and the semi-final against Toulouse, plus the thrashing at Ulster. On a brighter note, the game against Leinster in the quarter-final stands out because we'd just scraped into the eighth qualifying position. We came up against the team who were ranked number one on their home ground and we went over there and did very well. We got a good result and there was a good feeling afterwards. That's one highlight. From last year, the victories against Stade Francais and Ospreys with the last-minute stuff stick out too."