Investec Champions Cup semi-final
Venue: Stadium de Toulouse Date: Sunday, 5 May Time: 15:00 BST
Coverage: Live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app.
Toulouse’s “fear factor” means Harlequins could need a “10 out of 10 performance” to reach the Investec Champions Cup final, says scrum-half Danny Care.
Quins face the five-time winners, who were ranked number one seeds heading into the knockouts, in the south of France on Sunday.
The Premiership side reached their first Champions Cup semi-final with a thrilling 42-41 away victory against Bordeaux-Begles.
“One thing we are definitely going to do is give it everything and have a crack to try to play our gameplan against the very best,” Care told BBC’s Rugby Union Weekly.
“The lads did it a few weeks back in Bordeaux in the way they met fire with fire in how they started and played the game – we will try our best to do something similar.
“There is obviously that fear factor that if you go in against Toulouse you have to play a 10 out of 10 game to try to win.”
Danny Wilson’s side are aiming to become the competition’s first new finalists since La Rochelle in 2021, but face a tough challenge – they were hammered by Toulouse at home in December during the pool stage.
However, in their quarter-final against Bordeaux, they also went in as heavy underdogs and produced one of the great European away performances.
Victory for Wilson’s side would set up at final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 25 May against Leinster or Northampton Saints, who play on Saturday at Croke Park.
“No-one is going to give us any hope and we are fine with that. It was the same with the guys in Bordeaux – not many thought we could do anything down there apart from a few Quins fans and some of the players,” Care added.
“Everyone will be saying it is Toulouse against Leinster or Northampton in the final and that is fine. We are happy with that.”
The 37-year-old, who recently retired from international rugby after 101 caps for England, missed the quarter-final win but played a key role in the last-16 victory over Glasgow Warriors.
That victory – in Care’s 18th season at the Stoop – was Quins’ first knockout win in Europe’s top-tier competition in their history.
“It is something I never thought I would get to play in again, a European Cup knockout game, and we have found ourselves in a semi-final in the south of France,” the scrum-half added.
“It [Sunday] is what dreams are made of.”
