Champions Cup XV of the Week - Quarter-Finals
European rugby returned with a bang this weekend, as the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals reminded us all that there is still plenty of life left in the 2018/19 season.
Munster got the ball rolling with a hard-fought 17-13 win away at Edinburgh, before Saracens turned on the class and routed Glasgow Warriors, 56-27, at Allianz Park. Leinster’s hopes of defending their title were kept alive on Saturday evening with a 21-18 win at the Aviva Stadium, despite an almighty scare from Ulster, whilst 14-man Toulouse pulled off a stunning 22-21 win over Racing 92 in Paris.
Those results mean that Saracens will host Munster at the Ricoh Arena and Toulouse will travel to the Aviva Stadium to take on Leinster in the semi-finals, but before we start thinking about the those match-ups, take a look at the players who made our XV of the week from a pulsating weekend of knockout rugby.
- Liam Williams, Saracens
Edinburgh’s Darcy Graham deserves a mention for an incisive counter-attacking performance against Munster, but it was hard to overlook Williams’ overall game. He was excellent in the air, as demonstrated by the ball he won over three Glasgow defenders to score Saracens’ first try, whilst he also popped up in attack, helping create mismatches and overlaps by straightening the line and drawing defenders to him.
https://twitter.com/ChampionsCup/status/1112286499192651777
- Keith Earls, Munster
He may have had 11 on his back, but the Munster man was a threat and clear-headed leader throughout the game at BT Murrayfield from the right wing. He finished both of his tries well, with the first a particularly good example of his awareness, as he took a quick tap penalty to catch Edinburgh off their guard and wove his way through the defence for the score.
- Sofiane Guitoune, Toulouse
No shortage of impressive outside centres this week, with both Alex Lozowski and Chris Farrell deserving credit for their performances. That said, Guitoune was crucial in Toulouse’s eye-catching display in Paris, with his 66th minute interception on his own try line sparking a break that brought Toulouse three valuable points and reversed what had been growing Racing momentum. He fitted in silkily well between Romain Ntamack and the outside channels and never failed to make the right decisions when Toulouse broke the line or put the ball through the hands.
- Brad Barritt, Saracens
Saracens’ captain was in typically talismanic form on Saturday, as the spearhead of a performance from the Londoners that was as incisive as it was powerful. As a direct-runner outside of Alex Goode, he consistently found gain-line success and was able to tie in multiple defenders as he did. He went over awkwardly on his ankle late in the game and Saracens will be fervently hoping he is fit and available for their semi-final against Munster.
- Teddy Thomas, Racing 92
The dancing feet of Thomas were too good to ignore on Sunday afternoon and he shifts over from the right wing at the expense of David Strettle, who had a fine game himself. Thomas’ speed, footwork and ability to shift weight at pace and remain balanced saw him slice through the Toulouse defence on multiple occasions. His defence was also solid, as he kept his depth and width well and made the correct reads, backing them up with strong solo tackles.
- Ross Byrne, Leinster
One of, if not the most importance performance of Byrne’s career to date. He stepped up admirably for the injured Johnny Sexton and was key to facilitating Leinster’s game plan. He managed the game well, had Leinster playing in the right areas of the pitch and his form with the boot was also impressive. Kicking the winning penalty in the 72nd minute, as he was hobbling around with cramp, was a mark of the fly-half’s importance at the Aviva.
- Antoine Dupont, Toulouse
The scrum-half was effervescent in Paris, as he not only provided a threat around the fringes and instilled a high tempo in his side, but was also constantly on hand as a support-runner for his teammates’ breaks. He was responsible with his game management, too, once Toulouse lost fly-half Zack Holmes to a first half red card and his teammates began to tire with the extra work required.
- Cyril Baille, Toulouse
The French loosehead held up very well against the power of Ben Tameifuna at the set-piece and made a number of telling contributions around the park, too. He saved a certain try just minutes after Holmes was red carded and helped sap all momentum out of Racing, as the hosts looked to take advantage of their man advantage.
- Jamie George, Saracens
A man on the match performance from the hooker, who showed no signs of fatigue from the recent Guinness Six Nations. He checked off the boxes at the lineout and in defence efficiently, before proving to be an immovable thorn in Glasgow’s side as an attacking ball-handler. His carries, passing and intelligent positioning and running lines had him repeatedly unlocking the Glasgow defence.
- Cedate Gomes Sa, Racing 92
The replacement tighthead did a good job of anchoring and locking out the scrum once he came on and he helped swing momentum in the favour of the Parisian side. He made a number of dominant tackles, too, as well as helping slow down Toulouse’s ball at the breakdown. His carrying also brought impetus for Racing as they began to wear out the depleted Toulouse side.
- James Ryan, Leinster
The young lock has shone previously in a Leinster team that has run away with matches, but on Saturday he showed all of the grit and determination that is critical in seeing out a tight affair. His powerful carries around the fringes tended to bring a metre or two and kept Leinster moving forward, whilst not sacrificing ball security against a predatory Ulster pack. With others cramping up around him, Ryan looked like he could play another 40 minutes.
- Maro Itoje, Saracens
Itoje shifted into the second row in the second half and just edged out Munster’s Tadhg Beirne for this spot. Beirne shaded it in terms of influence at the breakdown, but Itoje was the more prominent ball-carrier and was pivotal shutting down Glasgow with his speed in the defensive line, even late in the game when his side had the result comfortably wrapped up. He showed no signs of rust after his recent layoff with injury.
- Peter O’Mahony, Munster
A mountainous defensive performance from the flanker, who was constantly at the heart of Munster’s efforts to repel the Edinburgh attack. With the Scots controlling and managing possession and territory well, Munster had to make numerous important defensive stands, with their captain often leading the way. His physicality in the tackle was particularly impressive, with his side able to keep players on their feet and rely on O’Mahony to make dominant solo tackles.
- Jordi Murphy, Ulster
It was a productive homecoming for Murphy in terms of performance, if not in result. He was a force at the contact area and in the defensive line for Ulster, providing them with multiple momentum-killing moments when Leinster were in attack. It wasn’t quite enough on the day, but both he and Marcell Coetzee can be proud of their contributions to a stellar game in the Irish capital.
- Viliame Mata, Edinburgh
A valiant effort in defeat from the Fijian number eight, who was the most likely ball-handler among the forwards to make something happen at Murrayfield. He gouged the Munster defence multiple times as a carrier, was a safe pair of hands fielding kicks and also made himself known defensively, putting in a complete shift in the defensive line and at the contact area. Leinster’s Jack Conan was also impressive, but didn’t quite have to shoulder so much of the burden as Mata did in his match-up.
Watch: Stephen Ferris discusses Ireland’s form heading into the Rugby World Cup
Comments on RugbyPass
Billy's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
2 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
28 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
1 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
1 Go to commentsSad that this was not confirmed. When administrators talk about expanding the game they evidently don’t include pathways to the top tier of rugby for teams outside of the old boys club. Rugby deserves better, and certainly Georgia does.
2 Go to commentsLions might take him on if they move on Van Rooyen but I doubt he will want to go back, might consider it a step backwards for himself. Sharks would take him on but if Plumtree goes on to win the challenge cup they will keep him on. Also sharks showing some promising signs recently. Stormers and Bulls are stable and Springboks are already filled up. Quality coach though, interesting to see where he ends up
1 Go to commentsAnd the person responsible for creating a culture of accountability is?
3 Go to commentsMore useless words from Ben Smith -Please get another team to write about. SA really dont need your input, it suck anyway.
264 Go to commentsThis disgraceful episode must result in management and coach team sackings. A new manager with worse results than previous and the coaching staff need to coached. Awful massacre led by donkeys.
1 Go to commentsInteresting article with one glaring mistake. This sentence: “And between the top four nations right now, Ireland, France, South Africa, and New Zealand…” should read: And between the top four nations right now, South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and France…”. Get it right wistful thinkers, its not that hard.
24 Go to commentsHow did Penny get the gig anyway?
3 Go to commentsNice write up Nick and I would have agreed a week ago. However as you would know Cale & co got absolutely monstered by the Blues back row of Sotutu, Ioane and Papaliti and not all of these 3 are guaranteed a start in the Black jumper. He may need to put some kgs before stepping up, Spring tour? After the week end Joe will be a bit more restless. Will need to pick a mobile tough pack for Wales and hope England does the right thing and bashes the ABs. I like your last paragraph but I would bring Swinton, Hannigan into the 6 role and Bobby V to 8
28 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can still get in to the Play Off’s. The imminent return of outstanding captain Scott Barrett and his All Black team mate Codie Taylor will be a big boost.There are others like Tamaiti Williams too. Two home games coming up. Fellow Crusader fans get there and support these guys. I will be.
2 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
3 Go to commentsWhy not let the media decide. Like how they choose the head coach. Like most of us we entrust the rugby system to choose. A rugby team includes the coaches. It's collective.
14 Go to commentsHi NIck, I have been very impressed with him and he seems a smart player who can see opportunities which Bobby V _(who must be an international 6_) doesn’t see or have the speed to take advantage of. If he continues to improve and puts on 5kgs then he could be a great 8. He is a bit taller than Keiran Reid at 1.93m and 111 kgs, so his skill set fits his body size and who knows where it will lead. I hope the spate of Achilles tendon issues have been dealt with by the S&C people. It’s been a very long time since Mark Loane and Kefu stood out at 8. The question is will we be able to hold onto him, if he does make it he will be pretty hot property. I disagree with the idea of letting them go to the Northern Hemisphere and then bring them back.
28 Go to commentsBilly Fulton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 garrrmon not even close
14 Go to comments