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Champions Cup XV of the Week - Round 2
The first block of Heineken Champions Cup fixtures of the 2018/19 season are in the books and Saracens, Racing 92 and, perhaps less expectedly, Newcastle Falcons all continued their perfect records heading into the next set of games in December.
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Among the more noteworthy performances this week was Leicester Tigers’ bounce-back, 45-27, win against the Scarlets, a result which significantly diminishes the Scarlets’ hopes in the tournament, as well as Castres’ resilient 29-25 victory over Exeter Chiefs, a match in which the French side were reduced to 14 men for 43 minutes.
We have rounded up the most impressive players across another busy weekend of European rugby.
- Simon Zebo, Racing 92
After a competitive start to the game, Racing began to cut loose against Ulster and the incisive Zebo was at the forefront of the Parisians’ efforts. Zebo’s dancing feet lit up the U Arena and, in a game as loose as the one with Ulster was, he was the perfect full-back to bring linebreaks and link up with Racing’s dangerous threats out wide.
Silver: Alex Goode, Saracens
Bronze: Gareth Anscombe, Cardiff Blues
- Darcy Graham, Edinburgh
In a week when Christian Wade left rugby and concerns were raised about whether or not it is still a game for all shapes and sizes, Graham put down a marker to show Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend that is still is. The former Scotland U20 standout shone opposite none other than Julian Savea and caused the 54-times capped All Black plenty of problems at Murrayfield.
Silver: Semesa Rokoduguni, Bath
Bronze: Liam Williams, Saracens
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Watch: Darren Cave discusses his Irish and British identity, as well the anthems at Ireland games.
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- Manu Tuilagi, Leicester Tigers
This display shouldn’t come as a surprise given the flashes he showed in Belfast last weekend, but if you’re of the Leicester or England persuasion, you can be quietly optimistic that Tuilagi is returning to something close to his best. The centre made some hard yards coming back in against the grain, but it was his work in the wider channels that really impressed, where he was able to run at space and break arm tackles.
Silver: Olivier Klemenczak, Racing 92
Bronze: Sofiane Guitoune, Toulouse
- Johnny Williams, Newcastle Falcons
The inside centre has taken his impressive Gallagher Premiership form into the Champions Cup, with back-to-back outstanding performances. A balanced running and passing game outside of Joel Hodgson kept the Montpellier defence guessing and Williams was consistent in his ability to spot gaps in the Top 14 side’s defence and keep Newcastle moving forward.
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Silver: Florian Vialelle, Castres
Bronze: Matt Scott, Edinburgh
- James Lowe, Leinster
On a day when Leinster were uncharacteristically flat for vast periods, Lowe provided a much-needed spark plug. In addition to the offensive skill he brought to the game, he also marshalled the dangerous threat of Cheslin Kolbe well and helped the reigning champions deal with the early Toulouse powerplay, despite ultimately falling to defeat.
Silver: Maxime Medard, Toulouse
Bronze: Jacob Stockdale, Ulster
- Finn Russell, Racing 92
The Scotsman continues to enjoy a high-flying start to his European career at the Parisian club, orchestrating a free-flowing and composed Racing performance against Ulster. He mixed up his game well, taking a number of opportunities to run with the ball, as well as getting the ball into the hands of his outside backs quickly and accurately. It was a display fitting of the bright lights of the U Arena.
The chip from @finn_russell and the finish from @TeddyThoms 😍
How good was this score from @racing92? #ChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/UEUxC5UnNe
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) October 21, 2018
Silver: Joey Carbery, Munster
Bronze: George Ford, Leicester Tigers
- Joe Simpson, Wasps
The performances of Dan Robson over the last couple of seasons have seen Simpson overshadowed somewhat in the West Midlands, but his outing against Bath showed that the scrum-half still has plenty to offer. Simpson had a hand in all five of Wasps tries at the Ricoh Arena, impressing with his support-running and the tempo that he brought to the game.
Silver: Gareth Davies, Scarlets
Bronze: Ben Spencer, Saracens
- Richard Barrington, Saracens
It’s next to impossible to replace a player like Mako Vunipola, but Barrington did as impressive of a job as you could expect. The loosehead tore into the Lyon scrum and gave Saracens a strong advantage in that area for the majority of the game. Without that foundation, Lyon struggled to build anything to consistently challenge Saracens with.
Silver: Guram Gogichashvili, Racing 92
Bronze: James Cronin, Munster
- Camille Chat, Racing 92
With the emerging Teddy Baubigny breathing down his neck, Chat responded emphatically on Saturday evening, making the hard yards and putting in the unseen work that allowed the dangerous Racing back line to thrive. The hooker was difficult for Ulster to stop on pick and goes and as a one-out runner, whilst his work clearing out at the breakdown was equally efficient.
Silver: Julien Marchand, Toulouse
Bronze: Jack Walker, Bath
- Dan Cole, Leicester Tigers
Other than a couple of soft penalties in the loose that blotted the copy sheet, Cole was in fine form at Welford Road on Friday night. He tore into Wyn Jones in an aggressive scrummaging performance, carried powerfully around the fringes and made himself a nuisance at the breakdown, both stealing and slowing Scarlets ball, as well as clearing out efficiently for Leicester.
Silver: WP Nel, Edinburgh
Bronze: Dan Kotze, Castres
- Steve Mafi, Castres
With Castres reduced to 14 men in the first half and having to defend doggedly for 43 minutes, Mafi gave the French side a valuable pressure valve, often breaking off powerful carries beyond the gain line and earning Castres some breathing room. He took his try well, too, dancing through five would-be Exeter tacklers, a score which helped take the game beyond the English side.
Steve Mafi behave – that step 😍
Was he the man of the match for @CastresRugby as they held on against @ExeterChiefs? #ChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/j5yZ9aXZUX
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) October 21, 2018
Silver: Harry Wells, Leicester Tigers
Bronze: Iain Henderson, Ulster
- Tadhg Beirne, Munster
The Munster lock was instrumental for his side for the second week running on Saturday, as he dealt superbly with the gritty work at the contact area. He was a constant threat to Gloucester’s ball security, carried strongly and made a nuisance of himself at the lineout, either stealing ball or disrupting Gloucester mauls.
Silver: Leone Nakarawa, Racing 92
Bronze: George Kruis, Saracens
- Maro Itoje, Saracens
If Beirne has been the physical spark up front for Munster over the first two weeks of competition, then Itoje has provided a similar role for Saracens. His try came from the flanker ripping the ball out of contact at the 40m line, before outrunning the entire Lyon team to the try line. His dynamism with ball in hand, as well as his usual contributions at the lineout, breakdown and in the defensive line, were what separated Itoje from the chasing pack this week.
Like taking candy from a baby 🍭👶@maroitoje was at his best for @Saracens against @LeLOURugby 💪
Was he your star man? #ChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/kEGIdzi3sO
— Investec Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) October 21, 2018
Silver: Blade Thomson, Scarlets
Bronze: Mark Wilson, Newcastle Falcons
- Hamish Watson, Edinburgh
Watson was in dynamic form against Toulon, flourishing in the loose against a pack that couldn’t live with his energy. His carries gouged the French side and he was busy in the defence, bringing enviable line speed and efficient one-on-one tackles, all the whilst making his typical impact at the contact area.
Silver: Thomas Young, Wasps
Bronze: Baptiste Delaporte, Castres
- Viliame Mata, Edinburgh
‘Big Bill’ is going from strength to strength in the Scottish capital and he simply looked like a man who is relishing his rugby in Edinburgh’s dismantling of former European heavyweights Toulon on Saturday. Mata was consistently able to break the gain-line at Murrayfield and his teammates were regularly in support, allowing him to free his arms and get the ball away.
Silver: Matt Fagerson, Glasgow Warriors
Bronze: Zach Mercer, Bath
Watch: Eddie Jones explains the Danny Cipriani omission from the England squad for the autumn internationals.
Comments on RugbyPass
If 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.
1 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
23 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.
1 Go to commentsCant get more Wellington than Proctor.
2 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.
23 Go to commentsBilly Fulton 🤣🤣🤣🤣 garrrmon not even close
14 Go to commentsDoes the AI take into account refs? hahaha Seriously why not have two on field refs to avoid bias?
24 Go to commentsVern challenging this Blues side might be the edge they need to fulfill their potential. Convincing results from strong D and strong carries are hard to argue against.
1 Go to commentsLove seems to add a strong back field defense with speed to close the gap and tackle to his ability to attack, kick and pass (an accurate long pass). This sets him an edge over some of the other names - JRK in particular. Has to be said that Jordan and Stevenson have also been exposed defensively while Love has yet to face test match intensity. Spoilt for choice.
1 Go to comments