Champions Cup XV of the Week - Round 5
The penultimate round of the Heineken Champions Cup pool stage didn’t bring too many shocks, but it did bring plenty of absorbing and compelling rugby.
Munster got the ball rolling with a dominant victory over Gloucester, giving them control of Pool 2, whilst Leinster and Ulster continued the good weekend for the provinces with victories over previously undefeated sides that gave Leinster similar control of Pool 2 and put Ulster into prime position for a best runners-up spot.
Exeter Chiefs kept their hopes alive with a bonus point win over Castres, Montpellier and Edinburgh moved themselves into likely quarter-finals and Saracens maintained their 100% record in this season’s competition with a win over Lyon, and are now the only side left to boast such a record.
Below is our pick of the top performers from the 10 games this weekend.
(*) denotes RugbyPass index score.
- Jack Nowell, Exeter Chiefs (84)
A performance that should delight Exeter and England fans equally, with the livewire full-back scoring a great solo try and consistently tormenting Castres on the counter-attack. He was a nightmare for Castres defenders to track and anytime he planted his feet and straightened up, he was more often than not leaving a would-be tackler grasping at thin air. Positioned himself well defensively, too.
Silver – Frans Steyn, Montpellier (83)
Bronze – Alex Goode, Saracens (88)
- Darcy Graham, Edinburgh (80)
The former Scotland U20 and sevens star had an unenviable match-up against one Julian Savea on Saturday, but emerged from the clash with all of the bragging rights. Graham’s pace was tough for Toulon to contain and he linked up well with his back three teammate, Blair Kinghorn. He kept Savea under wraps well, too, with the Kiwi unable to make the most of the size advantage he boasts over the Scotsman.
Silver – Adam Byrne, Leinster (86)
Bronze – Owen Lane, Cardiff Blues (67)
- Kieron Fonotia, Scarlets (78)
Fonotia ran rampant through the Leicester defence on Saturday afternoon, creating and utilising space with his feet and his hands. He broke through Tigers’ defensive line multiple times and was often aware enough to know where his support was and composed enough to execute the pass or the offload. He also helped shut down Leicester’s ability to get wide with good line-speed and decision-making.
? @scarlets_rugby dominated @LeicesterTigers at home ? scoring a number of free-flowing 5?? pointers ??
A breath-taking team move which started from deep in their own half put the Welsh side up 24-0 ?
Another #ChampionsCup belter from a blockbuster weekend ? pic.twitter.com/fmpd37CqOG
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 13, 2019
Silver – Nick Tompkins, Saracens (84)
Bronze – Henry Slade, Exeter Chiefs (74)
- Rory Scannell, Munster (86)
A Swiss army knife of a performance from Scannell, who didn’t necessarily excel in any one particular area, but provided Munster with exactly what they needed at just the right time. His passing was accurate and crisp, allowing Munster to get around the corner when the opportunities presented themselves, whilst he straightened the line when it looked as if the province might be beginning to crab. He didn’t run riot through the Gloucester midfield himself but set up his teammates to succeed in the subsequent phases.
Silver – Yvan Reilhac, Montpellier (69)
Bronze – Henry Chavancy, Racing 92 (80)
- Jacob Stockdale, Ulster (84)
The wing crucially swooped to grab two tries and seal victory for his side, who are now in with a very good chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the competition. Racing controlled Ulster for much of their game at the Kingspan and created more scoring opportunities than their hosts, but it was the clinical play of Stockdale and a number of others that allowed Ulster to profit, despite being put under considerable pressure.
?? More glory for the Irish provinces as @ulster handed @racing92 their first #ChampionsCup loss of the tournament ??
?? And this man…well this man simply can't stop scoring ??@JacobStockdale taking things into his own hands with another humdinger from half-way ? pic.twitter.com/q2WPtw5k7O
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 13, 2019
Silver – Cheslin Kolbe, Toulouse (91)
Bronze – Steff Evans, Scarlets (82)
- Joey Carbery, Munster (88)
The Ireland fly-half contributed 26 points at Kingsholm, the most of any opposing player at the ground in the professional era, with two tries complementing 16 points from the boot. He was in rampant form, shredding the Gloucester defence with his passing, running and kicking. He manipulated and utilised space exceptionally all evening long and showed an almost telepathic chemistry with his teammates.
After scoring one in the first half and before grabbing his second of the evening, @JoeyCarbery put this delightful kick through to set up Andrew Conway ? ???
How dynamic were @Munsterrugby as they powered past @gloucesterrugby? ?#ChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/Jc75dWxMca
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 12, 2019
Silver – Johan Goosen, Montpellier (75)
Bronze – Ross Byrne, Leinster (89)
- Conor Murray, Munster (78)
Murray was the perfect foil to Carbery’s exuberant and energetic play among the back line. The scrum-half turned his box-kicks into an art form at Kingsholm, putting enough hang time on for his players to successfully compete for the ball, as well as measuring the distance perfectly, forcing the Gloucester back three to have to travel to attempt to receive the kick. He harassed Callum Braley extremely proficiently, too, as well as mixing up his play from the rucks, blending a cocktail of miss-passes, one-out runners and occasional darts around the fringes.
Silver – Luke McGrath, Leinster (83)
Bronze – Antoine Dupont, Toulouse (89)
- Dave Kilcoyne, Munster (89)
The Munster theme continues at loosehead, with Kilcoyne having his way with the Gloucester scrum on Friday evening. The Irishman tore into Fraser Balmain and put the Cherry and White set-piece under all kinds of pressure. His work in the lineout was impressive, too, and he was a key part of giving the rest of his side a solid platform from which to hurt Gloucester with front-foot ball, as well as on the scoreboard.
Silver – Grégory Fichten, Montpellier (69)
Bronze – Pierre Schoeman, Edinburgh (79)
- Stuart McInally, Edinburgh (86)
Toulon might not be the force they used to be but visiting teams to the Mayol still need to be very efficient and that’s just what McInally provided. His lineout throwing was almost faultless, and he was consistently a willing carrier in the tight, helping tie in the Toulon defence before the Scottish side would go wide in the next phase and find space to run into.
Silver – Sean Cronin, Leinster (89)
Bronze – Grant Stewart, Glasgow Warriors (76)
- Jannie du Plessis, Montpellier (68)
There is still life left in the old dog yet, as du Plessis went to work on the Newcastle scrum at the GGL Stadium. He showed plenty of his ability at the contact area, too, muddying Newcastle ball and denying them the quick service they needed to try and catch Montpellier off-guard defensively.
Silver – Stephen Archer, Munster (84)
Bronze – WP Nel, Edinburgh (82)
- Scott Fardy, Leinster (91)
A performance from the Australian that will give the Leinster coaches selection dilemmas. His opportunities have been limited this season due to the form of James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park and the foreign player rules the Irish provinces have to operate under, but he was everywhere against Toulouse. His contributions at the set-piece, at the breakdown and as a physical carrier and tackler around the fringes were all excellent.
Silver – Nico Janse van Rensburg, Montpellier (84)
Bronze – Joe Launchbury, Wasps (73)
- Tadhg Beirne, Munster (92)
Beirne was a constant threat at the lineout, helping to disrupt any sort of platform that Gloucester tried to build at the set-piece. He also raided the contact area and made ball security as difficult for Gloucester in the loose as it was at the set-piece. He combined excellently with Peter O’Mahoney in the first half and then became tormentor-in-chief when the flank left the game early in the second half.
Silver – Leone Nakarawa, Racing 92 (81)
Bronze – Jonny Hill, Exeter Chiefs (87)
- Rhys Ruddock, Leinster (83)
A busy performance from Ruddock, who excelled alongside Fardy in doing the dirty jobs well and allowing other players in the Leinster side to flourish around him. He kept Leinster moving forward, battled physically at the breakdown and was able to make more than one tackle that drove the ball-carrier back on the gain-line.
Silver – Taulupe Faleatu, Bath (65)
Bronze – Ryan Wilson, Glasgow Warriors (82)
- Hamish Watson, Edinburgh (85)
Watson dovetailed nicely with his fellow back rowers in the south of France, bringing the work rate in the defensive line and at the breakdown that allowed his teammates to prosper in other areas. He was a thorn in Toulon’s side at the contact area, slowing down their ball, as well as bringing a ruthless efficiency on the clear-out, allowing Edinburgh to play at pace and with a tempo that Toulon were not comfortable with.
Silver – Jordi Murphy, Ulster (74)
Bronze – Schalk Burger, Saracens (77)
- Viliame Mata, Edinburgh (81)
The remarkable offload (below) is what will get the headlines from Mata’s outing at the Mayol, but in the context of a full, 80-minute performance, there were few more impressive than Mata this weekend. The Fijian was a force with ball in hand and delivered all the front-foot ball Edinburgh needed to control their contest with Toulon. Despite the audacity of said offload, this was actually one of Mata’s more reserved showings, in terms of attempting to keep phases alive.
Big Vili Style. pic.twitter.com/jO4YrYJv6V
— Alex Shaw (@alexshawsport) January 12, 2019
Silver – Marcell Coetzee, Ulster (77)
Bronze – Deon Fourie, Lyon (69)
Watch: New Blue Bulls hooker Schalk Brits speaks after coming out of retirement.
Comments on RugbyPass
Beaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
2 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
2 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
10 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
10 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
14 Go to comments