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Clermont Are White Hot as the Champions Cup Returns
As European Champions Cup rugby returns to give fans an early Christmas present, James Harrington reveals the tournament’s on-fire teams – and the ones that need a fire lit under them.
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The Champions Cup returns to give the northern hemisphere’s rugby calendar a distinctly European flavour for the next fortnight, with all 20 teams preparing for a home-and-away double header against one opponent from their pool.
As the competition enters its key pre-Christmas third and fourth rounds, the question is which sides are in the box seat for a place in the knockout phase of the competition – and are there any surprising teams at risk of an early exit?
Who’s Hot
Clermont: Ten points after two rounds says it all. A blip against Pau in the Top 14 last weekend, when they lost by five points and the odd touchdown in a nine-try, 75-point thriller, gives other teams a hint of a hope, but just a hint. They face Ulster twice in the next two weeks, starting in Belfast, a city they have visited only once previously (and lost), and will be looking for a minimum of six points over the next two matches to put at least one foot in the knockout phase. The French side have already beaten Exeter Chiefs and Bordeaux-Begles in Pool Five and have won their last five European outings against Irish sides – four against Munster and one against Leinster.
Saracens: The defending champions took Toulon apart at Stade Mayol in the opening round of the tournament, following up with a bonus-point home win over Scarlets. The Premiership leaders are at home in the first leg of their double-header against 10th-placed Sale. Like Clermont, they will be looking to pick up at least of six points from the next two games. Eight, nine or 10 would seem even more likely, given current form and confidence at both sides.
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Who’s Just Warming Up
Toulon: The Toulon that will take to the Stade Mayol pitch against Scarlets this weekend is a very different animal to the one that hobbled through the first two rounds of the tournament in October. In the backroom, Diego Dominguez has been relieved of his duties and replaced by Mike Ford. The change has been almost instantaneous. The nervy and uncertain Toulon that started the season has been replaced by a more adventurous, more confident side. They still do not have the swagger of a couple of seasons ago, but they’re on the way back. Scarlets, their opponents over the next two matches, beware.
Munster: The untimely death of Munster legend Anthony Foley shortly before they were due to open their Champions Cup account against Racing 92 in France means that two-time champions from southwest Ireland are a match behind pool one rivals Glasgow and Leicester in the tournament. Yet they are sitting at the top of the table, following a bonus-point victory over Glasgow in the second round of matches. They are at home again for the third round, when they welcome Leicester to Thomond Park, and with the spirit of Foley apparently watching over his beloved province, it will be hard to bet against them.
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Who’s Out Of It
Northampton: The Saints 100th European Cup match could not come at a much more difficult time. They are ninth in the league, have just lost the Midlands’ derby against Leicester, and their last European outing was a far from impressive 47-7 hammering at Castres Olympique. They may be only the 10th side to join the elite European 100 club – after Toulouse (152), Munster (151), Leinster (144), Leicester (140), Scarlets (131), Ulster (131), Cardiff Blues (114), Treviso (108) and Glasgow Warriors (105) – but they need a rapid turnaround in fortunes to escape from the foot of Pool Four. And it won’t be easy for Jim Mallinder’s side. Not only double-header opponents Leinster in better form right now, so are the other two Pool Four rivals, Montpellier and Castres who’ll be bashing lumps out of each other in France.
Zebre: Two matches. Two defeats. Three tries scored and 20 conceded. A points difference of -113 … and a rejuvenated Toulouse at home and away in the next week or so. Enough said.
Comments on RugbyPass
Proctor Definitely inform again this year had a hell of a season last year and this year is looking even better. Still mixed feelings about Ioane tho.
4 Go to commentsDagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
4 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
4 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly'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.
4 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.)
3 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.
38 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
2 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 comments