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Premiership CupLeinsterSaracensStephen Jones

Controversial columnist Stephen Jones makes claim that's certain to upset Leinster fans

Leinster

Sunday Times columnist Stephen Jones is not one to shy away from issuing a strong opinion, even when it appears to fly in the face of popular opinion or even recent history.

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Numerous Jones’ articles have invoked the ire of New Zealanders, but he’s also fond of the odd jab at the Irish too.

His latest dig came in the wake of Saracens’ Premiership Final 27 – 10 victory over the Exeter Chiefs at Twickenham. Jones believes the newly crowned Premiership winners would beat Leinster, and by a solid margin too.

Continue reading below…

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The fact that Jones makes the claim despite Leinster dispatching Saracens comfortably just weeks earlier in the quarter-final of the European Champions Cup will rankle with some. Leinster went on to win that competition, all before being crowned the Pro14 Champions, after beating the Scarlets yesterday in the Aviva Stadium.

The Irish province became the first team outside of England and France to combine domestic glory with the continent’s top honour by overcoming the defending champions, who beat Leinster in the semi-finals en route to last year’s crown.

Asked by a fan on Twitter however, who would win should this Saracens team play Leinster and Jones was swift with a response: “Sarries by 12”.

And he was quick to point out that was ‘minimum’ scoreline before suggesting ‘easily, maybe more’.

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RugbyPass columnist and former Ireland backrow Neil Best RT’d his claim, with the words “Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

Jones described Best’s RT as pompous, before dismissing a suggestion by another Tweeter that Leinster were the best club side in the Northern Hemisphere as ‘nothing like’ the sort.

What has changed over the course of the lasts two months to suggest Saracens are now a significantly better team than Leinster and that a match between the sides would play out differently?

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You’ll have to ask Stephen Jones.

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Comments on RugbyPass

C
CB 27 minutes ago
Bulls player ratings vs Glasgow | 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup

Yeah that'll be the Glasgow player on the floor with 2 Bulls players with hands on him? Yeah he's clearly the instigator! What a bizarre take!

Bulls really were due a yellow earlier in the half, it was what, 5 or 6 new penalty advantages while under penalty advantage on their 5 metre line before McDowall scored. Then again later in the half, similar situation. But yeah, the Bulls were hard done by.



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3 Go to comments
J
J Marc 35 minutes ago
'You're better than that': Henry Pollock involved in multiple incidents with Castres

If he will be picked…

17 Go to comments
E
Eric Elwood 1 hour ago
'You're better than that': Henry Pollock involved in multiple incidents with Castres

Abusing and mocking opposition fans is actually outlawed in rugby, the same law that bans players abusing officials. So it is not “perfectly fine”.

Soccer have given players suspensions for this kind of behaviour. It is high time for rugby to apply its own laws.



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17 Go to comments
E
Ed the Duck 1 hour ago
Toulouse hunt Bears to European extinction, Glasgow slaughter Bulls

So Bullshit all round then Eric…???🤣🤣🤣

2 Go to comments
E
Ed the Duck 1 hour ago
Bulls player ratings vs Glasgow | 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup

Wasn’t there an Irish team that paddled their way across the dyke today and couldn’t be bothered too?

3 Go to comments
E
Ed the Duck 1 hour ago
'You're better than that': Henry Pollock involved in multiple incidents with Castres

He did alter prendergast’s name to Prendergassed…

17 Go to comments
E
Ed the Duck 1 hour ago
'You're better than that': Henry Pollock involved in multiple incidents with Castres

Care to name any of the “bigots” the school you refer to has a reputation for producing?

Nah, thought not…



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A
Andrew Nichols 1 hour ago
Chiefs vs Waratahs takes: The Chiefs' big question, little brother syndrome

I still see their slow ruck clearance as the biggest weakness. They get on a roll then it sedms to take an age for the 9 to dig the ball out and thus the defence has all the time to get set. The Canes dont seem to suffer this.

2 Go to comments
J
Jannie Aus 1 hour ago
'You're better than that': Henry Pollock involved in multiple incidents with Castres

Be warned Pollock. Your worth will be exposed against the Boks in July.

17 Go to comments
E
Eric Elwood 1 hour ago
Toulouse hunt Bears to European extinction, Glasgow slaughter Bulls

Glasgow “slaughtered” Bulls?

At 22-21 Hastings overhit a restart horribly with the ball landing on the Bulls goal line and a huge wind looking set to help the Ball the 8 metres to touch on the hard ping pong surface. With a freakish bounce it bounced backwards! Otherwise, that would have been a centre field scrum back and a certain pen to Bulls and a likely win.



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NHinSH 1 hour ago
'You're better than that': Henry Pollock involved in multiple incidents with Castres

It’s called a celebration, which happens across pretty much every sport, often a lot more full on than anything he or others in rugby do. Crowds give it to players all game, a little return fire is perfectly fine, see Finn Russell at Kingsholme

If all of this is your idea of bigotry I don't think you understand the meaning of the word.



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Eric Elwood 2 hours ago
Bulls player ratings vs Glasgow | 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup

Hard luck Bulls I was supporting them today and fellow URC team Stormers also. Glasgow are doing a little Welsh impression with the onfield winding up. They knew they were in safe hands with Brousset. The penalty leading to the last try was case in point. The Scottish player on the ground grabbed the Bulls player above him with both hands on the jersey. The Glasgow player smiled and wouldn’t let it go. The Bull tried to shake him off, and a mellee ensued. The correct call should have been a reversal of the penalty as a Glasgow player was the point of origin, but Brousset penalized Bulls an extra 10 metres which allows Glasgow kick close to the Bulls line and eventually score.

Bulls will be wiser next time and Toulon won’t be fooled by those tricks.



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Eric Elwood 2 hours ago
Feinberg-Mngomezulu criticism: 'That's certainly something Rassie Erasmus will look at'

I agree around the issue with English referee “Teams”. Also all English referees appear to referee very similarly and poorly. I wonder if they have a whatsapp group for ref chats!

The EPRC is a great torunament. I am sorry fellow URC teams Stormers nor Bulls won today but they turned up and look like they have the bug now. I thought Feinberg should have sat in the drop goal pocket to make the try easier at the end. Stormers should have made sure.



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Eric Elwood 2 hours ago
'You're better than that': Henry Pollock involved in multiple incidents with Castres

He mocked Irish (Leinster) supporters in the Champions Cup semi final after scoring his tries. As mocking opposition supporters is actually banned in most sport (including rugby) its not clear how complaining about it is putting world sport in trouble.

He is from an English public school which are notorious for rac1st, bigotted cultures. Now he is abusing foreign players and supporters. I think we can put 2 and 2 to get 4 here and conclude that Pollock has sponged the bigotry being learned at his privileged toff school.



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Eric Elwood 2 hours ago
'You're better than that': Henry Pollock involved in multiple incidents with Castres

He is clearly targeting French and Irish (aka foreign) teams. He has a 50k per annum education at a very privileged, very upper class, very white Public school which have a reputation for producing bigots. I am not sure what other equations are to be drawn from his behaviour. Again he is causing his team damage. See the final last year. Short term his behaviour may be beneficial in a combat sport as you say.

This is a team sport though. You would imagine between England and France a certain amount of basic respect would be required.



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Eric Elwood 2 hours ago
Gio Aplon fears Erasmus decision may see Boks suffer same fate as fallen football giants

Happy to keep my distance. Keep yours.

53 Go to comments
D
DS 2 hours ago
Feinberg-Mngomezulu criticism: 'That's certainly something Rassie Erasmus will look at'

Dobson is doing the right thing bringing him off the bench but maybe he should try getting him on earlier at inside centre to Matthee. But maybe he shouldn't bother to play him in this twisted EPRC kak if there's going to be rubbish pommie ref ‘teams’. At Bok level he's already shown that he's very competent at flyhalf probably thanks to the quality of the team generally where he doesn't have to try too hard.

2 Go to comments
J
Jvc Hasasay 2 hours ago
Beauden Barrett on the difference between All Blacks' 'golden era' and today

There's way more rules than back in the day. I get they’re trying to avoid concussions and unnecessary injuries but the TMO involvement or interferance needs a lot of work to avoid frustration and turning viewers off rugby. They should only speak when the ref asks for their report back and not before.

2 Go to comments
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NHinSH 3 hours ago
'You're better than that': Henry Pollock involved in multiple incidents with Castres

What has he done to the Irish? Absolutely nothing

If a wee celebration is bigotry then sport worldwide is in trouble



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unknown 3 hours ago
'You're better than that': Henry Pollock involved in multiple incidents with Castres

Sounds like Pollock is living in your mind rent free. That’s the whole point of his bravado to get under the skin. It’s a tactic, and one commonly used in combat sports to draw your opponents into making mistakes. Also do you have any evidence he is a bigot as that’s a pretty serious accusation to be throwing around!

17 Go to comments
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