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Leicester Tigers' very mediocre record against Ulster and 16 other European rugby factoids
It’s a big semi-final weekend in Europe, with eight teams vying to make four spots across the two EPCR tournament finals after what has been a chaotic 14 months for the game.
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Organisers have released their preview notes for the weekend, and they make for interesting reading for stats nerds and casual fans alike.
HEINEKEN CHAMPIONS CUP
1 – Leinster have played four of their 11 semi-finals to date in France, winning once against ASM Clermont Auvergne in 2012, but losing the other three.
2 – Ugo Mola, a winner with Toulouse in 1996, is in line to emulate Leinster’s Leo Cullen who is currently the only person to have won the tournament both as a player and as a Head Coach. Although Ali Hepher, who won with Northampton Saints in 2000, is the Exeter Chiefs’ Head Coach, he is the club’s No 2 behind Rob Baxter. Similarly, Ronan O’Gara, a winner with Munster in 2006 and 2008, is currently the No 2 at La Rochelle to Director of Rugby, Jono Gibbes.
3- With Bordeaux-Bègles and La Rochelle both qualifying for the penultimate stage for the first time, Toulouse will be appearing in their 13th semi-final and Leinster Rugby their 12th. Munster Rugby hold the appearance record with 14.
4 – Three French clubs have qualified for the semi-finals for the first time since 2004/05 and Toulouse v Bordeaux-Bègles is the first all-French match at the penultimate since that season when Stade Francais Paris defeated Biarritz Olympique.
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5- The in-form Bordeaux-Bègles fly-half, Matthieu Jalibert, is this season’s leading scorer so far with 63 points. Jalibert has also made the most offloads with 10.
6- Ronan O’Gara holds the record for the most points scored in tournament semi-finals with 123 for Munster from 10 matches.
7 – Toulouse have played six semi-finals on French soil winning four but losing to Brive in 1998 on try count, as well as to Munster in 2000.
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8 – Cameron Woki of Bordeaux-Bègles is this season’s leading line out exponent with 20 won including three steals.
CHALLENGE CUP
9 – Leicester Tigers and Ulster Rugby are both bidding to emulate the four clubs to date – Bath Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Northampton Saints and Wasps – who have won the coveted double of the Challenge Cup and the European Cup.
10 – Leicester Tigers’ Director of Rugby, Steve Borthwick, captained Bath to Challenge Cup success in 2008.
11 – Ulster fly-half, Billy Burns, and his back-up, Ian Madigan, as well as teammates John Cooney and Jack McGrath, are all Challenge Cup winners. Madigan and McGrath started for Leinster Rugby in the 2013 final against Stade Francais Paris while Cooney was a replacement, and Burns was also a replacement for Gloucester Rugby against Edinburgh Rugby in 2015.
12 – Bath and Montpellier have met twice before in the Challenge Cup with Bath winning both pool matches in the 2006/07 season.
13 – On the only other occasion in 2016 that Montpellier reached the semi-final, they went on to lift the trophy.
14 – Bath will be appearing in a semi-final for the seventh time in their history. The 2008 tournament winners have won four matches at the penultimate stage and lost two.
15 – Leicester Tigers’ South African back row, Jasper Wiese, has beaten the most defenders so far this season with 18.
16 – Bryan Redpath, whose son Cameron could start for Bath against Montpellier on Saturday evening, captained Sale Sharks to success in the 2002 final.
17 – Leicester and Ulster will be meeting for the first time in the Challenge Cup. The clubs have played one another 10 times in Europe’s top flight with Ulster ahead by seven wins to three.
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
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