New format and English success breathe life into Champions Cup – Andy Goode
Reports of the death of the Champions Cup are greatly exaggerated, organisers have nailed the format, English clubs had their most successful weekend ever and it’s back with a bang.
The issues with the competition have been overstated in some quarters anyway but I think the new format is spot on and we’ll see a competitive and high quality pool stage followed by the elongated knockout stage we’ve all grown to love.
The old structure of six pools of four produced too many dead rubbers and the past few seasons of two pools of 12 was too convoluted but I think this is as good a system as you can come up with for a 24-team competition.
All four pools are stacked with quality, with Pool D obviously standing out as a group of death, the opening round demonstrated just how tight it’s going to be in the battle for qualification and only half of the games were won by the home team.
Almost everyone was writing off the English clubs’ chances due to the financial issues in the Premiership and the budgets they have to work with compared to the likes of Leinster and most of the big Top 14 sides so it was phenomenal to see them have their best round ever collectively.
Never before have seven of them won in the same round of the Champions Cup and nobody would have picked Saracens to be the only one not to do so. They have Connacht and Lyon coming to the StoneX so I still expect them to make it through and, with the others all having a win on the board already, we might even see every single English side in the Round of 16.
Sale and Leicester are probably up against it the most with the quality of opposition they have to come in Pool D and bonus points will prove pivotal across the competition but it looks as if we might well see the best ever English representation in the knockout stages.
We should be allowed to bask in the glory of that opening round but, of course, the Premiership clubs do have smaller squads than some of the teams they’re up against so might find it tougher when carrying a few more injuries in January.
The opening two rounds have arguably come at the perfect time for the English because, whilst they do come hot on the heels of eight consecutive rounds of domestic action, a lot of internationals have had a bit of time off after the World Cup and returned to inject a new lease of life into them.
That is very much how a lot of the bigger URC sides have been able to approach the Champions Cup over the years and I do think some of the French teams will bounce back but the sheer number of games they have to play might count against them.
Top 14 clubs have dominated in recent seasons but they still have to play potentially 29 games in their domestic competition, whereas Premiership outfits now face the prospect of a maximum of 20 so should be able to attack the Champions Cup more.
I think there will always be a thought process in sport whereby the teams with the most money will rise to the top and we may see the English clubs knocked out before the semi-finals and final but the fact that they’ve made such a positive start has silenced some critics.
The rugby on the pitch across the opening eight rounds of the Premiership has been thrilling with so many young players coming to the fore, which we’re going to see more and more with smaller squads and comparatively lower budgets, and seeing that translate onto an even bigger stage was great to see.
All the winners prevailed in different ways as well with Harlequins dazzling on the perfect surface for them in Paris against the Top 14 leaders, Exeter grinding it out at a Toulon team that’s second in the French league and Northampton doing a bit of both at Scotstoun.
Quins’ win at Racing 92 was probably the pick of the bunch but Glasgow had lost just one of their last 22 home games prior to Friday night so that was a hell of an achievement for Fin Smith and co.
Bath looked exceptional again in despatching Ulster and they do have Racing 92 and Toulouse to face in the last couple of rounds but they could effectively seal their place in the knockout stage if they can get a bonus point win in Cardiff on Saturday.
I don’t think there’s any way in a million years we’ll see another seven English victories this weekend but I think at least one will win on the road and I’m predicting five triumphs for Premiership clubs in the second round of action.
Everybody loves to hate the English but everyone loves an underdog as well, which you have to say they are at least financially at the moment, so a few people will feel a bit conflicted about how well they did.
Surely nobody would disagree it’s exciting to see young talent thriving, stepping up a level and playing with freedom though. The Premiership has shown it’s in fantastic health on the field, we just need the off-field element to catch up a bit as well.
Comments on RugbyPass
Yeah nah he comes across as a funny bloke, but that stopped abruptly after the Nutcracker Prince debacle✋
1 Go to commentsAt this point I can’t watch him without thinking he’s a dirty slimebag. He should have been banned for the same amount of time that Quinn was out. It took Tupaea near on a fricking year to get fit enough to play again and his leg will never be the same. The other crap thing is that he was at ABs level and now he has to claw his way back there when he could have had several games under his belt.
4 Go to commentsThe Black Ferns 7’s have been without Captain Sarah Hirini now since Dec 23 in Dubai where she suffered a bad ACL injury - hopefully she is on the road to recovery for Madrid and Paris. Now also have Tyler King and Shiray kaka on the Injured List but the Team still found a way to win in Singapore and claim the overall Title.
1 Go to commentsUtter grub, hope he gets his leg broken. Shocking he is still playing after intentionally breaking quinn tupaeas knee
4 Go to commentsGreat to see NZ 7s teams finally coming into form and playing at the level that is expected of them.
2 Go to commentsChief Cheapshot on the market again.
4 Go to commentsCrusaders went all in to buy Hotham and Kemara staight from Hamilton Boys. Then they picked up Reihana and Hohepa; all have been dropped for superstar Havili, who is a very good fullback, that’s it. Ennor and Goodhue were schoolboy stars too but went backwards at the Crusaders. Maybe they have finally decided to give another poach Levi Aumua the ball?
13 Go to commentsJoe S has some talent to pick from. The Reds loosies look the best in Super? Aus might just give Razor a headache this year. Int. experience v Cantab greenhorn:) Should be fun.
13 Go to commentsEnd to end play, “THE FANS” this game was entertainment of the best. The conditions added to the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsSorry to say, but sadly the sadas were just ordinary and havilli at 10 as an abs selection just won’t cut it. He’s better suited in the centre’s and is a victim of past charge down kicks, he’s too slow under pressure. There’s better talent further north and I don’t mean dmac however I believe razor will sort him out. A feature of his presents on the park is the fact that the guys will follow him.
13 Go to commentsMarler was brilliant throughout both in the scrum and open play. His slap made virtually no contact with Ramos who milked it for a penalty when he could have been a decent sportsman and laughed it off, it was non-violent and shouldn't have been penalised. Smith failed repeatedly to kick when necessary and put up a couple of bombs into the TLS 22 that just handed back possession at key moments to the other side.
3 Go to commentsCros was outstanding and rightly awarded France TVs player of the match award. Mallia was brilliant as usual (the y is below the 6 on a UK keyboard and he deserves better than that). Level also seems to have been scored harshly as he walked the ball into touch under pressure from a Lynagh kick from well outside his own half which should never have led to a 50-22. Agree with BullShark that Dupont, while class at times, seemed to go missing for patches in the second half with props, hookers and wings frequently filling in at 9 as he couldn't get off the deck and up to the next ruck on time. A 7 by his standards at best, his kicking was also too long, too often. Kinghorn's overall contribution was worth well more than a five.
4 Go to commentsThe Harlequins team must be in minus figures. Did the reporter actually watch the game?
4 Go to commentsHow on earth did Walker escape a red card? Not dangerous? Dupont has his face in a mask earlier this season. Shocking decision. What is the point of TMOs? We had the Fassi ‘non-penalty try’ yesterday and now this.
2 Go to commentsCould have been a different result but yet again French tv able to affect the result by not showing the very clear high shot on harlequin centre if this would have been on a French player would have been on screen at least five times
3 Go to commentsAmazing. The losing team’s ratings are higher than the winning team’s. Mallia definitely didn’t deserve a y. What game were you watching? Should have got a w or an x. ADP hardly featured in that second half. At one point I wondered when he’d been subbed. Seems to me as if he gets an automatic 9 just for getting onto the team sheet.
4 Go to commentsI’m sorry. That second half was far from enthralling. It was painful to watch.
2 Go to commentsVery generous! If you’d missed the game, reading this you’d conclude that it was the Quins front row that cost them the game. Marler getting a blanket 6 for his demented contribution to the game. Puzzling.
3 Go to commentsCan’t see Toulouse beating Leinster at this rate.
7 Go to commentsADP was having a very average game until winning that penalty for Toulouse, sticking his big head in the way. “The head of God”?
7 Go to comments