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Story-packed opening Champions Cup weekend provides a rugby boost
Despite the chaos brought about by COVID-19 the Heineken Champions Cup has filled our screens with some brilliant action during the course of its opening weekend.
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With this year’s competition featuring only four pool stage games ahead of a two-legged round of 16 getting off to a winning start was an essential priority while some gripping stories also emerged.
Channel Four hit the jackpot
With director of rugby Dai Young and 41 other squad and staff members watching from a COVID isolation hotel near Crawley Cardiff seemed to have little chance of turning over reigning champions Toulouse.
And this did eventually prove to be the case as the French giants left an atmospheric Arms Park with a 39-7 success.
But the cobbled-together underdogs, whose line-up featured several young hopefuls and on-loan semi-pros, first put in a characterful display which saw a Josh Adams try give them an early lead.
And things were then topped off when 2021 EPCR European Player of the Year and man-of-the-moment Antoine Dupont went on to inspire his team to a comfortable win.
Just what the doctor ordered for club and regional rugby in Wales where the watching terrestrial TV audience were royally entertained.
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Leicester’s revival is the real deal
Should any doubts have persisted regarding the longer-term sustainability of Leicester’s unbeaten start to the season they were surely blown away by their battling 13-16 win in Bordeaux.
In exactly the type of clash upon which the Heineken Cup has built its reputation the clubs currently sitting top of the English Premiership and the French Top 14 locked horns at the Stade Chaban Delmas.
And following a tight encounter it was Steve Borthwick’s Tigers who extended their winning start to the season to ten games courtesy of George Ford’s late match-clinching penalty.
With a double-header against Connacht to follow before Bordeaux make the return trip to Welford Road, the former giants of English rugby are short-priced favourites to clinch a top seeding for the competition’s knock-out stages.
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1?? 8?? missing for Wasps
3?? 4?? missing for Munster
Then COVID strikes again…#reslilient #theshowmustgoon https://t.co/ZVfCKvmvZ9— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 13, 2021
The Munster spirit is alive and well
Ronan O’Gara kicking the Munstermen to Heineken Cup success was once a staple diet for Irish rugby followers.
In more recent times Leinster have overtaken the men from Limerick on the European stage but – with COVID-19 again providing the back-story – Munster were back in the headlines this weekend.
Like Cardiff Johann van Graan’s side were depleted, missing 34 squad members because of quarantine measures, following their recent ill-fated United Rugby Championship trip to South Africa.
But they rallied to get their European campaign off to an excellent start with a comfortable 14-35 away win in Coventry against a Wasps side whose seemingly annual injury woes were further compounded by a COVID outbreak and the 25th minute sending off of Brad Shields.
In another parallel with Cardiff, the result has sparked a joyous reaction much of which centres on the involvement of young players who are usually seen performing in the All-Ireland League.
Harlequins show their resilience.
The English champions won their title with some superb attacking rugby and that approach has continued to typify their approach this term.
However, Tabai Matson’s side showed they also have plenty of backbone by claiming an extremely hard fought 18-20 success in South West France.
Castres have a formidable reputation at the intimidating Stade Pierre Farbres where they were unbeaten in the Heineken Champions Cup since early 2015.
But tries from Alex Dombrandt and Louis Lynagh plus ten points from the boot of Marcus Smith allowed Quins to hold off a late comeback from their hosts.
The English champions now face a double-header against Cardiff before Castres – who first have to twice face Munster – visit the Stoop. Like Leicester, a strong qualification for the last 16 already beckons.
He's back in international rugby! ???https://t.co/LTCUXplefy
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 13, 2021
Big Guns still have plenty of firepower
Leinster and Racing 92 have both logged plenty of semi-final appearances in the last decade and both of these European giants again flexed their muscles on the opening weekend of this season’s competition.
Flanker Wenceslas Lauret grabbed a hat-trick as the Parisiens showed their class with a 14-45 win over Northampton Saints on opening night at Franklin’s Gardens.
Racing ran in five tries as winger Juan Imhoff also notched a brace, while scrum-half Maxime Machenaud kicked 20 points.
Given that the Saints are enjoying their best start to a Premiership season in some years this made quite a statement on a weekend when Montpellier and Stade Francais both provided limp away performances while suffering heavy defeats at Exeter and Connacht and Clermont lost at home to Ulster.
Meanwhile Jamieson Gibson-Park grabbed two tries as four-time European champions Leinster kicked off their campaign with a 45-20 win over Premiership crisis club Bath Rugby at the Aviva Stadium.
Leo Cullen’s team face their toughest pool stage test next when they visit Montpellier.
Comments on RugbyPass
Thanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
3 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
3 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
25 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
25 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
3 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
45 Go to comments