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Watchability Rankings: December 2017 - a strange time of year

By Dan Johansson
Leinster celebrate their win over Montpellier

December is a strange time of year for rugby, especially in the Northern Hemisphere.

The leagues give way to the nail-biting continuation of the European group stages, before domestic competitions return over the festive period, distracted somewhat by copious amounts of food and the Father Ted Christmas special. Gone are the days where the Boxing Day matches are played hungover, but more pressing concerns and the generally naff weather round these parts mean that rugby can still sometimes take a back seat. That’s not to say there isn’t some entertaining stuff going on, as evidenced by this month’s Most Watchable teams:

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4: Northampton
As a Saints fan, it’s been a painful few weeks/months/seasons. A string of poor performances and worse results ultimately led to the sacrificial offing of Jim Mallinder, but Northampton have remained must-see TV for those who enjoy the slow-motion car crash of a formerly dominant club imploding week after week. Despite being thumped by the previously unimpressive Ospreys and fellow most-watchables Exeter, the Saints still keep showing glimpses of promise that render their matches that bit more entertaining than fellow strugglers like London Irish.

The occasional skilful try won’t offset the lack of wins, but there’s enough quality in the squad to at least offer a sliver of optimism about the future.

3: Exeter
Speaking of Exeter, the Chiefs have had something of a mixed month results-wise but looking a little deeper at the performances reveals the Devonians’ status as the best team in England is well-deserved. Back-to-back European losses against Leinster (more on that later) might not seem great, but dominant domestic displays against the likes of Bath mean the Chiefs won’t be writing off their chances of bolstering their trophy cabinet with an elusive league-cup double just yet. Perhaps the best example of the Chiefs’ quality comes from Will Chudley’s try of the week contender, after Exeter’s scrum utterly obliterated the Saints pack, before a moment of individual brilliance from the scrumhalf tore through the floundering defence.

The ability to create scoring opportunities from all over the field is the main reason Exeter remain a must-watch team, regardless of whether they’re getting the wins those performances deserve.

2: Clermont Auvergne
Clermont’s place on this list comes not necessarily from the results they’ve notched up this month, but the manner in which they’ve dispatched their lofty opponents.

A win against Agen may have been offset domestically by a loss against Section Paloise, but the real prized scalp from Clermont’s December battles comes from their double against the previously formidable Saracens. Whilst Sarries may be on something of a poor run of form of late, racking up 46 points in a rearranged clash at Allianz Park will always remain an impressive feat for Clermont, especially considering the logistical shenanigans that besieged the match. To follow that up less than a week later by edging the home leg compounded Saracens woes, and whilst Clermont sit in a mediocre tenth in the Top 14 at the time of writing, they’ve finally avenged last season’s Champions Cup final defeat and can hopefully start putting those lingering demons behind them.

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1: Leinster
Leinster may be second in their Pro14 conference, but they’re arguably the form team not just in that competition but the whole of Europe right now.

A 36-10 victory over struggling Benetton at the start of the month was something of a formality, but to put Exeter to the sword twice and then to defeat Munster at Thomond Park speaks to the genuine quality in the Leinster side at the moment.

Sandy Park can be something of a fortress at times, so to keep the Chiefs from even getting a losing bonus point was impressive enough, let alone ending their year-long unbeaten streak at home. In the return leg, Leinster managed to come back from a strong Exeter start to secure the win and go five points clear at the top of Pool Three, showing some rock-solid defence at the end. Leinster’s most striking performance however came against long-time rivals Munster, with Jordan Lamour’s outstanding solo try the highlight of a gripping match. It’s been a while since an Irish side have reached the final of the top European competition (Leinster winning the trophy themselves in 2012), but if this form continues it wouldn’t be out of the question to see Leinster re-emerge as genuine European contenders come the end of the season.

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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