Exeter will take some stopping in the knockout stages, Leinster have top-seed status and Racing 92’s reward is to face ClermontLeinster secured top-seed status after a hard-earned victory at Treviso. They did not need a bonus point which was just as well as they scored only two tries and it took them an hour to manufacture the first one. At one point it seemed Leinster would repeat their 3-0 Pro14 victory at Zebre in October but tries from Caelan Doris, who had spent 10 minutes in the sin-bin in the first half, and James Tracy ensured a stress-free final 15 minutes. The game in Lyon was far more open, generating eight tries, five of them scored by Northampton who again...
Nervy win over Racing 92 took champions into quarter-finals but Allianz Park atmosphere was darkened by off-field troublesA quarter of a century ago, when Nigel Wray began investing in Saracens, the club played on a public recreation ground in the north London suburbs and before matches the mess from dogs that had been walked on the pitch during the week had to be cleared up. The European champions now play on a swish plastic pitch in Barnet but the whiff from the biggest scandal in English rugby history has engulfed the club.Wray has now gone, although the benefactor was in the stand at Allianz Park on Sunday behind a pair of dark glasses that could have been a disguise but...
In 2000 Warren Gatland used World Cup players and Ireland lost so he tore up the teamsheet and turned things aroundIt has been a curious European Champions Cup season so far, with very few sides performing above pre-tournament expectations. Gloucester and an understandably distracted Saracens have sent out weakened teams for fixtures which could have transformed their campaigns, the Premiership leaders Northampton were ultimately unable to live with Leinster while Bath, La Rochelle and Ospreys are effectively down and out.There are, however, three notable exceptions. Leinster, Exeter and Toulouse are all still unbeaten and, along with Saracens, Racing 92 and Clermont, it is already hard to see anyone from outside that sextet making the final in Marseille on 23 May....
It was a difficult weekend for English clubs, with Irish provinces picking up a triple crown of victories over Premiership sidesIreland look like going into the Six Nations Larmour-plated. Joe Schmidt, who stood down as the national side’s head coach after the World Cup, never seemed to trust Jordan Larmour fully, certainly at full-back, but the 22-year old showed in Leinster’s emphatic victory over Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens that he is ready to take over from Rob Kearney, who was among the province’s replacements on Saturday. Larmour was the architect of Leinster’s first two tries, showing how deadly he can be in broken play if given just a trace of time and space, and he was part of a defensive...
There is no better time to convert casual rugby spectators into lifelong fans, but the game risks missing its cueIn weeks such as this promoting rugby union should be the easiest job in the world. An eventful World Cup is still fresh in the memory and the first two rounds of Europes flagship club tournament have just been played. As anyone who saw Finn Russells fabulous piece of try-scoring skill for Racing 92 at Thomond Park can testify, there are also box-office players out there.Add in Joe Marler impersonating an Irish horse a video which has now been seen by almost as many people who are watching James Haskell in the Celebrity jungle and awareness of rugby amongst the general...