Munster set the early pace after a standout performance from JJ Hanrahan while Saracens look in ominous formThe two most successful sides in the tournament’s history are in charge of the pool. Much is made of the regular rest given to Ireland’s leading players but it seemed to contribute to Leinster’s slow start at a pumped-up Bath. Outmanoeuvred at the breakdown and with Johnny Sexton having no time, the holders still found a way to win. Bath need to repeat Northampton’s 2013 feat against Leinster when they followed a home defeat with an away victory to remain alive but Wasps are on their way out after defeat by Toulouse. Like Bath, they have one win since September and the looming...
Old glories on the rise with Dan Cole reviving Leicester forward power and Toulouse finding European title hunger once more Related: Six Nations set to unveil HSBC as championship’s new title sponsor Related: Owen Farrell is an England certainty. But where he plays is less clear Team of the weekend Continue reading...
Toulon’s nightmare speaks to French woes, Saracens are miles ahead of the pack and Freddie Burns had a weekend to forgetIt seemed as if all talking points would have to revolve around the 52-3 destruction on Friday night of the former multiple champions Wasps by Leinster – or the Ireland team plus James Lowe, which means the Ireland team in a couple of years’ time. But then Freddie Burns came along. Immediately all talking points became other examples of the flagrant squandering of tries. There are plenty but it is hard to think of any at such a crucial juncture of a game, to cost a team a match and coming so soon after the same player had missed a...
From Lyon’s back-row star Carl Fearns to rampaging Bath winger Joe Cokanasiga, who could be this year’s standout stars?The 2018-19 Champions Cup kicks off on Friday in what is always a keenly anticipated weekend in the European club rugby calendar. Here are six players well worth keeping an eye on. Related: All Blacks fearing autumn fall after Rassie Erasmus’s surprise lesson | Paul Rees Pool 1Bath, Leinster, Toulouse, Wasps Opening fixtures Fri Leinster v Wasps 7.45pm (BST)Sat Bath v Toulouse 1pm Continue reading...
It will take a monumental effort in the final from Racing 92 to deny Leinster victory in a Champions Cup that feels seminal, if certainly not vintageIt has not been a vintage Champions Cup by any stretch but after a weekend of deep intensity, if little in the way of edge‑of‑the‑seat excitement, it is hard to escape the sense it is a seminal one. Since Leinster last sat at the head of the European table, Toulon and Saracens have both taken their turns but they are marching back with a blend of power and precision that suggests they will take some shifting.It will require an almighty effort from Racing 92 to deny them in Bilbao next month and while the...