Gloucester dogged by inconsistency, Edinburgh and Glasgow head for the last eight and Leinster have look of championsThe pool of champions has polarised. Leinster, for all Toulouse’s attempts to recapture past glories, are the team in control, even if they trail the French club by two points. Their victory over Bath was imperious, and Toulouse, who rode their luck anyway in round one in Bath, must travel to Dublin next. Leinster’s trip to Wasps in the final round does not look the challenge it might once have been. For two of England’s greatest clubs to be mathematically out of it after only four rounds is a sobering reflection on the Premiership, which looks worryingly short of the sort of teams...
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...
Leinster had the nous to edge a cagey Champions Cup final that looked to be heading for extra time until Racing 92 crackedRacing’s players ran on to the pitch wearing berets, a nod to the host city that is regarded as the capital of the Basque region. They did the same 31 years ago when playing a Top 14 match in Bayonne, a period when some of the club’s players formed the Eden Park leisure clothing brand. When they faced Brive in April 1987, they took to the field in blazers and pink bow ties, and they sported harem pants the following week against Toulouse.They were known then as the showbiz kids but a cup final comes under the factual...