Saracens won’t be daunted by Toulon, Eddie Jones shows his spikier side now the EPS agreement is signed and Mathew Tait revels in his injury-free runSaracens will begin the defence of their European title this week with every reason to be cheerful. Toulon may not have lost a European Cup tie on home turf but they will have to dig particularly deep to crack the toughest current challenge on the continent. Sarries have conceded just four tries in their six Premiership games, remarkable even by their standards and even more impressive given the absence of key backline figures such as Owen Farrell, Alex Goode, Duncan Taylor and Chris Ashton. “We put them under a lot of pressure,” said a delighted...
The holders begin their campaign with a mouth-watering clash in Toulon as the balance of power shifts towards the English clubs in the Champions CupThe difference between the Champions Cup and the old Heineken Cup is revealed by a glance at the pools, now five groups instead of six. There used to be one pool of death but now it is a case of a single pool of life, which tends to be the one that involves the Italian representatives.Wasps are the Premiership club fortunate to have drawn Zebre, who have lost by 54 and 44 points at Ospreys and Munster this season, along with Connacht, who have made a stuttering start to the defence of their Pro12 title, and...
Sam Jones shines after England calls, the Kingsholm pitch works against Gloucester, and have Leicester become too friendly for their own good?If table-topping Wasps maintain their current league average by sticking 40 points on second-placed Saracens this weekend, they really will establish themselves as the team to catch this season. England will also take notice, particularly if Sam Jones and Nathan Hughes enjoy themselves against Billy Vunipola and co as much as they did against a second-best Harlequins side. Wasps’ director of rugby, Dai Young, compares Jones, 24, to a young Richard Hill and believes he could fill the openside flanker role if required in the autumn internationals: “He could do the job that [James Haskell] does well … he’s...