This week we will mostly be concerning ourselves with the curious state of jeopardy in the Champions Cup, France’s golden generation and Six Nations disciplinary dealings…
It was quite a weekend all over Europe. And South Africa. French teams ran riot, except for the ones which didn’t; they rolled over like puppies. Two of England’s finest were slaughtered in France, two others couldn’t stop scoring, while another put the Top 14 leaders to the sword. Welsh and Irish teams continued to struggle, while Leinster once again had to put up with facing a second-string side and Munster once again travelled on a wing and a prayer, which turned out to be enough.
The Bulls came over without all their best players but it was Bristol who looked second best. The weather in Cape Town could not have been more benign, yet the fare served up was as stodgy as a Salford pie.
At the end of it all, only one team is definitely out of contention and we still don’t know who any of the hosts are in the round of 16. We almost know, but there are some great scenarios to tickle the imagination. Bordeaux, for example, could lose by 36 points at Loftus, not getting four tries, and Lyon could win at Saracens, which would leave UBB third. Toulouse could lose at home to Bath by 42, not get four tries, and see Harlequins thrash Ulster by 42, and the Toulousains would then have to travel in the round of 16.
The Stormers, sitting second in their pool, could be shellacked by Stade Francais, see Sale and La Rochelle play out a high-scoring five-point win for Sale with four tries for both teams and see Leicester nick a point from Leinster, and they’d be down in the Challenge Cup. Leinster could also lose a home round of 16 tie if things went horribly wrong.
So at least we’ve a tournament where, on the final day, all teams except Stade Francais have something to play for, and all teams have something to lose, even if half of the round of 16 participants are now known.
The format has worked in that regard.
But it’s still not completely satisfactory, nor befitting of an elite tournament that, for example, one of Connacht, Saracens or Bristol could qualify despite having lost three of their four matches. Likewise one of Racing 92, Cardiff or Ulster. Or Toulon. Or either of Sale or champions (ahem) La Rochelle.
It has been noted in quarters that fans are getting short-changed because of this (and regulars among you will note a return to a theme here). Leinster’s change was shortest; two home ties, two second-string teams making the trip to Dublin. Sale’s reserves did put up a fine fight, Stade Francais’ did not do anything of the sort.
Bernard Jackman was scathing after the game, saying “…realistically, the current model is not working. It’s too easy to play a second string side. It’s impossible to fine a club. Because they’re not to admit they’re (playing) the second string.”
But then who wouldn’t take the chance to give the elite a week off, when qualification can be gained by winning only one of four matches?
was refreshingly honest when noting that he was also hamstrung by the mandatory rest periods for South African internationals: “It does (undermine the competition). I mean, I’d like to play every Springbok every single week but as it is, the lie of the land in our countries is different.
I’ve just decided, en masse, I would rather (rest all the internationals) together and bring them back. It doesn’t downplay (competition) one or the other.”
Certainly not for White, who simply has to manage resources – and lest we forget, the Bulls’ ‘second string’ gave Bristol a beating. Just playing weaker starting sides doesn’t equate to giving up a match. But it’s difficult to justify the as the pinnacle of all European rugby when a quarter of the participating teams is holding its best players back.
The only sustainable solution to this all is to shorten the season so players are not enforced rest periods while the season continues around them; good luck with getting that one through.
But it is definitely time to consider much more strongly two other mitigating options: either playing the tournaments in blocks rather than sprinkling them about the place all hotch-potch, and/or returning to straight knockout ties only; at least then those teams not interested or not resource-rich enough would fall by the wayside quickly rather than distorting the latter rounds of pool play.
To watch the wins by Toulouse, La Rochelle and Bordeaux at the weekend was not only to watch teams with deep pockets flex their muscles, it was also to remind oneself just how stacked the French national team currently is.
added his name to a list of full-backs that already includes Thomas Ramos, Melvyn Jaminet and Anthony Bouthier. Matthieu Jalibert, Romain Ntamack and Antoine Hastoy are all international class fly-halves, with Leo Barre coming up fast on the rails.
In a couple of years, the international lock partnership could consist of the 145kg Emmanuel Meafou and the 150kg Posolo Tuilagi.
The depth is everywhere. The French may not have triumphed at their own World Cup, but it’s hard to look past them for the next one.
Another of the perils of plonking two of the most important club weekends smack bang before the
these days is the risk that either a little edge or, in the case of , a little misjudgement may cost his international side a crucial player.
It’s often not been like that in the past, however, with a number of players historically given remarkably lenient sentences to ensure that Six Nations matches are suspension-free.
The case of Barbeary will be fascinating in that regard, not least as he faces two citings for the same type of offence in the same game.
It’s already been suggested he would serve bans arising from both tackles concurrently, conveniently reducing a potential accumulated six-week ban down to three weeks, which is the likely suspension length for both incidents (entry-level four weeks, reduced by one for ‘tackle school’), although the first tackle especially was reckless and preventable.
But with Steve Borthwick naming his squad on Wednesday, it’ll be fascinating to see if Barbeary gets an extra week’s reprieve; if nothing else, we’ll know the oils of disciplinary finagling are as greasy as ever.
