Stuart Barnes on Leinster, David Strettle and an impressive Italian official
Monday 21 December 2015 13:11, UK
Sky Sports' Stuart Barnes looks back on the Champions Cup, as Clermont put Exeter to the sword while Leinster continue to struggle.
Jonathan Davies made a try-scoring return for Clermont as they made up for their away loss to the Chiefs with a 42-10 victory at Stade Marcel Michelin, while Leinster continued their poor European form with a frustrating loss to Toulon.
Here are Stuart Barnes' top 10 talking points from the weekend's Champions Cup action...
1. Leinster are mentioned in the same breath as Scarlets, Oyonnax and Treviso, vis-a-vis Europe. These are the four teams yet to win a match. The fall has been a long and painful one.
Leo Cullen has to convince the expectant Dublin audience that the decision to dismiss Matt O'Connor for this highly intelligent but recently retired player was not premature.
There were signs of improvement against Toulon but without Johnny Sexton firing on all cylinders, where's the spark to galvanise the attack?
2. Toulon reverted to French type to keep their hopes of a fourth title solid. The combination behind the scrum is all over the place but the power and experience of the pack, together with the might of the bench, gives them a chance, even when they are some way from their lofty peak.
Irish international success goes hand in hand with regional success, unlike Wales where the worse the regions seem to perform, the better the national team.
3. Right now, if you wanted me to pick the likeliest winners, I would plump for Saracens. A little birdie informed me they were 5/1 to win the Champions Cup after their clinical dismissal of Toulouse on the opening Saturday.
They are not that price any more. Three maximum five-point wins since, including an impressive bonus-point win in Belfast, has them up there as the team to beat.
4. This weekend, however, it was our old friends from Clermont who turned on the style. In their cathedral of a club stadium, the fans bowed before their power and brilliance. So too did Exeter, who paid a heavy price for the temerity of their victory the previous week.
When Clermont are good, they are very good - maybe the best in Europe - but when they are not... no, they won't be getting a Barnes Saver bet.
5. A word about the referee in Clermont. The young Italian official, Marius Mitrea, is not everyone's cup of java at the breakdown, but his linguistic abilities are outstanding. Fluent - obviously - in his native Italian, he is also pitch perfect in French and English.
For most of this sport's history, France has felt as if there is a conspiracy of the Anglo-Saxon speakers against them. They may not have been far off the mark. One side knows what a referee's warning means, the other guesses... which side do you think normally comes off the worst in such a situation?
World Rugby should issue a linguistic guide for referees, with the key phrases used on a field paramount to a referee being appointed near the peak of the sport. Something like the written driving test I somehow lucked my way through a million years ago.
6. Toulouse are out at the pool stages again. Can we commentators and writers finally stop talking about them as if their glory days were only just behind them? They have too much history and money not to bounce back but in the meantime, can we call it straight and describe them as the overrated team they have long been in Europe?
7. I touched on this topic in my newspaper column on Monday; sorry for reiterating, but it needs yet another mention - David Strettle is playing the best rugby of his life.
He and the almost equally impressive Chris Ashton are playing their way from Eddie Jones' clean slate back into England contention, or they would be if Ashton's mate wasn't on the other side of the Channel.
With a bit of negotiation, this could be sorted out. The French clubs wouldn't be the problem for Jones; it would be the English clubs who want to keep players in England for their own, and understandably, selfish reasons.
8. Joe Schmidt must be concerned at the moment. It's not just Leinster who are struggling. Munster have been typically tough in their confrontations with Leicester but, like their old rivals, have lacked any offensive bite.
The hangover from the World Cup seems to be hurting in the two great provinces. Irish international success goes hand in hand with regional success, unlike Wales where the worse the regions seem to perform, the better the national team. At least Ulster are providing one shaft of light for their Kiwi coach and fans.
9. In what has been a painful tournament to date for the PRO12 teams, the Ospreys continue to fight for their European lives. Victories against Exeter (while depriving the Chiefs of a bonus point) and Bordeaux-Begles are great results, but it is the four bonus points picked up on the road that keeps them bang in contention.
Effectively, the Ospreys have achieved a win in terms of points earned through the course of their two French games.
Yet they have not stopped Clermont and Bordeaux-Begles grabbing five. It is turning into the pool of the competition, despite the events in the Toulon-Bath-Wasps-Leinster pool.
10. A final thought for Christmas; don't get carried away. With anything. Exeter smashed Wasps, who had smashed Toulon, and Exeter repeated the trick against Clermont at home.
One week later, the turnaround was vast - so too with Wasps, who narrowly lost a game they should have won at home against Bath before battering them six days later. Consistency is the key, and that's why the name of the team on my lips as we head towards Christmas and the New Year is that of Saracens.
Happy Christmas and New Year to you all, and thanks for taking the time and effort to read this column on a regular basis. It is truly appreciated. I am taking some time out next week and will write again in the New Year, but don't miss the action on December 27 - Munster versus Leinster and Newport Gwent Dragons against the unpredictable Cardiff Blues. I'll be back on my (very) old stamping grounds.
See you there,
Stuart
