Our experts, including Jonny Wilkinson, analyse all the Champions Cup action
Tuesday 21 October 2014 14:17, UK
The European Champions Cup is up and running and we have had some incredible action over the weekend. Munster’s last-gasp win over Sale, Glasgow’s demolition of bath and Northampton throwing a point away against Racing Metro…our experts give their views on all the weekend’s action.
Saracens 30-23 Clermont
Jonny Wilkinson: I thought that was a great performance from Clermont. Sarries do not suffer fools lightly at home and would have been really up for this game - Clermont have gone there and done some good stuff. I think across the board we have seen a couple of tries that have come out of nothing – from dropped balls and kick-aheads that have not been cleared up. I think Clermont would have left thinking if they had just not had those moments, then the result may have been different.
Nick Easter: That disallowed try for Clermont... Yes, [Damien] Chouly was ahead of the man but would Neil de Kock have made that tackle? I am not so sure. I think he was going for the ball; you can’t stop your momentum. Charlie Hodgson has been a phenomenal player for Sale and Saracens, his ability to take the ball flat to the line and zip these passes, just sits defenders down – he is just in a rich vein of form.
Sale 26-27 Munster
Will Greenwood: A brilliant start from Sale; their supporters were telling us that that is the best rugby they have played in two years but still they come away with the loss, they took their foot off the gas in the second half and were playing the wrong sort of rugby. Somehow Munster are back in the game and there is a new Ronan O’Gara in town.
Nick Easter: The whole region of Munster has just been bred for Europe – they probably have the best fans in Europe! I don’t know what it is but every young fly-half in the region must be on the phone to Ronan O’Gara asking about handling the pressure of dropping a drop goal under pressure to win your side a game in the last minute. Their ability to keep hold of the ball, go through the phases and slow the ball if necessary is excellent – they have been masters of that for the last 10-12 years.
Leicester 25-18 Ulster
Nick Easter: It looks like Leicester are getting back to something like they used to be. Performance -ise they have ramped it up this week and they blitzed Ulster in the first-half. But as is with Europe and the quality of the sides, Ulster came back and showed their class in the second-half - and their smarts as well, to claim that losing bonus point.
Shaun Edwards: What Leicester had was field position which is not something they have had at the start of the Premiership. What we have been used to seeing from Leicester is them getting scrum penalties – we have not seen that from them but they are getting back to form in that respect.
Toulon 28-18 Scarlets
Will Greenwood: Toulon are a world-class outfit with riches galore but when they had Jonny Wilkinson and Matt Giteau, you could not get to the two of them at the same time. Now teams can get to Giteau - and if you can do that then you can beat them in Europe.
Nick Easter: I thought Toulon were a little bit flat when they came out – and Scarlets were brilliant and really harassed them. But I wonder if the whole [Steffon] Armitage saga had a knock-on effect on them? They are a very close-knit group but I thought Armitage himself dealt with it very well and put in another v
