La Rochelle, Saracens and Leinster lead the way in the Champions Cup after two rounds
Monday 23 October 2017 17:09, UK
In the European Rugby Champions Cup fast starts are king, and after two rounds La Rochelle, Leinster and Saracens are leading the way.
Due to the competition's format, early losses deliver significant blows to teams' European ambitions. On the flip side, two positive performances can set the tone for the unique back-to-back fixtures.
After the first 20 Champions Cup matches of the 2017/18 season, we are turning our attentions on those that have caught our eye, starting with the teams in 'ten-point club' - La Rochelle, Leinster and Saracens.
Of the trio, Saracens have put the greatest number of tries on the board (13), thanks largely to their 57-13 thrashing of Northampton in Round 1. Patrice Colazzo's side follow with nine and the Irish province have notched up eight over the course of the two rounds.
When drawing early conclusions about the competition, it is fair to say that the back-to-back champions have fired significant warning sides to the rest over the first two match weekends.
In Round 1, Saracens showed exactly what they can do when they put an 80-minute performance together. From the first minute until the last they were ruthlessly clinical in attack and stoic in defence.
Now, that level is their target and even if they don't quite reach it, but get somewhere close, their opponents will find it very difficult handle them.
Round 2 wasn't quite so rosy for Mark McCall's team, yet they still ground out a bonus-point win.
The top sides in the sport have the ability to come through when they're far from their best and such a frustrating game from Saracens' perspective will drive motivation levels through the roof when it comes to hosting Clermont Auvergne on December 10.
La Rochelle's first Champions Cup steps have been near perfect ones as Colazzo's team delivered a bonus-point on the road and followed that with an emphatic five-try victory back at home.
The Top 14 side are showing the rest how they like to approach the game and that's all about putting together power with pizzazz.
Exceptional individual skills are combined with the fundamentals and a joie de vivre emanates from their players.
Crucially for the Champions Cup newcomers, they start their back-to-back fixtures against Wasps at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre.
It's a stadium that will quickly put itself on every Champions Cup rugby fans' 'to visit' list due to the incredible atmosphere, and is a fortress for the hosts.
The unique thing about La Rochelle, and what stands them in great stead in this competition, is that they are a French outfit that are comfortable on the road too.
From the position that they're in right now they could charge out of Pool 1 and into the knockout stage at the very first time of asking.
Before the competition started, Leinster's Leo Cullen made it clear his side are fiercely determined to get back to the stage where they are the 'best team in Europe'.
Following that statement, two bonus-point wins have provided them with a solid European platform to work.
Leinster's outing at Scotstoun particularly highlighted the significant power in their pack and showcased Johnny Sexton's commanding presence at ten and leadership as captain.
The Irish province now head on the road to Sandy Park before taking their Round 4 game to the Aviva Stadium and those back-to-back meetings should define Pool 3.
Shortly behind the trio in the ten-point club are last year's runners-up and the perennial European bridesmaids ASM Clermont Auvergne.
Franck Azema's side battled through emotional circumstances [with Camille Lopez's horrific leg break] to secure their Round 2 bonus-point win. Next, they have the team that beat them in the 2017 final - Saracens - in their sights.
They say that revenge is sweet and a Round 3 victory at Allianz Park would taste divine, though many sides will tell you that delivering that result is easier said than done!
Azema stated that he wanted to use the Champions Cup as a springboard for their season; two successive wins may just do that, however, the loss of Lopez is a blow both domestically and in Europe.
The aforementioned Exeter Chiefs were tasked by their director of rugby, Rob Baxter, to make a seamless step from Premiership into the Champions Cup and that's what they've done.
In Round 1 the Chiefs denied Glasgow anything from their meeting at Sandy Park and had the courage of their convictions to prevail at the Altrad Stadium.
The side that won the Aviva Premiership last season look to have found their Champions Cup feet, but the intense atmosphere of the Aviva Stadium in Round 4 is likely to be a true test for them.
Bath and RC Toulon are level on points in Pool 5 but you expect that Todd Blackadder will be happier with his squad than Fabien Galthié is with his.
The West Country outfit battled to victory in torrid conditions at the Parc y Scarlets and still look to have more gears to go into while RC Toulon have come in and out of their two matches.
The back-to-backs between the two will be fascinating and let's not forget that Scarlets may still have a strong say in Pool 5.
Finally, Leicester Tigers and Munster are locked one point ahead of Racing 92 in Pool 4.
Both are historic European heavyweights that are chomping at the bit to replicate their success of old and they'll meet each other in Rounds 3 and 4.
The Tigers have electric finishers and a backline that's building game on game while Munster have significant weapons of their own out the back and pack that's a little gnarlier.
With key internationals in both sides the hope is that all will be fit after a month of international fixtures and that we'll see two full strength squads dueling at two iconic European grounds in December.
