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European Rugby Champions Cup: talking points from the weekend's action
A harsh call against Danny Cipriani could help Toulouse reach the quarter-finals, Glasgow are playing Leicester at the right time, and Alex Lozowski excelled for Saracens against Scarlets
1) Double jeopardy rule could prove crucial for Toulouse
Football changed its rules this season, so that any player who concedes a penalty through a foul that is not deemed deliberate, or cynical, is no longer automatically sent off. Rugby’s double jeopardy rule still applies, so when Danny Cipriani was deemed to have entered a driving maul from the side nine minutes from the end of Wasps’ match against Toulouse, he was sent to the sin-bin by the referee John Lacey, who also awarded a penalty try. Can entering a maul from the side be deemed accidental? Cipriani only did so fleetingly, and with no impact, before retreating and then preventing the replacement prop, Vasil Kakovin, from scoring a try in a seemingly onside position. He was not bound to the maul at the time, having made no effort to collapse it during his fleeting incursion, and the incident merited a review. The try gave Toulouse what turned out to be a bonus point, leaving them four points behind leaders Connacht ahead of Sunday’s home match with the Guinness Pro 12 champions. A victory by more than seven points should see them qualify for the quarter-finals as one of the three best runners-up, assuming Wasps do not lose their stripes at Zebre. It may be that the two qualifiers from this group find themselves on the road, in a season when the leaders in the other four groups have lost one home match in all competitions between them. Paul Rees
2) Glasgow should fancy their chances against Leicester
Ah, that feels more familiar. Not so much Leicester and Racing 92 bringing up the rear, but Munster sitting pretty at the top of a pool, qualifying for the quarter-finals with a round to spare. Shall we start calling it the Heineken Cup again? Less familiar is the sight of Glasgow tucked in behind them in second, despite their agonising defeat to the Irish side at Scotstoun. Had Munster been in their position, with five minutes to overturn a two-point deficit and cradling precious ball in opposition territory, you know they would have found a way to win. But, for all their improvement, for all that they were fielding a full XV of Scotland internationals, they’re not Munster yet. Still, qualification as a best runner-up remains in their grasp – to make sure, they just have to beat Leicester next weekend. Never has that seemed a less daunting task. Their main problem, perversely, will be the utter humiliation the Tigers suffered in Paris, against a Racing side on nul points whose interest in this year’s competition has long since evaporated. The pattern is fairly well set for Leicester in Europe this season: abject capitulation away, followed by doughty victory at home. It’s the sign of a great team in decline. They can still summon enough of the old fury to defend their honour in extremis, but the humiliations have become the more accurate gauge of where they are. If the theory was that Leicester would respond better to Aaron Mauger than to Richard Cockerill over the medium term, it is looking shaky. Michael Aylwin
3) Northampton could solve England’s issues up front
Bottom of their pool and, despite four wins on the trot now, playing some of the Premiership’s least inspiring rugby, Northampton’s 2016-17 model could still be the unlikeliest of saviours for England. In Pool 4’s only competitive game of the round (Leinster, who have clicked into gear perfectly, effectively had another training run in walloping Montpellier), the Saints’ 28-21 win over Castres was built upon the back of three magnificent performances from England forwards. Teimana Harrison switched seamlessly from the flank to No8 and, as well as contributing at the breakdown, came away with two tries. The man of the match though was Tom Wood, who has shone in a dismal season; though Northampton were underpowered at the scrum he was a demon in the tackle and a devil at the breakdown, his body position earning turnover after penalty after turnover after penalty. Courtney Lawes too was outstanding in defence and his upturn in form has coincided with Northampton’s resurgence. It is worth considering that should Dylan Hartley retain his England place then all three have worked with the suspended captain for years in the lineout. Alex Waller is also an option at loosehead prop, albeit a big outside bet. Lawes, Wood and Harrison though are giving Eddie Jones a surprising headache amid a pre-Six Nations injury crisis. Dan Lucas
4) Saracens’ Lozowski finds new level in Llanelli
Whatever unfolds on the final weekend, defending champions Saracens are guaranteed to feature in the last eight. As all top teams do, they have mastered the art of avoiding defeat, even when they are slightly below par, and also continue to unearth quality replacements. Alex Lozowski is already an England squad member and first made his name at Wasps but he stepped up to a new level in Llanelli, helping Sarries secure a 22-22 draw with an outstanding display in the unfamiliar role of full-back. Even a quality No15 like the Scarlets’ Liam Williams, who is set to move to north London next season, found himself playing second fiddle. It was also a notable afternoon for the exiled England wing Chris Ashton, whose two tries once again underlined his virtues as a quality support runner. Toulon’s bonus point victory over Sale, meanwhile, has scuppered Scarlets’ chance of finishing second in the pool, but the Welsh region’s head coach Wayne Pivac has been encouraged by the improved overall showing of the Pro12 sides, compared with their Premiership and Top 14 counterparts. “It’s good to see that gap appears to be closing,” said Pivac. Robert Kitson
5) Chiefs have plenty of reasons to be cheerful
Exeter remain up against it in their bid to reach the Champions Cup quarter-finals, but some of their attacking play in the 31-19 victory over Ulster showed Rob Baxter’s men are beginning to click. The Chiefs are third in the Aviva Premiership, but must beat Clermont with a bonus point next weekend to have any hope of qualifying for Europe’s last eight. The way they shredded the Ulster defence at Sandy Park will have given them hope, and in Jack Nowell they have one the game’s very best players on current form. Baxter was purring in his praise of Nowell afterwards, and with the Chiefs finding form at the right time you wouldn’t bet against them reaching the Aviva Premiership final for the second successive year, whatever happens in Europe. Alex Bywater
