A weekend of big games with upsets and tense games. Here’s my review of the action.
European Rugby Champions Cup
Ulster 38 – 0 Toulouse
Glasgow Warriors 43 – 6 Scarlets
Racing Metro 92 33 – 3 Northampton Saints
Benetton Treviso 17 – 50 Stade Francais
Exeter Chiefs 31 – 14 Clermont Auvergne
Ospreys 19 – 16 Bordeaux Begles
Munster 19 – 31 Leicester Tigers
US Oyonnax 10 – 45 Saracens
Toulon 24 – 9 Leinster
Wasps 23 – 25 Bath
7 from 10, not great but not disaster either.
In Pool 1 with their three wins Saracens are dominating and Ulster and Toulouse are playing for second place.
Pool 2 Exeter’s win over Clermont really put the cat among the pigeons and now it’s a three horse race with Ospreys for the group.
Racing’s perfect record puts them in a good place in Pool 3 but their postponed games complicates matters. Saints and Warriors are still in it with Scarlets left to concentrate on domestic matters.
Tigers perfect record sees them controlling Pool 4 but Stade are still challenging. Munster are struggling but the postponed game means they could fight back. Treviso are already out.
In the final group Leinster are out but the other three teams are all in the hunt. The postponed game between Toulon and Bath will have a big say if they can catch Wasps.
European Rugby Challenge Cup
Worcester Warriors 22 – 34 Gloucester Rugby
Agen 20 – 40 Grenoble
La Rochelle 27 – 19 Zebre
Cardiff Blues 37 – 27 Montpellier
Connacht Rugby 25 – 10 Newcastle Falcons
Enisei-STM 10 – 7 Brive
Calvisano 10 – 50 Harlequins
Newport Gwent Dragons 22 – 0 Section Paloise
London Irish 38 – 6 Edinburgh
Castres 10 – 17 Sale Sharks
6 from 10, I got the 50/50 calls but not the upsets.
Connacht are clear favourites with their perfect record so far in Pool 1, that loss to Enisei by Brive really has removed their hopes of qualifying.
Pool 2 sees Dragons and Sharks going head to head as the French sides seem disinterested in the competition.
Quins are the outstanding side in the competition and lead Pool 3, leaving Blues and Montpellier to fight it out for second.
Gloucester are the clear leaders in Pool 4 as the other sides take points off each other.
Grenoble, Irish and Edinburgh are in a three way battle for Pool 5.
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