1) England prospects enjoy mixed fortunes with Jones watching on
Even before the grandstand finish that saw George Ford snatch victory with a nerveless touchline conversion, the watching England head coach Eddie Jones will have experienced mixed emotions. Neither team were at their best, despite the raft of England contenders, and the game was not quite the high-calibre Test trial it might have been. Bath’s head coach Mike Ford met Jones for a chat on Friday, when the Australian indicated he would be looking at the incumbent England squad members plus Semesa Rokoduguni. Ford also urged him to consider his young props Nick Auterac and Henry Thomas but, on the day, it was the Wasps props Matt Mulland and Jake Cooper-Woolley who mostly enjoyed the upper hand. Elliot Daly’s footwork and outside break for Rob Miller’s try also caught the eye but James Haskell and Joe Simpson will be hoping Jones reviews the tape of Wasps’ big European win over Toulon rather than basing his Six Nations selections entirely on the evidence of this game. Either way, the former Wallaby flanker George Smith is ideally placed to offer his old coach an expert opinion. Robert Kitson
• Wasps 23-25 Bath
• Toulon 24-9 Leinster: Pool 5 match report
2) Exeter show Clermont the fight that is needed
It’s over 20 years since the All Blacks played the South West in Redruth, and even then, two years before union went professional, there was a sense that this might be a final fling. Big-time rugby in Cornwall and Devon was on the way out. That has not happened, because Exeter have happened. Sandy Park is a grand place on match days and the defiance of the crowd envelopes the players. It may be based on the fear that if this does not work it really will be the end – but in that regard the Chiefs are just like the All Blacks. Fear of oblivion is a mighty force – but how well Exeter hide their fears. Meanwhile, at the tail end of their wretched year, France do not see much worth in themselves. Having failed to turn up for the World Cup they now ask themselves what the point of European competition is. It’s all such a waste of time; Albert Camus for national coach. Clermont were good when they could be bothered and yet seemed trapped in this malaise. They sighed their way through the game. Perhaps they will raise a huff and a puff at home next week, but for the moment they can’t be bothered. Eddie Butler
• Exeter Chiefs 31-14 Clermont Auvergne
• Dean Ryan: Overseas aid can help Jones expand England options
3) Northampton need to take chances to repeat European feats
Northampton are known for their powers of recovery in Europe’s back-to-back pool matches at this time of year, beating Leinster and Ulster one week after being heavily defeated, but they were on the road each time in the second encounter. On Friday night, they will be at home to Racing 92 having lost by 30 points last Saturday, as Daniel Carter enjoyed a stress-free debut for the Paris club. The reverse ended a run of four consecutive victories for the Saints, but what should exercise them this week is their finishing. Their points at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir came from a penalty and their only try in the last three Premiership rounds was a Luther Burrell interception at Bath. Burrell thought he had scored at the end of the first half against Racing, but only a few camera angles were made available to the referee George Clancy and he ruled they did not offer conclusive proof. There may have been no doubt had Burrell passed the ball wide when he received it, but he may have been mindful of Victor Matfield’s pass a few minutes earlier that was picked off by Brice Dulin and turned into seven points. Northampton have to make better use of George North: the wing made one burst into midfield in a set-piece move but was otherwise largely called on to tackle or chase. The Saints lost the physical battle on Saturday, but they did not make much of the turnovers they won, despite JJ Hanrahan’s prompting, and given the make-up of their back division they have the wherewithal to make much more of possession. Paul Rees
• Racing 92 33-3 Northampton
• Racing 92 splash out but rugby still behind football in pay league
4) Goode leads Saracens charge and makes his England case
There is a pleasing fluency to Saracens’ attacking game this season and they appear a more rounded side than in recent years, when they have gone close in Europe but never taken home the prize. Full-back Alex Goode is one man relishing the shift in emphasis. Time and again Oyonnax found themselves flummoxed by a smart sidestep, or a sympathetic pass to put a man in space. The French side may not have provided the most stern of tests, but Goode produced high-calibre displays against Toulouse and Ulster too. He is a man brimming with confidence and, given Mike Brown’s underwhelming World Cup, he is going to be pushing the Harlequins man very hard for a Six Nations starting spot should his form and fitness hold. Andrew Gwilym
• Oyonnax 10-45 Saracens
• Gustard closes in on England role under Jones
5) One way or another, Leicester keep winning
Who are the real Leicester – the attacking unit revitalised by Aaron Mauger who swept past Stade Francais, and have rattled in 12 tries in their three European games, or the doughty mob that have ground their way to third in the Premiership table despite the absence of several regulars? The necessary reality is a mixture of the two – an effective blend that demonstrated its potential at the most unlikely of venues. Leicester are now the only team to win two European ties at Thomond Park, rolling back the years to repeat their 2006 success, as their hosts found it was their turn to feel the painful passage of time. They went toe-to-toe with the Munster pack to keep the scores level, holding out even when Marcos Ayerza was sin-binned before turning on the style, Vereniki Goneva and Ben Youngs scoring on the break as an eerie silence descended. Munster can hardly be relishing the return trip to Welford Road next Sunday. Leicester’s moves to bring in Australia’s Matt Toomu, and tie down Ben Youngs and Manu Tuilagi, show they are building for big things. Director of rugby Richard Cockerill is refusing to get carried away, claiming the scoreline flattered his team, who were “a shadow of the side we want to be” against Worcester last week. Regardless of which Leicester turn up, they are finding a way to win. Niall McVeigh
