1) Hartley is his own worst enemy
If Dylan Hartley had not been sent off we would all be talking about Leinster’s excellence. Perhaps we still should be; even when they were down to their third-choice fly-half the Irish side looked revitalised, for which credit must go both to the players and, in particular, their reshuffled coaching panel. The contrast with Northampton’s flat-footed start was particularly glaring, as the home skipper Tom Wood made abundantly clear after his side’s 37-10 home drubbing. Ultimately though, Hartley’s 58th-minute red card for a forearm smash to the back of Sean O’Brien’s head was the kind of moment that shapes perceptions and undermines career prospects. Excuses were non-existent: it had not been a dirty game, O’Brien had already been tackled and had his back to his oncoming assailant, who had been on the field for less than six minutes. Given Hartley’s own past concussion issues it was doubly crass, reckless behaviour.
The hooker will assuredly be banned and, given he has already been suspended for a cumulative 54 weeks over the years, can expect very little in the way of leniency. It is hard to see many now citing his judgement under pressure as a qualification for the Lions captaincy, and Eddie Jones now has a real dilemma. His instinct will be to stick by the man who has led England with distinction and, yes, restraint and intelligence this year. Hartley, furthermore, only seems to offend in a Northampton jersey. But it was only recently that Jones was stressing the need for Hartley to play well for his club between now and the end of January, which will surely now no longer be possible. It would be little surprise to see England being led out by someone else against France in early February, with Jamie George’s form deserving of a Test start anyway. What price the Lions picking someone who is not featuring in his own country’s first XV? Hartley is thoughtful, dryly amusing company but he can also be his own worst enemy. Robert Kitson
2) Murray bests future Lions team-mate Youngs
Munster’s Conor Murray won the first half of his duel with Ben Youngs, with the two scrum-halves expected to be in the Lions’ 23 for the first Test against the All Blacks, but the Irishman will be judged more on Saturday’s return clash at Welford Road. Youngs, coming off the back of four England internationals, may have been jaded in crash-landing from that high, but even at his freshest he would have struggled, with his pack outfought and outmanoeuvred. He twice threw passes without realising a first receiver was not in position and, as Munster dominated territorially, found himself drawn into a kicking game the Tigers appeared not to have prepared for. Leicester’s chasers were half-hearted, while the home side vigorously contested every one of Murray’s high, haunting kicks. Murray was in his pomp, bringing his forceful back row into play when he was not kicking. When the series of body blows had wounded the Tigers, he went for the kill by running and passing, setting up his side’s first try with delightful deception, looking outside before slipping an inside pass to Simon Zebo. The pair have contrasting styles: Murray more physical and precise, Youngs more reactive and opportunist, and it is variety that will spice up the Lions. They will go as a pair. Paul Rees
3) Launchbury gives towering display for Wasps
Considering Danny Cipriani, Kyle Eastmond and Elliot Daly were all absent for Wasps’ game against Connacht – and there is still Willie le Roux to arrive – the cast list of eye-catching backs is quite something. Kurtley Beale stood out on his debut and Josh Bassett, one of the less heralded members of the backline, was also impressive on the left wing. Towering above them though was Joe Launchbury, who has an uncanny habit of producing his very best performances when they are most needed. The frustration he felt after missing England’s last two autumn internationals was obvious, but he responded in the best possible fashion and it is not an exaggeration to say Wasps would probably have lost without him. The home nations are well stocked with second-rows and part of Launchbury’s frustration will be because he is now up against it to make the Lions tour. George Kruis and Courtney Lawes head into the Six Nations in possession of England’s No4 and No5 jerseys, with Maro Itoje set to return. Although there are other more explosive locks, and others with better lineout attributes, few are as consistent as Launchbury and Warren Gatland will be aware that is no bad trait to have. Gerard Meagher
4) Worsley eyes switch to European focus for Bordeaux
Three consecutive defeats have effectively ended Exeter’s chances of progressing from Pool 5 but Bordeaux-Bègles, possibly to their own slight surprise, are bang in contention after two wins and a try bonus point at Clermont. “As a coaching team we’re not really happy,” admitted defence coach Joe Worsley, reflecting on his side’s 13-7 victory at Sandy Park. “Yes, we won but our kicking game was diabolical. It’s been a problem we’ve had a few times. If you want to beat the best teams you’ve got to be capable of getting out of your own half at the right time. We’ve had a stroke of luck today.” So will Bordeaux, a side still looking to establish themselves in the upper reaches of the Top 14, now start to prioritise Europe more? Beat Exeter again at the Stade Chaban-Delmas this weekend and, according to Worsley, they may well start to reassess: “I’ve got experience of doing the domestic and European double and it’s a pretty hard run-in to the season,” stressed the former England and Wasps flanker. “But in terms of our reputation and players coming to join us it’s important to do well in this competition. It’ll be interesting if we win next week.” RK
5) George and Farrell can cover Hartley’s expected absence
With Dylan Hartley hogging most of the conversation time across Europe this weekend, thoughts inevitably turn to the possibility he might miss some or all of the Six Nations, depending on how severe his ban is and how much latitude Eddie Jones can extend him. Jones was at Saracens on Saturday, where he will have been encouraged by the continued smooth operation of the likely alternatives to his current set-up with England. If selection were on form alone, Jamie George would have been England’s hooker for a couple of years by now. Sure enough, he was unerring with his lineout throwing again here, just as Hartley is, but his work at the other set-pieces and around the park continues to outstrip any other hooker in Britain. Meanwhile, Owen Farrell’s leadership continues to develop, should Jones be looking for a new captain. Mark McCall was so impressed by his oratory in the changing room he sent him out for the second half, despite knowing he was going to pull him off as a precaution for a tight quad at the earliest opportunity, which was 60 seconds in. And it is not just Jones who would have been watching all this. Warren Gatland too. It is far from inconceivable that Saracens supply six players to the Lions Test side in New Zealand, including four of the tight five. Michael Aylwin
6) Ulster show Pro12 can cope with new format
This was supposed to be the season the dastardly French and English clubs conspired to stop the pesky Pro12 clubs chirping: make them qualify for the competition and let them grind themselves down in the domestic matches. Boo, hiss etc. The Irish sides’ struggles last season did indeed suggest that the new format would work against them, but this weekend suggests they have learned to cope pretty quickly, perhaps boosted and improved by the higher standard of rugby in the Pro12. Ulster played some astonishing rugby against French giants Clermont-Auvergne; thrilling, powerful and with no little skill at high tempo for the full 80 minutes. Ulster, Leinster and Munster scored 39, 37 and 38 points respectively in this round. The latter two should comfortably qualify for the quarter-finals, Connacht topped their pool going into the weekend and this outstanding win – built on incredible intensity in attack, then later in defence, and topped off by a moment of genius from Charles Piutau – gives Ulster a chance of making the quarter-finals a 50% Irish affair. Dan Lucas
7) Gray must go with the Lions
Few gave the Warriors a chance in Paris against a full-strength Racing 92 and the score was scarcely believable to anyone quickly checking in and seeing Gregor Townsend’s men 23-7 ahead with just seven minutes remaining, before Dan Carter’s late score made things more respectable. This was a Racing side studded with stars of last year’s World Cup: Carter was joined by the Argentina wing Juan Imhoff and Leone Nakarawa, the great Fijian lock who remains beloved at Scotstoun despite leaving at the end of last season. All three barely made an impact, with the latter especially subdued by the magnificent Jonny Gray. The Scotland international made 20 tackles and missed none. He did not miss one in the autumn internationals either, and is rumoured to have only missed six in his entire international career. Warren Gatland has said he will pick his Lions squad based on the Six Nations, but he would be foolish to leave Gray at home. DL
8) Abandonment rules raise questions
For Toulouse to pick up a bonus point win in Parma is perhaps the least surprising result of the weekend, creaking as the former Heineken Cup giants may be. However the manner of their victory – awarded a five-point win over Zebre after Ian Davies, the referee, decided that the fog was too heavy to continue and abandoned proceedings with the French side leading 36-6 after 63 minutes – is mildly unsatisfactory. The EPCR rules say that if a match is abandoned after 60 minutes or later the result stands. On this occasion it made little difference given that Zebre were only likely to endure further punishment. To see this happen on the same day as the thriller between Ulster and Clermont Auvergne, however, immediately raises the question: what if? DL
9) Players need educating on safety
Another day, another arm smashed into a player’s head at a ruck and another red card. Davit Kubriashvili’s assault on Thibault Lassalle might not have been quite as cheap as a similar, more high-profile shot this round, aimed as it was at the front rather than the back of the victim’s head, but it was barely any less dangerous. Kubriashvili’s act of foul play did not, eventually, cost Montpellier as they beat Castres 32-14 and kept up their qualification hopes. Against a better side, the red card would surely have been the catalyst for defeat and one would expect Jake White to be furious nonetheless. More importantly though, the actions of Kubriashvili and Hartley suggest that rugby players are less aware of the dangers of concussion than those of us who observe the game. We need to question whether or not they are sufficiently educated in them. DL
10) Nonu and Bastareaud roll back the years
There is life in the old dogs yet, it seems. Top-level rugby has, of course, moved on from the big bullocking lump smashing through ill-suited tacklers – you can stop waiting by the phone now, Matt Banahan – but there was something mildly entertaining in watching the Scarlets’ attempts to stop Mathieu Bastareaud on the charge during Toulon’s largely perfunctory 31-20 win. The centre should be nowhere near Guy Novès’s radar for France but he and his fellow veteran Ma’a Nonu were in fine form here, shrugging off near enough every first-off tackler and passing well out of the (attempted) tackle. With James O’Connor and Bryan Habana outside them, Toulon’s three-quarter line felt like something of a throwback, and their backline moves often broke down, but they were too powerful for the Scarlets. It was something a bit different for the weekend. DL
