1) Saracens’ common purpose is a mighty strength
Saracens have a healthy mini-squad of their own in Eddie Jones’s full England squad – eight in total. The seven who played against Ulster were in fine individual form, but it was the sense of the entire 23 being as one that overrode any admiration of any single star. Saracens are not the biggest, the fastest, nor the most belligerent, but they play for each other with a collective sense of endeavour that is truly striking and which makes their supporters adore them all the more. If they are to be beaten this season it will presumably be when a bunch of world stars discover a similar common zeal, as at Toulon in recent times. There are few signs in the Champions Cup that Toulon’s unique bond is still intact. Only Racing 92 and Leicester might match Saracens for strength of common purpose. Ulster have Ruan Pienaar and the indomitable Rory Best and the new sensation, Stuart McCloskey, but they played as if dependent on these single players. Eddie Butler
• Match report: Saracens 33-17 Ulster
• Owen Farrell ‘has no problem’ with his father Andy’s move to Ireland
2) Qualification prospects bleak but Glasgow have reason to be positive
Technically Glasgow are still alive in Europe but Gregor Townsend has already acknowledged their qualification prospects are effectively over. Not only do the Warriors require a four-try win over Dan Carter’s Racing but Northampton would have to emerge from Parc y Scarlets empty-handed with several other results also going Glasgow’s way. The only consolation for Townsend is that his side played virtually all the rugby and showed flickers of the off-loading game that helped clinch them last season’s Pro12 title. This season is now all about qualifying for Europe via the league but the Warriors should definitely make it on this evidence. Northampton, for their part, scored three tries without hitting any great heights; take away their dominant driving maul and there is still very little happening attack-wise. They also now need a number of other results to go their way but Harry Mallinder’s last-gasp try has at least kept them in knock-out contention. Mallinder’s father Jim, Saints’ director of rugby, was suitably relieved, admitting he was “pretty chuffed” to see his 19-year-old son score on his European debut. Robert Kitson
• Match report: Northampton 19-15 Glasgow
3) Raw Ringrose could offer Ireland much needed pace
Garry Ringrose should become a familiar name outside Ireland in the coming years. The centre, who turns 21 next week, was recently tipped by Ireland’s most celebrated No13, Brian O’Driscoll, as a contender for the Six Nations squad. He looks like someone Eddie Jones would take a punt on; concerns about his defence, which were not in evidence in the victory over Bath, outweighed by his attacking ability. He was up against another centre renowned for his outside breaks, Jonathan Joseph, but while Bath’s moves tended to be from first-phase possession with runners into midfield well policed, Leinster attacked more from turnovers and sought space. A classic example came at the start of the second-half when Bath, trailing 12-3, were attacking in Leinster’s 22. The prop Max Lahiff was stripped of the ball by the home scrum-half, Luke McGrath, and Ringrose led a breakout before receiving the ball again and going outside a defender to send Isa Nacewa away, flattened by Matt Banahan in the process. Nacewa was hauled down short of the line and Leinster had to make do with a penalty, but the pace of the move summed up their approach. Pace is not something Ireland had in abundance last year, and while Ringrose is raw he and the other recent graduates of Leinster’s academy showed that the future should be different. Paul Rees
• Match report: Leinster 25-11 Bath
• Exeter seal signing of Devoto from Bath
4) Could Tipuric be ripe for a return to the Welsh back row?
The upshot of Ospreys’ second-half comeback at Liberty Stadium is that all four teams in the pool can still qualify from this weekend’s final round of games. The game had repercussions for Wales, too. Dan Biggar limped off with a dead leg, less than ideal when Warren Gatland is due to name his Wales squad for the Six Nations on Tuesday. As it happened, his injury prompted a shift in fortunes for Ospreys, with understudy Sam Davies, son of the former Wales centre Nigel, striking four penalties and a drop goal. While Davies is an unlikely shout at this point for a Test call, Justin Tipuric gave Gatland another nudge. With Dan Lydiate recovering from a rib injury, is it time to combine Warburton and Tipuric in Wales’ back-row again? Claire Tolley
• Match report: Ospreys 21-13 Clermont Auvergne
5) Exeter are close to being a genuine force in Europe
Exeter may have lost the initiative in Europe but this performance in France hinted that the Chiefs may not be far from becoming a genuine force both at home and abroad. Openness and honesty are two of the best traits of the head coach, Rob Baxter and, having made 13 changes to the side that beat Gloucester the previous week to close the gap at the top of the Premiership, he was pragmatic about his side’s European chances. The brave call almost paid off as a second-string Chiefs pushed Bordeaux-Begles to the wire before losing 34-27.
“We have to accept the reality that we can’t keep rolling out the same team throughout a long season,” he said. “We probably know where we are in this pool and qualification will be tough. But we knew beforehand that if we didn’t win and progress, all it shows is that we aren’t ready to fight on two fronts quite yet.”
However this performance proves he has a squad whose talent matches their commitment. It may not be this season that they reach the quarter-finals, but it is coming. Matt Lloyd
• Match report: Bordeaux-Bègles 34-27 Exeter
6) Thompson is knocking on England’s door
It was the players not in Eddie Jones’s first England squad who seemed most inspired for Wasps against Toulon. Guy Thompson has never featured in those discussions, but much more of this and he will. James Gaskell and Sam Jones were superb too. But the man with the strongest claim to a place in Jones’s new England is Joe Simpson, and he kept up the pressure with this performance. One box kick late in the game did go straight into touch – just – but otherwise he was sharp and alert as Wasps kept moving the heavy Toulon artillery round. And the way he threw himself at those big guns spoke of a hungry man. Duane Vermeulen, the mighty Springbok, was felled by one hit in particular, with Toulon chasing the game in the final minutes, and spilled the ball. Dai Young revealed that Simpson had fallen foul of Jones’s decision to pick only three scrum-halfs. But he also told us that Simpson remained very much in the picture, as if we needed telling. “Simmo’s form has been there for everybody to see throughout the season,” said Young. “Eddie’s told Joe that he’s gone with two No9s and if he’d gone for any more he would have probably figured. He’s told Joe he’s firmly in his thoughts and if he keeps on playing well there’s no reason why he won’t get an opportunity. I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t figure somewhere during the Six Nations.” Michael Aylwin
• Match report: Toulon 15-11 Wasps
7) Carter’s charges Racing clear
A fifty-point hammering and a record defeat could leave an impact on one’s senses but it was reassuring to hear Ken Owens, the Scarlets captain who must have indeed felt slightly scarlet-faced at the end of their pummelling on Sunday, speak a lot of sense regarding the best team in Europe. “They’ve got the complete package,” Owens said of Racing. “They are the best team in Europe. Saracens in England are up there, playing very good stuff. But I think Racing, with the squad they’ve got, the calibre of player and the different variations in their game, have the edge.” And the problem, as Owens added, is that they are only getting better. The return fixture back in November, which saw Dan Carter make his debut, finished in an 18-point win for the French team. But now the New Zealander has settled – “the best player in the world,” Owens confirmed as if any of us were in doubt – they look an unstoppable force that Sarries and Toulon could well struggle to handle. Alan Smith
