TIGERS IN LION’S DEN
Toulon is the place to be this weekend for those who like their rugby raw. Never mind the explosive comments made by Martin Castrogiovanni about his former club after the Tigers had won the first match in the double header against the European Cup holders, the official complaints made by Leicester about the prop’s remarks and an alleged altercation between Delon Armitage and home supporters at half-time will ensure the Stade Mayol support is fired up.
Europe may have undergone a change and its headquarters may have switched from Ireland to Switzerland, but French grievances that it is a tournament run by, and for, the home unions, will take a while to subside. Toulon may have taken action against Castrogiovanni for the nature of his attack on Leicester and the club’s director of rugby, Richard Cockerill, but they would not take a misconduct charge by the tournament organisers mutely.
Leicester’s victory capped a strong weekend for the Premiership clubs. Six of the nine victors in the third round of the Champions Cup were English whose sole defeat came in Salford where Sale lost to Saracens. In contrast, the seven Pro 12 teams mustered one victory between them, and that came in the encounter between two of their number at Belfast where Ulster defeated the Scarlets.
The French for once performed better away than at home, Clermont Auvergne achieving the result of the round by becoming the first team to defeat Munster at Thomond Park in the tournament, while Racing Métro left Swansea with a draw against Ospreys. Montpellier followed up a 25-10 defeat at home to Brive in the Top 14 by losing to Bath by 25 points and Castres, league winners and beaten finalists in the last two seasons but currently bottom of the table, slumped in front of their own supporters to Wasps. Toulouse not only defeated Glasgow but denied their rivals a bonus point.
What marks out the third and fourth rounds, when matches are played no more than nine days apart, is the instant opportunity for reparation, and revenge. A year ago, Northampton were humbled at home 40-7 by Leinster. The Saints had only lost two matches before that in 13 matches, both by less than a converted try, but they were swept aside contemptuously by the Irish province and were fortunate to concede only 40 points.
Seven days later, the teams lined up in Dublin. Northampton kept the same back division but brought in three new forwards, scoring two tries without reply in an 18-9 victory. This time it is Leinster who have to respond after losing to Harlequins at the Stoop last Sunday in a match that revealed the difference Joe Schmidt made.
Leinster under Schmidt had plays that more often than not got them out on the right side of big, tight matches. While Harlequins are not enjoying a vintage season, having already lost five matches in the Premiership, their team spirit has not been dimmed, as they showed in their resolute defence in Bath last month where they took some subduing even though they were down to 12 men at one stage. Leinster could find no way through at the end.
Quins have conceded one try in the Champions Cup this season and 15 in nine Premiership matches. Leinster were pushed at home by Wasps in the opening round and defeat would leave them with little chance of topping the group, although with three of the five runners-up qualifying for the quarter-finals they would still expect to make the last eight.
Leinster should be set fair, but Munster are in danger of missing out on the knock-out stage for only the second time in 16 years: away defeats to London Irish, Toulon and Ospreys cost them in 2010-11. In Europe, they have never been more threatening than when they have been written off, but with trips to Clermont and Saracens to come in their remaining three matches, they will need to muster all their renowned powers of resilience.
Clermont were unusually pumped up for a French team away from home last Saturday. They arrived in Limerick not just with determination but armed with a plan. They countered Munster’s driving maul, marshalled Paul O’Connell and paid close attention to Conor Murray. They also took their early opportunities, and while Munster have been the masters of catch-up, as they again showed in the opening round in Sale, they needed a try rather than a kick against the Top 14 side and, like Leinster, it proved beyond them.
Clermont’s long home record may have gone, Montpellier have won there in the league this season after Castres’s play-off victory in May, but Sale were the last team to succeed at the Stade Marcel Michelin in Europe, back in 2008. Munster kept close to Clermont in the 2013 semi-final in Montpellier without being able to find the killer play, and that remains their weakness against the best in Europe.
Ulster also have it all to do. They secured a bonus point victory over Scarlets after losing their opening two matches, but in a tight group will probably have to win in Toulon to progress having gone down to the Top 14 club in Belfast, not to mention Llanelli on Saturday where they drew on the opening day of the season.
It raises the prospect of the Irish teams not providing a quarter-finalist, something that has only happened twice before, back in the days when the old Heineken Cup was in its infancy and all the provinces struggled to attract crowds.
The second and third seasons of the Heineken Cup, 1996-97 and 1997-98, did not see an Irish team in the last eight. A repeat this year would come at a time when Ireland are on an international high having gone through 2014 with just one defeat, to England at Twickenham, but the Champions Cup and Test rugby are different beasts.
Partisan crowds hug the touchlines, even experienced referees get flustered and visiting teams can feel the heat on the coldest of days. Unlike the Six Nations, a defeat may be accompanied by a bonus point and the one secured by Leinster at the Stoop may prove vital. Irish teams always keep going in Europe, never accepting that the game may be up, and it would be a surprise among surprises if none of them made it to the knock-out stage.
• This is an extract taken from the Breakdown, the Guardian’s weekly rugby union email. Sign up here.
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