Regardless of English rugby’s current distractions, the remorseless northern hemisphere fixture schedule rumbles steadily onwards.
As the new French head coach, Guy Novès, and his unconfirmed English counterpart will shortly discover, this is a salt mine of a season: 11 months of hard labour with scant respite. The European Champions Cup will be out of reach for anyone whose chain gang lacks the requisite character.
On the eve of the 2015-16 kick-off, the haves and the have-nots also remain a long way apart in terms of squad depth. Sure, the English salary cap is to be raised next season, but across the Channel the euro remains mighty attractive. As anyone who saw Toulon’s weekend thrashing of Montpellier will testify, the purchasing power of Europe’s market-leaders is now frightening.
The eye was not merely caught by the new recruit Quade Cooper doing what he does – no-look grubbers, sly offloads, daft interception passes – but the all-star cast into which he has been propelled. When Ma’a Nonu arrives he will compete for the 12 jersey with the outstanding Matt Giteau. Maxime Mermoz and Mathieu Bastareaud are also in the mix. Outside them, fitness permitting, will be Bryan Habana, Drew Mitchell, Leigh Halfpenny, Delon Armitage, James O’Connor and the 21-year-old fast-rising meteor Josua Tuisova. If Juan Smith, Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe or Steffon Armitage ever need a breather then Mamuka Gorgodze, Samu Manoa or Duane Vermeulen roll off the bench. It is less a rugby team than a muscular who’s who.
Toulon do not win every game – their start to the Top 14 season had been relatively sluggish before Saturday night – but they are raising the bar for all ambitious club owners. In December, once his autobiography has been pushed down the publishing slipway, Dan Carter will jet into Paris to join his new club Racing 92. The Top 14 may not be the quickest league in the world but it contains a disproportionate number of the world’s best players.
Clearly this has implications for all, not least the Premiership clubs. How can they realistically compete for major titles when Toulon are stockpiling so many galácticos? Those who have pulled on the red and black jersey sometimes shake their heads at the madness of life in the Var, but three successive European titles would suggest Mourad Boudjellal is no fool. It is up to the rest to find a way of catching up.
The first side to have that chance are Bath, who head to the south of France on Sunday seeking to repeat what they achieved so spectacularly away from home against Montpellier and Toulouse last season. “They’ve got a fantastic side,” confirms Mike Ford, more than happy to be distracted by any subject not featuring Sam Burgess. “But we feel there’s an opportunity for us. The ball’s in play 25% less in France so if we can play at high tempo and keep the ball in play we think we have the attacking shape to cause them problems.”
Without the injured Jonathan Joseph and with continuing back-row issues following Burgess’s exit – the newly-arrived David Denton will not feature this weekend – it will be easier said than done. But France hardly enjoyed a stellar World Cup themselves and it may be that one or two sides less affected by RWC 2015 hangovers will prosper in the early rounds. If they give the ball some air and circumvent the power-strewn Gallic packs, fortune could yet favour the tactically brave.
Into that category fall Exeter Chiefs, determined to give Europe a real rip this year despite a menacing pool. Somehow they will have to find a way past Clermont Auvergne, Bordeaux Bègles and Ospreys but their set piece is stronger and a first appearance in the knockout stages is far from impossible.
Saracens, the only unbeaten side in the English Premiership after four rounds, should also be more than competitive if they avoid a first-up defeat to their main pool rivals Toulouse at Allianz Park on Saturday. They should be happy enough on Oyonnax’s artificial surface – welcome to the most sparsely-grassed pool in European history – and will have a fair idea where they stand after the opening two weekends. Mark McCall, Sarries’ director of rugby, stresses it will require a collective effort: “This year rotating players is more important than it has ever been ... we’ve already used 37 players in four games.”
It could be a demanding campaign for the Irish representatives, still licking their own post-World Cup wounds, as well as the Welsh and Italians. But Glasgow, with at least 35 internationals to choose from, could easily enjoy a couple of high-profile wins. Saracens, Toulouse, Clermont, Exeter, Racing 92, Stade Français, Munster and Toulon are my eight qualifiers but it is going to require something special to prevent Boudjellal’s high-rollers adding a fourth straight title to their portfolio in Lyon on 14 May.
