European Rugby Champions Cup: talking points from the weekend action

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/oct/27/european-rugby-champions-cup-talking-points

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1) Toulouse craft cuts through Bath

Toulouse finished their moves with an aplomb bordering on the insolent. Players formed a queue on the end of overlaps. Bath could not finish off half-breaks by Jonathan Joseph, thrusts by Dominic Day, runs by Semesa Rokoduguni. French teams are second only to New Zealanders in sensing an opportunity in attack and they flood the runner – and the place where he is heading – with support. The important difference is that these runners hold their depth. In turn, the runner passes the ball into the space where the receiver is going to be – not at him. British and Irish teams generally like a visible target to hit with hard, flat passes. There is always a risk of the receiver overrunning the ball-carrier. Not so in France, where the art of putting the ball into unoccupied space is cherished. Eddie Butler

• Bath 19-21 Toulouse

2) Robshaw’s energy shines through

Wasps’ director of rugby, Dai Young, felt his side had run out of energy after a bruising few weeks but Harlequins’ Chris Robshaw keeps on going like that relentless toy bunny in those old battery advertisements. His ‘engine’ remains his greatest strength and Quins cannot understand why anybody would not want him as England’s captain. “How anyone would even contemplate going on the field without him is beyond my comprehension,” said his director of rugby, Conor O’Shea, having restored Robshaw as captain in the absence of the injured Joe Marler. “He loved it getting the armband back ... it’s probably good for England and Stuart Lancaster.” The counter argument is that England still lack an out-and-out openside but, in the end, it is all about the overall balance of any back row. Robshaw may just be destined to be one of those players whose true value becomes fully apparent only when they are not around. Robert Kitson

• Wasps 16-23 Harlequins

3) Glasgow can break into select group

Glasgow had only once won in France in the European Cup, in Toulouse in 2009, their next opponents after victory in Montpellier, where they drew three seasons ago. Following the opening-day victory over Bath, Glasgow are on course to reach the last eight for the first time. They have made an impact in the Pro12 in recent seasons with a fast, open game but they had to dig in against a side that is fourth in the Top 14, winning a battle of attrition through the boot of Finn Russell and an indomitable forward effort. The knock-out stage of the tournament has in recent years largely been a preserve of the French, English and Irish but a side that contains 17 of the Scotland squad is on course to break through. Paul Rees

• Montpellier 13-15 Glasgow

4) Crucial double-header awaits lax Leicester

Make mistakes at any level and you are in trouble. Make three costly ones, as Leicester did at Parc y Scarlets on Saturday night, and you could easily be out of Europe before the knock-out stages come around. Leicester now have a pre-Christmas double-header against Toulon, getting up a nice head of steam in their quest to be the first team to dominate Europe for three seasons on the bounce. One senses that the first meeting, at Welford Road on 7 December, might make the following week’s trip to the south of France doubly difficult. Mike Averis

• Scarlets 15-3 Leicester

5) Pro12 sides showing their worth

It is early days yet but there have been seven European Champions Cup fixtures pitting Premiership against Pro 12 sides. And the score in this little game within a game? Five to the Pro 12, two to the Premiership, with Munster leading the charge thanks to two wins out of two against English opposition. Friday night’s defeat for Saracens in Limerick certainly makes life interesting for the north London side in the New Year, particularly if Munster prosper home and away against Clermont in December. The structure of the competition may change but a desire to beat the English never goes out of fashion. Robert Kitson

• Munster 14-3 Saracens

6) George North proves centre credentials

The Wales head coach, Warren Gatland, has long mused whether George North will end up as a centre rather than a wing and after North played in the midfield against Ospreys he will have had more pause for thought. North looked sharp throughout, quick off the mark and hard to stop once he got into a stride. His first try, changing pace after having to slow down to secure a pass, may not have looked the pick of his four but it showed how he has evolved since joining from Scarlets. He will be an option in midfield in the opening Test against Australia if Jonathan Davies is ruled out by the shoulder injury he sustained during Clermont’s match against Sale and played in the centre for the final 32 minutes of Wales’ Test against Australia last year. Though Gatland does not have an abundance of wings, as he contemplates the toughest of World Cup groups, he will appreciate Wales have to maximise North’s involvement. Paul Rees

• Northampton 34-6 Ospreys