European Rugby Champions Cup: talking points from the weekend

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/dec/15/european-rugby-champions-cup-talking-points

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1) Wasps’ fluency can make fans flock to Coventry

Wasps will be saying their hellos to Coventry this week before their relocation from High Wycombe to the Ricoh Arena. Almost 23,000 tickets have already been shifted for Sunday’s Premiership game against London Irish and, even if several thousand seats will be filled by non-paying guests, it will be a marked contrast to the six and a half thousand attendance for their final game at Adams Park.

What Wasps will want to stay unchanged is their attacking fluency which has propelled them back into contention for a place in Europe’s last eight this season. Beat Quins away and Leinster in Coventry next month and they will be into the quarter-finals having lost their opening two games, no mean feat. It looks increasingly unlikely, however, that their England forward Joe Launchbury – due to see a specialist this week about his ongoing neck problem – will be available for their remaining pool games. Robert Kitson

2) Decisions by committee can leave a sour taste

Those in the world of football who resist the introduction of video technology will point to the endgame in the Aviva Stadium for support. In what was a white-hot finish to a sometimes lukewarm game the referee Romain Poite went upstairs after a dust-up left Leinster’s Dominic Ryan on the ground holding his face. “Much ado about nothing,” said Conor O’Shea. His opposite number Matt O’Connor made even less of an incident that saw Quins’ Charlie Matthews receive a yellow card. The citing commissioner Stefano Marrama of Italy has until Monday evening to decide if there is a further case to answer. The problem was it felt as if Poite would take as long to reach a decision on the field. Fans were losing the will to live it went on so long. Does technology give us a better game? Certainly. But it is turning into decision by committee. Get on with it. Brendan Fanning

3) The Mayol remains among Toulon’s most prized assets

The Stade Félix Mayol is not a perfect model of what a modern sports stadium should be. It’s a little faded, a little tight in its space just behind the Toulon waterfront, a little open to the elements. It holds only just over 15,000. But it has a role to play in the development of Rugby Club Toulonnais into one of the major dynasties of the European game – the generation of sound and fury. The Mayol bounces on match day. Of course, the project is helped no end by the club’s spending power and the superstars in every position give the crowd plenty of reasons to roar. Money is obviously important and Leicester looked fearfully undernourished trying to stop Mathieu Bastareaud and Chris Masoe. To think of Leicester as outgunned poor relations seems ludicrous but the truth seems to be that Toulon are putting distance between themselves and just about everybody, bar the top French clubs. Anyone that wants to knock them out of the Champions Cup may have to wait until they are well away from their beloved Mayol to have a chance. And even then, play out of their skin, something Leicester failed to do. Eddie Butler

4) Saracens may come to rue missing bonus point

“In some kind of control going into rounds five and six” is how Mark McCall, Saracens’ director of rugby, described the situation at the end of round four. He is satisfied, if not elated, that is where Saracens are. He would have been notably more enthusiastic had his team registered the bonus point but the good news is that Clermont failed to register one in their victory over Munster. The concerning news is that Munster, somehow, did nick one in defeat. They must be the only team in Europe who can do that kind of thing, despite being as comprehensively outplayed in every department as they were in Clermont. And/or Clermont are the only team who can dominate like that and not extract full value. If Clermont are as negligent when Saracens visit in round six they may yet get mugged. Munster, though, are capable of winning in Barnet. It is tight but at least Saracens remain in control of their destiny – kind of. Michael Aylwin

5) Saints boast strength but No10 is fly in the ointment

Northampton are virtually back to full strength before two key Premiership matches, Leicester at home and Harlequins at Twickenham two days after Christmas. George Pisi is back in the centre after a hamstring strain and, while George North’s return from concussion lasted 43 minutes, the dead leg he suffered is not expected to sideline him this weekend. The prop Alex Corbisiero, who has not played since suffering a shoulder injury at the end of September, is expected back in a couple of weeks and, despite not signing many players in the season, the Saints have an enviable strength in depth. The fly-half is an exception: James Wilson moved to 10 from full-back via the wing when Stephen Myler was taken off early but, should anything happen to Myler, who has started every Premiership and Champions Cup match, Northampton would not be able to cover his absence as seamlessly as they do with others. Paul Rees

6) Toulouse showing British rivals how it is done

What was billed as the biggest game Glasgow have ever staged ended in disappointment at what might have been if they had played slightly better. Toulouse, in contrast, have won all four of their matches to date despite not resembling the all-conquering aristocrats of a few years ago. Glasgow and Bath now need to win both their remaining fixtures but only one of them can progress. The two sides are due to meet at the Recreation Ground on the final pool weekend next month. Robert Kitson