Rugby union: talking points from the weekend’s action
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Version 0 of 1. 1) Time for Farrell to seize baton and conduct Saracens’ orchestra Nothing went so very wrong. They all rose to the occasion and although Brock James won the man-of-the-match award, Alex Goode ran him close. The full-back gave a majestic performance, checking the surge in the polls of Nick Abendanon for election to the England World Cup squad. Not that Abendanon was in any way poor; just that Goode was exceptional. But full-back may not be the best position from which to wave the controlling wand – the permanent threat, the Wesley Fofana factor, that Clermont have. It is time for Owen Farrell to enter the next phase of his rugby career – the mercurial years. Or Saracens must spend – and buy big. Eddie Butler 2) Faithful followers bask in Clermont’s avengers Clubs in many sports have made all sorts of efforts to transport their faithful to away games. The yellow and blue hordes of Clermont Auvergne seemed to have no difficulty making the journey under their own steam across the Massif Central from Clermont-Ferrand to Saint-Étienne, where they created a rollicking atmosphere. They were the men, women and children of the match, all part of the absolution of the day – forgiveness for the semi against Saracens last year. That just leaves Twickenham, scene of that horror show – and where the Champions Cup final will be played. If Clermont can persuade their 40,000 Auvergnats to go with them, they’ve got a fighting chance. Eddie Butler 3) Extra-time enables Toulon to click at last Only a masochist would have wanted another 20 minutes of rugby following one of the most error-strewn games imaginable in Marseille. As it turned out extra time was easily the most interesting part of the game, with Toulon finally getting their act together sufficiently to keep alive their chances of a third straight European title. As their try-scorer Bryan Habana admitted afterwards, they were a shade lucky to get to Twickenham but their assortment of senior players will now relish the chance of a high-profile last hurrah on English soil. Robert Kitson 4) Shoot-out averted but we need a better way of settling big ties An all-French final will be a test for the marketeers, particularly if the standard of execution is as poor as it was on a damp afternoon in Marseille. At least we were spared a penalty shoot-out involving three kickers apiece from either side. There must be a better way to settle a deadlocked big game; how about giving three selected players five chances to run the ball at three defenders and see how many touchdowns they manage? Given the handling on view at the Stade Vélodrome, though, that might also have made for depressing viewing. Robert Kitson Match report: Toulon 25-20 Leinster (aet) 5) Rich pickings remain on the cards for Cherry & Whites Gloucester, currently in the shop window at around £25m to the right investor, finally got something out of their season, putting in a rare 80-minute performance to get through to the Challenge Cup final against Edinburgh … the only English side to make a European final. Mike Averis 6) Edinburgh’s Hidalgo-Clyne provides Solomons with vindication Alan Solomons is not the type to gloat but he would be afforded a self-satisfactory smile after Edinburgh became the first Scottish side to reach a European final, and in some style. Solomons arrived at Murrayfield in August 2013 and oversaw a miserable first season at a club that had plummeted since reaching the 2012 Heineken Cup semi-final. He was also widely criticised for recruiting a raft of unheralded South African players to a club so traditionally committed to the development of homegrown talent. Yet those able to recall how he guided Ulster between 2001 and 2004, soon after the dawn of professionalism, knew better than to pass early judgment. Now, a recent thumping by Munster sandwiched between two knockout European matches aside, they are a difficult proposition at home, they are fitter, more organised and have a core of young Scots led by the livewire scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne – the architect of the crushing victory over the Dragons. Hidalgo-Clyne is only 21 but appeared in all five of Scotland’s Six Nations matches and continues to keep the national captain Greig Laidlaw on his toes. Laidlaw is the man he replaced in Solomons’ side and will, incidentally, be his opposite number in an individual contest that will go a considerable way to deciding whether Edinburgh or Gloucester lift the Challenge Cup on 1 May. Gerard Meagher |