This week we will mainly deal with France’s European dominance, the terrible fate of Beno Obano and the omens of the Six Nations…
too easy
At least these games used to be competitive. There was a time, not so long ago, when it was necessary to win away from home to secure even minimal qualification for the group stage of the European Cup.
Not now. Of the 16 Investec Champions Cup group matches that French teams played at home, 14 of them were victories. That number was 11 of 16 for the English, 5 of 6 for the Irish contingent, 3 of 6 for the South Africans and a full complement for both Glasgow and Benetton. Only 11 of the 48 group stage matches ended in an away victory. The visiting winners? France scored eight of them, Leinster did what Leinster does and won twice on the road. Saracens and Northampton each claimed a scalp, which was good for both as they both also crashed at home.
Seven of those away wins came in the first two rounds, with teams like Toulouse, Bordeaux and Leinster flexing their muscles. Toulon did a job in Cape Town. La Rochelle achieved a crucial victory in Bath. French teams in particular seem to have discovered that an away win is almost a guarantee of progressing through the group stage.
But by the time we got to the final weekend, games like Leicester’s visit to Toulouse, Toulon’s trip to Sale, Glasgow’s foray into west London at Quins and La Rochelle’s game at Benetton had plenty of prestige value, but very little in danger. or competitive background of any kind.
Toulouse were brilliant, but would Leicester really have been so devastated if qualification had been on the line for them? Would a La Rochelle team that needed to win to qualify really have been defeated in Italy? Once all the South African teams lost a home match, did they ever have an impact on the tournament, given the clear physical impact that long travel has on them? There was plenty of brilliant rugby on display, but much also had a whiff of exhibition material at times, like Barbarians matches without the headless sides, the intensity wasn’t always as gasp-worthy as it should have been.
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Teams can largely navigate the group stages, which makes them feel a bit useless. Ulster made it through thanks to winning a game against the hapless Exeter Chiefs. It won’t last long as they will face Bordeaux in the next round, but winning a four-way game with a -61 point difference and a defense that loses more than 40 points per game is really a standard worthy of qualifying for the Second round of the elite European tournament?
It’s time to rethink. As has been discussed here in the past, we are very sympathetic to the creative efforts to fit the tournament into an already packed schedule, but this one seems too lenient on competitors. Many suggestions have included a return to home-and-away knockouts during the competition, but here’s another alternative: 24 teams also fit into eight groups of three, which could also play home and away over six weekends (two blocks of three ) and only the group winners will advance to the quarterfinals. Instant familiarity and rivalry: check. Competitive integrity: check. All or nothing in most games: check.
Right now the early stages of the European Cup are too easy.
Leinster takes action after ‘players and coaches’ were subjected to ‘abuse’
yellow stripe
Beno Obano would be forgiven for simply packing his bags and heading to a sport where accidents happen.
After the ignominy of a red card in last season’s Premiership final, in which he did nothing wrong, he was again made the scapegoat for an accidental collision (in which his technique was impeccable), and subsequently sent off from the field for what seemed little more than fatigue. The indignation of his sitting response, including the frustrated ejection of his mouthguard in disgust, when shown his second yellow card said all I needed to know.
Is there scope to uphold a second yellow card (certainly for technical infringements) as if it were just a yellow card? Seems like something worth looking at. Foul play is one thing, but seeing red for a technical infraction compounded by a uniquely skewed tackle review process is not a good look for the game.
The French generation prepares to dominate
Five of the top eight finishers in Europe are French. Two of the three best teams in Europe have an important part of the French team. There have been few changes to the team since the last World Cup, with many of the players in their prime and with dozens of international matches of experience. The generation that emerges behind it is just as good.
The Six Nations starts in less than ten days and the French team had a nice, easy opening game against a Welsh team as unknown as any since the last World Cup. It’s their tournament to lose. Scotland have just lost a crucial player and still lack depth. The English teams may look good against each other, but against the European benchmarks they seem to be out of rhythm. And while Leinster continues to face all the challenges, Ireland’s rugby scene feels a little fractured at the moment.
All eyes are on Dublin on March 8 for the Grand Slam decider, unless Scotland or England, or perhaps Italy in Rome, can pull off an early surprise. But the gap between Ireland, France and the rest has never seemed wider.
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