European Pro Club Rugby Champions Cup – Round 3 WRap Clubs from the three professional leagues that populate the Champions Cup field all won four matches in Round 3 with a Top 14 XV, though performing well in its own league competition, eliminated. Numero uno in the French league is still in by the hair of its chin-chin. Road wins aren’t unheard of, but they ain’t common either in this competition, kinda like albino unicorns, and there were four of them this round of play. Round 3 BtN Pool 1 Clubs (league pos.) Bordeaux (2) Lyon (13) Bulls (6) Saracens (6) Bristol (8) Connacht (9) 12
3
3
2
2
l 0 1 1 2 2 2
d 0 0 0 0 0 0
+/105 13 24 -42 -31 -69
table points 15 12 10 5 5 1
Rockin’ rollin’ Bordeaux Bègles has pounded to the top of the group and require only a single point on the High Veld at Pretoria next week to claim a home playoff in the knockouts.
for Lyon 10, Paddy Jackson, on 3-and-2 struck from his shoe and a double by SA flyer, Thaakir Abrahams, made for 34 – 20, 5-point victory for the 13th-placed T14 club past Connacht, and Lyon acquired a place in the knockouts commencing first weekend in April; the Irish can probably/maybe go fishing then; point midpoint advantage, 10-7, for traveling Bulls, enlarged considerably in the last half as the South Africans bagged the white unicorn, a Champions Cup, bonus-point road win, 34 – 20, over Bristol Bears at Ashton Gate; bit of a poker night with three yellow tickets issued; on a sticksplitter by Saracens 10, Owen Farrell, and the early lead, 3-nil for travelers, until Bordeaux Bègles struck for seven trys and 43 unanswered in the subsequent 50 minutes; and though guests made a brace of touch downs in a minute just after the hour mark, the chasm too wide and 55 – 15 that outcome at Chaban Delmas; 11 for home 10, Matthieu Jalibert, on a try and three conversions, while flyers Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarry each grounded twice;
Pool 2 Clubs (league pos.) Toulouse (5) Bath (2) Harlequins (3) Ulster (4) Racing 92 (1) Cardiff (12) 11
w 3 2 2 1 1 0
w 3 3 2 1 0 0
l 0 0 1 2 3 3
d 0 0 0 0 0 0
+/97 34 14 -31 -23 -91
table points 15 15 10 5 3 2
All table points earned by the top two teams who’ll face off Round 4, with each needing only a single table point to host the first round of the punchouts.
on account for traveling (and future Les Bleus?) Toulouse 10, Thomas Ramos, on a quartet of conversions and a sticksplitter alongside an 8-trys effort by the French Giant and a 5-point, horned white horse as visitors maintained their top slot in Pool 2 with 55 – 24 shellacking of Ulster at Ravenhill; doubles for numbers 2 and 9, Peato Mauvaka and Antoine Dupont resp., in the decisive victory; lead exchanges in the early goings with Cardiff in front 14-7 midway through the first forty before Harlequins scored the remainder of the points in a runaway, 55 – 14, 5-point unicorn at the Arms Park; 19 for Quin (and England?) 10, Marcus Smith, on seven conversions and a touch down, 8 trys in all for visitors in the scorefest; one brace of scores for openside Thomas Young in defeat; too, adrift the homeboys at the half, 8-10, before Racing 92 opened up a 14-point lead, 22-8, nearing ’60, then Bath returned with 14 in 4 minutes to draw level at 22s; penalty by 21 years young (French 9?) Nolann Le Garrec put 92 ahead, before a converted try made for a joyful ending for Bath at 29 – 25; “Together we are better; united we are strong”
European Pro Club Rugby Champions Cup – Round 3 WRap Pool 3 Clubs (league pos.) Northampton (1) Exeter Chiefs (4) Munster (10) Glasgow (3) Bayonne (10) Toulon (4) 42
10 1
43 7
l 0 0 1 2 2 3
d 0 0 1 0 1 0
+/59 11 3 -14 -48 -15
table points 14 13 8 5 3 2
Head of group already hosting a knockout, while number two needs a point on the trot next week for a home tie. T14 clubs on the ropes.
in the first forty made the result a foregone, and Northampton closed out the 61 – 14 demo of Bayonne at the Rec with an additional trio of touch downs in second stanza; 16 for 21 years young standoff, Fin “Smithers” Smith, on 8-from-9 goal completions aided and abetted by a double by holy loosehead, Alex Waller and a hat trick of trys for openside flanker, Tom Pearson; the measure of separation at the hour mark with Glasgow up by 10, 17-7, before a brace by Exeter, one converted, meant Warriors sappy and Los Jefes happy, 19 – 17, at Sandy Park; touch down by visiting 15, Simon Zebo, right before the half and Munster stymied Toulon at Felix Mayol, 29 – 18, in another unicorn;
Pool 4 Clubs (league pos.) Leinster (1) Stormers (7) Leicester (7) La Rochelle (8) Sale Sharks (5) Stade Français (3) 11
w 3 3 1 1 0 0
w 3 2 2 1 1 0
l 0 1 1 2 2 3
d 0 0 0 0 0 0
+/53 -1 -21 25 6 -62
table points 14 9 9 7 5 1
In the Pool of Death, last season’s titlist are hanging in there while 2023’s runnersup close in on a home knockout; a T14 side is looking for work 1st weekend of playoffs.
for Stormers 10 Manie Libbok, on 4-and-1 from the gun, and 10 for Stormers 11, Leo Zas, on grounding a brace as South Africans earned a place in the knockouts (possibly a home game) after 31 – 24 victory over Sale Sharks at Cape Town; SA boys never trailed in the match; for Leinster before Stade Français were able to ground in extra time and 43 – 7 the final at Royal Dublin Society; 8man Caelan Doris got a brace as did flyer Jordan Larmour in the win, which puts the Irish in extra time; trys for La Rochelle as the reigning champs clawed their way back into contention with the must-win, 45 – 12, happy over Leicester at Marcel Deflandre; 10 for home 10, Antoine Hastoy, on 5-for-5 from the cannon while 14, Teddy Thomas, and 13, Ulu Seuteni, grounded twice each;
La Rochelle's rock, Will Skelton, goes over for a fiver
“Together we are better; united we are strong”