The opening round of the Champions Cup may have been somewhat belated again, coming in the first weekend in December, but better late than never.
Nor did it waste any time in reenforcing tried and tested scripts, such as the ever-reliable form over course and distance, and plenty of lop-sided matches to boot. But there were also some welcome rays of light to offset rugby’s headlong transformation into a form of Aussie Rules.
Seven of the 10 teams who took a first step toward a high seeding in the knock-out stages by accumulating bonus point wins just happen to be former winners; namely Toulouse, Saracens, Bath, La Rochelle, Leinster, Bordeau Begles and Northampton.
Munster fall as Leinster fail to impress in Europe
As ever, pedigree counts, and pedigree didn’t waste any time in reminding us of that.
The only three former winners in the field who lost on the opening weekend all did so away from home, Leicester in La Rochelle, Toulon in Edinburgh and Munster in Bath. Hence, next weekend, all three are in must-win territory at home to Leinster, Bath and Gloucester.
One of the other great pities of the tournament’s revamped format is that lack of a home-and-away aspect. It has denied the Champions Cup those back-to-back December rounds that heightened rivalries and provided such a unique aspect to the tournament.
Indeed, many of Munster’s do-or-die, Anglo-Irish round six revenge missions with a 5.30pm January kick-off on a dark, dank, misty day at Thomond Park were often revenge missions dating back to the opening round.
For Munster to concede the competition’s quickest ever attacking bonus point is not something they wanted on their storied Champions Cup CV. Maybe that underlines a sense that such a rain-sodden night in the Rec was a freakish one-off. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Munster. Then again, maybe it underlines how far Johann van Graan has helped to pull Bath away from Munster in transforming them from the worst team in England to the best.
But imagine if Munster had the opportunity to host Bath this coming Saturday, or in January? Without that whiff of cordite, the competition has lost something.
But, there were also rays of light.
As Johnny Sexton noted recently, rugby has changed dramatically since World Rugby outlawed escorting, thereby ensuring a fairer contest for high balls.
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That’s fine of itself and has certainly achieved its remit. Aerial duels have become both spectacular and de rigueur, partly because, if anything, the chasing or attacking player is now slightly favoured when the up-and-under or box kick is well placed.
At the very least, the attacking team will usually win the ball outright, or create a scrap for possession on the ground, or a scrum. And this law amendment has led to an increase in the number of scrums and its impact on games.
Furthermore, this has come in an era when crooked feeds are permitted in a way that is not tolerated at lineouts and when referees are under pressure to quickly reward any scrum that inches forward, no matter how.
On top of that, players in the jackal have become the most protected species in the game, with referees quicker than ever to reward defending players latching over the ball.
Preferable percentage
The net effect is that it’s almost impossible to attack through multi-phase anymore and it’s a far more preferable percentage bet to kick the ball in the air rather than risk keeping it, especially in a team’s own half, and/or in rain-soaked conditions.
The game is now less inclined to reward risk-taking. The beautiful running rugby that Ireland and Leinster teams played circa 2022 and 2023 is simply less viable.
It’s as if Rassie Erasmus and Steve Borthwick devised this latest version of the sport. And any law book devised by Erasmus − compelling and charismatic figure though he is, his only concern is that the Springboks are entitled to win, no matter what it takes − or the astute, percentage-based Borthwick with his prescriptive kicking-orientated game, simply cannot be good for the sport in general.
The Autumn Series wasn’t without brilliant rugby, not least when Argentina were refusing to roll over against Scotland and England, and scoring off turnovers from deep or when forwards and backs were linking to skillfully exploit space.
One of Felipe Contepomi’s old teams, Leinster, are still good to watch. We should appreciate that. And we know Bath are an all-weather team who played to the conditions, as are others.
But then along came Toulouse and Bordeaux Begles. Toulouse eviscerating a weakened Sharks in John Plumtree’s last game with their brilliant brand of rugby was one thing, but Bordeaux Begles going to the high veldt locked and fully loaded after Yannick Bru recalled Damian Penaud, Louis Bielle-Biarrey et al was a sight to behold. Trailing 33-22 at the break, they looked in trouble, whereupon they scored 22 unanswered points to win 46-33 in the performance of the weekend.
Mathieu Jalibert was in his element. The Bulls could scarcely lay a finger on him as he scored one try and provided the assist for three others. When Nicolas Depoortère, Penaud and Jalibert sliced and diced the Bulls’ midfield for his try without being touched even the South African commentator was moved to swoon: “That’s what Bordeaux can do. Dripping with skill. Angles all over the place. Try!”
Presumably it was a move concocted by their attack coach Noel McNamara, and the piece de resistance was then provided by their shiny new Champions Cup debutant Salesi Rayasi.
From Wellington, the rangy, quick, goose-stepping Rayasi played for the Samoan Under-20s, the NZ Sevens and was only capped by Fiji for the first time last month. He’s 29 already − where’s he been? Previously with the Hurricanes, he was signed by Vannes, whose relegation prompted the move by UBB in one of several shrewd signings.
The insular French club owners (backed by the Brexiteer mentality of their English counterparts) have been primarily at fault for diluting the Champions Cup and the wonderful concept of European rugby. But Toulouse and Bordeaux Begles provided a welcome antidote over the weekend.
There’s still hope. Rugby is not dead yet.
