Champions Cup: Pool Update

We’re in a bit of a lull between the second and third match weeks in the European Rugby Champions Cup, which makes now as good a time as any to review the action thus far and recap which clubs are shaping up to advance. Everything is a little uncertain at this stage, in part because it’s early but also due to a few match postponements in the wake of the Paris attacks. Nevertheless, we have gained some idea of which teams will lead the way in the pools.

Pool 1

Pool 1, consisting of Oyonnax, Ulster, Toulouse, and Saracens, may just represent the strongest grouping in the competition at this point. Yet at this stage it looks as if a clear favourite has already emerged. We tabbed Saracens as the likely pool winner in our European Cup pool previews at the outset of the pool stage, and they’ve fulfilled that expectation and then some. They dismantled Toulouse 32-7 at Allianz Park to start things off and then travelled to Kingspan Stadium to beat Ulster by a 27-9 score. A trip to face Oyonnax away from home on December 13 could challenge Saracens, but right now the only real intrigue in Pool 1 looks to be the race for second place. At this point, Toulouse is best positioned to move on, having already defeated Oyonnax.

Pool 2

Bordeaux looks to be the weakest club in Pool 2, though they’re certainly capable of an upset victory on a given day. But for now, as was expected, this pool looks like a contest between Clermont, Ospreys, and Exeter, with the former having played only one match to date. Ospreys probably had the most impressive performance thus far with a convincing opening round win over Exeter. But then again, Clermont topped Ospreys just a week later. Moving forward this could be the most interesting pool to watch, as there are quality clubs but no clear favourite.

Pool 3

Pool 3 is another very solid group where any team could conceivably make it out and into the next round. Thus far though, one club has risen clearly above the rest at least in terms of achievement. Northampton opened with an impressive away win over Scarlets, firmly establishing the idea that they would be a better team in the Cup than they’ve been in the Premiership of late. They then faced a tough battle at Glasgow, and according to the EPC Rugby site’s match preview posted just before the contest, the Saints were wary of playing in Scotland, where English teams don’t often fare well. The result may then have come as a surprise even to the Saints when they topped Glasgow 26-15 for their second win away from home. It’s still anyone’s pool, but right now it looks as if Northampton has the inside track on first place, with Glasgow, Racing 92 and Scarlets battling to advance
.

Pool 4

We’ll find out a lot more about Pool 4 come December 12, when Munster hosts the Leicester Tigers at Thomond Park. Munster was arguably the favourite heading into group action and won an easy opener over Treviso, but the club has only played that one match to date. Meanwhile, Leicester has looked in excellent form, topping Stade Francais at Welford Road and obliterating Treviso 36-3 away from home. Stade Francais isn’t out of it by any means, but it looks right now as if Munster and Leicester are the likeliest to advance, and their upcoming contest should produce a favourite.

Pool 5

Pool 5 boasts the biggest names and possibly even greater quality than Pool 1. Wasps, Bath, Toulon and Leinster are all worthy of the next round, which makes the fact that they can’t all get there rather disappointing. Thus far it’s looking as if Leinster may be the odd team out in the early going. They were crushed at home by Wasps in the opener, though really there’s no shame in that. An analysis at Betfair’s sports betting section even went so far as to indicate fans should calm themselves regarding that opening loss, suggesting that Leinster would rebound against a Bath team it has dominated of late. However, Bath too got the better of Leinster, albeit by a close 19-16 final. Wasps, meanwhile, looks like the prohibitive favourite after following the opening win over Leinster with a resounding defeat of
Toulon. Stay tuned in Pool 5, because the action has been exciting.

There’s plenty of action yet to come, but that’s about where things stand heading into December!