European Champions Cup Pool Previews

Northern Hemisphere fans rejoice, for now is your opportunity to put the misery of the World Cup behind you. The Champions Cup and Challenge Cup both kick off this friday.

Thats right, the most exciting time in European club rugby is here, and we at RBP are very excited to see what is doled out. As ever, purists will complain about the format of the tournament, but if you squint really really hard (or even if you dont) rugby is still rugby and that’s all we need.

Pools:
Pool 1: Saracens, Ulster, Toulouse, Oyonnax.
Should be a very competitive pool, with the Premiership champions, locked in with two of the tournament’s all time greats in Ulster and Toulouse.

Oyonnax: You cant write off Oyannax, especially with names like Ulster fan favorite Pedrie Wannenburg, All Black legend Peeri Weepu, and exciting Irish youngster Eamonn Sheridan. That being said I suspect this will be a tight battle between the top three sides.

Ulster have a good mix of youth and experience with captain Rory Best and young Iain Henderson dominating Ireland’s opponents at the world cup, while the likes of Stuart McCloskey and Craig Gilroy tore the Pro12 apart. If Ulster can find their best form they will be a major threat in this tournament. When they can control the game with good kicking, set-piece dominance, and control of the breakdown, there are few better than the Ulstermen.

Toulouse: Toulouse will want to send their French icon and captain, Louis Picamoles out on a high, and they are very well equipped to do just that. They have a massive pack, and plenty of potent finishers like Yoann Huget and Paul Perez, making them a dangerous prospect for any side in the tournament. They have the pedigree and self-belief, and you really cannot ignore a side with this kind of quality.

Saracens: The Saracens made a statement in their final match of last season, dismantling Bath to take the Premiership title. A young team full of rising stars like George Kruis, Maro Itoje, and Titi Lamositele, Saracens also have a core of experienced leaders, such as Schalk Brits, Chris Wyles, and David Strettle. At their best, this is a very hard team to stop, and I would back them to get out of this pool.
Pool Winner Prediction: Saracens

Pool 2: Clermont, Ospreys, Exeter, Bordeaux.
Should be a more comfortable pool for Clermont, but in the last few years several teams have learned that it is unwise to underestimate Ospreys or Exeter.

Bordeaux: Bordeaux is on the rise, and the additions of Wallabies Sekope Kepu and Adam Ashley-Cooper will strongly bolster their ranks. As with Oyonnax they probably are not ready to get past the pool stages of the tournament just yet, but given time to work together they may pull off a few upsets in the later stages.

Ospreys: Ospreys have a string of quality internationals in their ranks, with Jeff Hassler, Josh Matavesi, and Alun Wyn-Jones, but their strength is best displayed in their back row. Dan Lydiate, Justin Tipuric, and Dan Baker are all ready to go, with Canadian captain Tyler Ardron fighting back from injury. They have struggled thus far in the Pro12, but I cannot see that continuing into their European season.

Exeter: Exeter have climbed steadily in the Premiership over the last few years, and with young stars like Michele Campagnaro, Henry Slade, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jack Nowell, and Dave Ewers all making names for themselves in the England camp, should be regarded as a serious threat in this pool. No.8 Thomas Waldrom was the Premiership’s leading try scorer last season, and he will continue to be an impact player for Exeter this season.

Clermont will be the favorites to win the pool, and bring a squad full of international stars. Up front, names like Vincent Debaty, Thomas Domingo, Benjamin Kayser, Jamie Cudmore, Sebastien Vahaamahina, and Damien Chouly bring back memories of massive collisions, while there is plenty of star power out wide. Brock James, Camille Lopez, Wesley Fofana, Noa Nakaitaci, Scott Spedding and Nick Abendanon. These are names that will terrorize opposing coaches and players alike.

Pool Winner Prediction: Clermont

Pool 3: Glasgow, Northampton, Racing 92, Scarlets.
Another real cracker of a pool here. There isn’t really a weakest link in this pool, as these are 4 teams that have performed very well this year.

Scarlets: Now, I can hear fans screaming that Scarlets are clearly the worst, but here are the facts. Scarlets sit at third in the Pro12, with a 6-1 record, a +48 point differential, and are only two points behind table toppers Connacht. DTH Van Der Merwe is a capable replacement for Liam Williams, and big players up front such as Samson Lee, Ken Owens, and Jake Ball, make this team a major handful.

Northampton: Northampton have been woeful thus far in the Premiership, taking just one win from four matches and currently sit at 10th in the league. That said, the return of names like George North, and Courtney Lawes, as well as the arrival of names like Victor Matfield, and Kieran Brookes should bolster a side full of potential and pride.

Racing 92: Racing have built a side that is capable of beating anyone, if they apply themselves. Eddy Ben Arous, Ben Tameifuna, Martin Castrogiovanni, Dimitri Szarzewski, Luke Charteris, Bernard Le Roux, and Chris Masoe all throw their collective weights into a simply immense pack. Out wide, they appear ready to move on from Jonathan Sexton, with Mike Phillips, Maxime Machenaud, Dan Carter, Remi Tales, Alexandre Dumoulin, Casey Laulala, Juan Imhoff, Joe Rokocoko, Teddy Thomas, Brice Dulin and Johannes Goosen.

Glasgow: Glasgow have struggled early in the Pro12, but they will bring back their Scottish internationals, which should allow them to perform at the level we have come to expect. Hopefully the lift in the level of play will bring out the best in Australian behemoth Taqele Naiyaravoro, who has been something of a liability for Glasgow so far, drawing two cards.
Pool Winner Prediction: Glasgow

Pool 4: Stade Francais, Munster, Leicester, Benetton Treviso.
This pool may not offer the quality that some of the others bring, but the competition in it will be like a knife fight in a bathtub with the lights off.

Treviso:The hapless Treviso will struggle despite the efforts of stars like Eduardo Gori, Luke McClean, and Luca Morisi. That said, they have proved to be a problem for sides to put away, and should not be ignored.

Munster: Munster must contend life without their inspirational leaders, Paul O’Connell and Peter O’Mahony, but they will step up to the task. Up front they have great leadership from players like BJ Botha and Donnacha Ryan, but they also possess a core of young stars, such as CJ Stander, Andrew Conway, and Jack O’Donoghue. Kieth Earls, Francis Saili, Simon Zebo and of course Conway add a lot of flair for Munster out wide, and the powerful running of Dave Kilcoyne, Stander, and Robin Copeland will give them the forward momentum to do so. The pedigree of this team means that they have the self-belief required to win titles, and they will expect to do just that.

Leicester: Last year did not go as planned for Leicester. This club, with so much history and prestige was reduced to scrambling for a playoff berth, where they were humiliated by Bath. Leicester are solid as ever up front, with Argentine legend Marcos Ayerza, alongside Tom Youngs, Leonardo Ghiraldini, and Dan Cole. They will have to do without Geoff Parling, but Tom Crofts good form should be of great help to that end. Captain and England Scrumhalf Ben Youngs will offer crisp service to the backs, and with stars like Vereniki Goneva and Springbok legend Jean De Villiers, that should be a worrying prospect.

Stade Francais: Stade proved their worth in their remarkable run to the Top 14 Final, which saw them demolish Racing Metro 38-15, crush European champions Toulon 33-16, and suffocate Clermont en route to a 12-6 win. Stade have retained a core of good players from that run, featuring French internationals like Rabah Slimani, Alexandre Flanquart, and Pascal Pape. They also boast a string of big name foreigners, such as Heinke Van Der Merwe, Willem Alberts, and arguably the world’s most dominant No.8, Sergio Parisse. Should Parisse find the form that led Stade to the Top 14 final, this will be a hard side to stop.
Pool Winner Prediction: Munster

Pool 5: Bath, Toulon, Leinster, Wasps.
This pool isnt fair. All four teams are among the best their league has to offer, and all four have a history that could make any club jealous. This will probably be the most fun pool for the neutral supporter to watch, and I expect to be the most competitive pool as well.

Wasps: Wasps are a textbook case in how to build a team. After 2009, Wasps declined rapidly, and seemed to be going nowhere, but Dai Young has drastically changed the direction of the club. Since his arrival, he has built a team, that has a core of excellent young local players, as well as an experienced base of leaders. Then, with that foundation built, Wasps recruited hard, securing Wallaby legend George Smith, Dan Robson, All Black Charles Piutau, Brendan Macken, James Johnston, Jimmy Gopperth, and Frank Halai. These stars, alongside James Haskell, Elliot Daly, Nathan Hughes, Joe Launchbury, Joe Simpson and Christian Wade make this a frighteningly dangerous outfit. This is definitely a side to keep an eye on.

Bath: Bath have not changed much since last year, and why would they. They have a star in young flyhalf George Ford and an exciting array of finishers in their backline. Niko Matawalu and Rhys Priestland have been added to the unit, which already boasts the likes of Anthony Watson, Kyle Eastmond, Jonathan Joseph, Semesa Rokoduguni and Horacio Agulla, all lethal finishers at the international level. Adding Dave Denton improves a backrow that already includes Leroy Houston and Springbok star Francois Louw. Last year, Bath looked like a side that were too young. Twice, once in the European Champions Cup quarter final, and once in the Premiership final, they were outdone by teams more experienced in those high pressure environments. This year, they will have learned from that experience, preparing them for their run at Europe’s greatest prize.

Toulon: What do I have to say about this side. They’ve won three European titles in a row, and possess a team sheet that would make most selectors drool. This seemingly unbeatable European juggernaut is the favorite to win the tournament once again, but this pool could be quite a roadblock. As always, they have added several big names to the side, with American Samu Manoa climbing aboard, alongside Duane Vermeulen, Salesi Ma’afu, Quade Cooper, Paul O’Connell, and Matt Stevens. As if the talent they had already wasn’t enough! This team is likely to be the favorites to win the tournament, but bear in mind, this is an old team, playing a long season. Couple that with the fact that Bath and now Leinster both play an open, dynamic game, and their mobile forwards could exhaust their much larger adversaries. If Toulon can gain and keep possession however, something their back row does with ease, they will control the game, and when they do, they are unstoppable.

Leinster: Leinster are interesting because, well, I don’t know how they are going to do. Thus far, the signs under rookie coach Leo Cullen have been very positive, and young names like Garry Ringrose, Cathal Marsh, Josh Van Der Flier, and Ross Molony have been stars for the province so far. With the Irish front line players returning, Leinster have a very strong side (on paper at least) but I do not know if they are strong enough to escape this pool. The return of Jonathan Sexton is a huge step in the right direction, and if Luke Fitzgerald can show more of what he showed in the loss against Argentina, this team should be a devastating attacking side. However, a young group of coaches, and a side that hasn’t been clicking at 100% will not win the pool, so unless Leinster can find that next gear, I suspect they will struggle.

Pool Winner Prediction: Toulon