Grey skies, drizzling rain, muddy earth and a cold winter bite gripped Europe tightly this weekend, as Round 3 of the European Champions Cup kicked off. Perfect weather conditions, historically, for English teams. For Leicester Tigers and Harlequins, the added chill brought extra grit, as they physically bettered the two most recent champions, Toulon and Leinster respectively. Elsewhere, last year’s finalists Saracens outmuscled Sale Sharks, while on the continent, Northampton Saints continued Treviso’s European losing streak. Bath took no prisoners against Montpellier in the south of France, while Wasps shocked Top 14 runners-up Castres with an impressive performance.
Harlequins 24-18 Leinster
A Nick Easter-inspired Harlequins dug deep to defeat three-time Heineken Cup champions Leinster on Sunday. A first-half kicking battle ensued between Nick Evans and Ian Madigan as the teams went in 9 apiece for the break.
The real dogfight however, took place between the two forward packs, as each side fought to gain dominance. A try from man of the match Nick Easter and an interception score from Fijian flyer Asaeli Tikoirotuma, followed by the cheekiest of drop goals from Danny Care, however, sealed the match for the Quins, who now sit pretty atop Pool 2, with the return fixture against Leinster taking place on Saturday night.
Leicester Tigers 25-21 Toulon
The second Sunday of Advent became Christmas Day for the Tigers, as they and their supporters received a gift to savour. Victories over Toulon are few and far between, indeed they had won their last nine European fixtures, including last season’s final, but this run was ended by a hard-working Leicester team.
After taking an early 13-0 lead through a try from Brad Thorn and the boot of Owen Williams, Toulon gave Leicester a wake-up call and suddenly, it was 13-13 at half-time. Even more impressive the win was then, as on the 50th minute, Toulon took the lead: Drew Mitchell capitalised on turnover ball from the scrum and dived into the corner.
Two late penalties from Owen Williams however, and a defensive scrap from the Tigers ensured they stay afloat in Pool 3, with another arm wrestle set to take place between the sides on Saturday at Stade Felix Mayol.
Sale Sharks 15-19 Saracens
In tight competitions like this, it’s damaging enough to lose away games, but a home loss is unthinkable. Unfortunately for Sale, their hopes of qualification were effectively ended by Saracens, as they suffered a second home defeat.
Saracens took the lead in the 15th minute, and never looked back, as they saw off a brave Sharks team. Magnus Lund impressed for the hosts with an early try and a strong run in the build-up to their second, but a missed conversion from Danny Cipriani to take the lead late on left the Sale crowd wanting. In the return fixture next week, it is hard to see a different result, as last season’s runners-up Saracens strive to go one step further this time round.
Treviso 15-38 Northampton Saints
The Saints went marching on after a fairly effortless win against Treviso. Having said that, forwards coach Dorian West told the BBC:
“We knew it was going to be tough, especially early on. They are a good side with some really good players”. They performed well, then, and certainly will be satisfied with a bonus point victory to cheer them up from their defeat to Racing Metro in Round 2. A draw between the latter and Ospreys this round means that the Saints now share top spot with the Parisians. Pool 5 hangs wide open, but Saints certainly seem to be in the driver’s seat with two home games remaining.
Montpellier 5-30 Bath
There is little to say about this game: It was ridiculously muddy, and Montpellier forgot to turn up. Hats off to Bath though; wins in France are rare, and they achieved it superbly. League convert Sam Burgess came off the bench, yet it certainly wasn’t perfect conditions for backs, as the mud prevented the teams from throwing the ball about.
Bath may be aggrieved not to get the vital bonus point, but the win handed them a much needed lifeline, and a bonus point is a must for the return leg this weekend. If Montpellier decide to show up then it will be a struggle, but Bath will fancy their chances.
Castres 17-32 Wasps
The new Wasps emulated the Wasps of old, with a golden victory in Castres, as they picked up four tries to secure the bonus point. In a tough pool, this victory was huge, and a similar victory this weekend and Wasps will be well amongst it in Pool 2.
Nathan Hughes put in an outstanding performance again; a player whose knocks on Stuart Lancaster’s door are becoming ever louder. His carrying was strong and he steamrollered two Castres defenders to score in the 12th minute. Boss Dai Young told Sky Sports:
“It was a good win – and a bonus point win as well. You’ve got to be really pleased with that. This pool is very, very difficult. We’ve got a long way to go before we worry about qualifying. We’ve got to play Castres next week at home, which will be a very difficult game.”
There is still a long way to go for the Aviva Premiership sides in this year’s European Champions Cup, but last weekend, they sure took the right steps to achieve Quarter Final qualification. Only time will tell whether they can all follow up these results with similar ones next weekend. It’s a tough ask, but the cold weather will still linger, and the determination and wintery nous of the English sides will certainly remain.
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