The Champions Cup finished it’s last round of pool fixtures this weekend. There was plenty to talk about, with some thrilling games and qualification hanging in the balance up until the very end. Paddy and Andy delve in to the news and then all the Cup action, in the 21st episode of ‘In the Bin’ rugby pod.
And like celebrating your 21st, the guys ‘strike up the band’ and celebrate the best of the best – less Cider and Karaoke (we’re saving that for our down time).
Big Story Roundup
In the news this week; England try to keep up with the Jones’s as they get Eddie to sign a new deal. Bastareaud gets his ban and it’s utterly pathetic, while George Smith pushes a Japanese taxi driver and….it makes World news??
In other more worthy headlines, the candidates for European player of the year are announced. That made some players jump for joy – nearly as high as Aled Davies did (see main photo credit).
Champions Cup recap
In the Champions Cup, Leinster hit the pool stages for 6 as they completed a clean sweep to qualify for the QFs as top seeds. Their reward (if you can call it that) is a tie against Saracens, who scraped through with their now traditional 50 point plus hammering of Northampton.
Very proud to have received my @ChampionsCup 50th Cap on Saturday from our @Saracens Chairman, Mr Nigel Wray. pic.twitter.com/zTP9Exd4CR
— Brad Barritt (@bradbarritt) January 23, 2018
Scarlets mixed flair and grit to dispatch Toulon, but their French opponents made sure they weren’t too red faced as they also secured qualification.
Joining that side in the QFs will be Clermont, who clipped the wings of the Ospreys. They join Munster, who make the knockout stages for a record 17th time. La Rochelle and Racing 92 prove that French teams can perform under pressure.
‘In the Bin’ Rugby Pod regular features
As always, we will bring you our try of the week, hit of the week and bin juice. We will however, be ‘binning’ off our predictions for next weekend’s Anglo-Welsh Cup games as quite frankly, nobody cares!
“Main photo credit”
