Monday, 25 January 2016

26-1-16 RUGBY CHAMPIONS CUP SUNDAY


SUNDAY

TREVISO 5-28 MUNSTER

AWAY WIN DOES NOT SHOW DEEPNESS OF MUNSTER WOUND
 

Early tries from Ronan O'Mahony and David Kilcoyne looked to have seen off the Italian challenge.

But Treviso got back in it thanks to a drive-over try from Marco Lazzaroni just before half-time.

Conor Murray strolled through to score in the second half, and O'Mahony crossed to seal Munster's bonus point.


I Think that this win is hiding some serious problems that Munster are having at the moment and  must be fixed if Munster are to be a force in Europe again

STADE FRANCAIS 36-21 LEISTER

DOUMAYROU TRY GIVES SRADE BONUS POINT WOUND

Tigers had already secured a home tie in the last eight after finishing top of Pool Four, and Stade progress as one of three best runners-up.

Manu Tuilagi gave Leicester the lead, but the hosts ran in 26 unanswered points to earn the bonus point.

Tries from Dom Barrow and Harry Thacker gave Tigers hope but Stade added a late fifth through Geoffrey Doumayrou.


I think that because Leister were through to the quarters they did not care as much as they should because of this and that was what gave Stade an advantage.        I don’t think that an all-powerful Leister would have went down so poorly as a fan of Irish rugby as Ulster would have went through this disappointed me.

CLERMOUNT 28-37 BORDEUX

SIMPLE SILLY ERROR PUTS CLERMOUNT OUT

Clermont Auvergne crashed out of the European Champions Cup after getting their sums wrong in a dramatic finish to their final Pool 2 match at the Stade Marcel-Michelin.

The home side would have progressed through to the quarter-finals with a losing bonus point but they failed to realise the significance of a last-minute penalty awarded to them in front of the posts and, instead of going for goal, ran the ball in a vain attempt to score a fifth try.

Clermont had led 28-20 after 62 minutes but conceded 17 points while down to 14 men with Julien Bardy in the sin-bin to suffer a 37-28 loss to Bordeaux-Begles.


Rugby in France is booming and some simplicity here would have helped also. I think that there should have been knowledge of what was going on elsewhere.  

EXETER 33-17 OSPREYS

SHORT MAKES THINGTS SHORT FOR OSPREYS

Thomas Waldrom and James Short each scored two tries for Exeter with Kai Horstmann also going over


Exeter are through in a group that no one could be certain of who would qualify from at any stage as Exeter were able to take control against the ospreys. Now they are in the quarters I think that it will be a lot tougher but I think thyat the Champiohns Cup is made for teams like Exeter at the moment and you might get a few more coming from no where in England and France to reach quarter finals

QUARTER FINAL DRAW

SARACENS V NORTHAMPTON

LEISTER V STADE FRANCAIS

RACING V TOLOUN

WASPS V EXETER

MY OPINION

With only Leinster qualifying for the quarter finals last year and no pro 12 team qualifying this year the question I have to ask is has the pro 12 served its purpose. Have the English and French become too powerful. Do the English and French have a better reserve of player or something to do with the World cup? I think that it is all of the above. There seems to be a gap of control and I think it is going to get bigger which will not help English, French, Irish or Welsh rugby. Ulster sit in 9th position and if one more result had had went their way they would be in the quarters.

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