Pool 1: Leinster in control as they head to Wasps
The pool of champions has polarised. Leinster, for all Toulouse’s attempts to recapture past glories, are the team in control, even if they trail the French club by two points. Their victory over Bath was imperious, and Toulouse, who rode their luck anyway in round one in Bath, must travel to Dublin next. Leinster’s trip to Wasps in the final round does not look the challenge it might once have been. For two of England’s greatest clubs to be mathematically out of it after only four rounds is a sobering reflection on the Premiership, which looks worryingly short of the sort of teams who might lay claim to being of champion quality. There’s just the one of those. Michael Aylwin
Pool results: Toulouse 42-27 Wasps, Leinster 42-15 Bath
Pool 2: Same old story as Gloucester lose at home again
If there was one result that felt wearily familiar, it was Gloucester’s defeat at home by Exeter, a week after a fine win at Sandy Park had put them right in the mix. Inconsistency still dogs them. No sooner do they address their away form than they lose at home. Absolutely bloody typical, you could almost hear the Shed chanting. Instead of challenging Munster at the top of the pool, Gloucester are bottom. But this pool is very much alive, Castres’ home win over Munster keeping it so – bad tempered and brutal. Two home wins for the English clubs in round five (sizeable ifs in the current climate), when Gloucester host Munster and Exeter face Castres, would leave it poised deliciously. MA
Pool results: Castres 13-12 Munster, Gloucester 17-29 Exeter
Pool 3: Sarries looking to challenge Leinster
One more win for Saracens should do it – and it will surely come next round at the home of Lyon, who have flopped horribly in their first campaign, the only side without a point after four rounds. Saracens, on the other hand, are the only side without a defeat and look the likeliest challengers to Leinster. Their win at Cardiff was not pretty but highly impressive, a yellow card in the second half merely their cue to turn up the pressure. Glasgow look well-placed to take their place in the quarter-final too. A home win against Cardiff next time ought to be enough. Should Edinburgh join them then new ground would be broken in Scottish rugby: two quarter-finalists for the first time. MA
Pool results: Cardiff 14-26 Saracens, Glasgow 21-10 Lyon
Pool 4: Ulster out to stop Racing topping group
Ulster face Racing in Paris next month in a match which is crucial for Dan McFarland’s side if they are to prevent the French side topping the pool. Racing are five points clear after securing victory with a try bonus point to heap misery on Leicester. Still, putting four tries past Leicester is not the achievement it once was, given it was the eighth time it has happened this season. In any case, Ulster matched Racing in scoring their second consecutive bonus-point win when they defeated the Scarlets at the Kingspan Stadium. Jacob Stockdale scored his fifth try in six games and while other high-profile players such as Rory Best and Iain Henderson also stood out, so did the less heralded, in the form of the fly-half, Billy Burns. Claire Tolley
Pool results: Leicester 11-34 Racing 92, Ulster 30-15 Scarlets
Pool 5: Newcastle face challenge to reach knockout stages
Sunday’s Premiership visit of Gloucester has taken on added importance for Newcastle. Down but not yet out of Europe after a second successive defeat to Edinburgh, Dean Richards’ men now face an uphill task to reach the knockout stages. Of greater importance is preserving their league status during a season which could see the tightest relegation scrap for many years. Newcastle lie bottom of the Premiership but only four points separate them and sixth-placed Bath. Last season saw them reach the play-off semi-finals in their best season for 16 years. They need to rediscover that form quickly to avoid the indignity of relegation. Ross Heppenstall
Pool results: Montpellier 34-13 Toulon, Newcastle 8-21 Edinburgh
Quick GuideRugby verdict
Show
Team of weekend
15 Jordan Larmour Leinster
14 Nikola Matawalu Glasgow
13 Elliot Daly Wasps
12 Romain Ntamack Toulouse
11 Cheslin Kolbe Toulouse
10 Finn Russell Racing 92
9 Antoine Dupont Toulouse
1 Mako Vunipola Saracens
2 Jamie George Saracens
3 Tadhg Furlong Leinster
4 Iain Henderson Ulster
5 Sam Skinner Exeter
6 Dan Leavy Leinster
7 Don Armand Exeter
8 Antonie Claassen Racing 92
Try of the weekend
Rory O’Loughlin Leinster v Bath
A classic Leinster score in every sense. An alert quick tap from a penalty on Bath’s 10-metre line, Johnny Sexton’s wraparound with a hard-running Garry Ringrose, a scything break from the electric Jordan Larmour and perfect support from a supposed bit-part player.
Tête-à-tête
Just three sides – Toulouse, Racing 92 and Saracens – remain unbeaten in Europe after four rounds of the Champions Cup. Toulouse’s five-try 42-27 demolition of Wasps was also notable for an entertaining exchange of views between the referee, Nigel Owens, and the flanker Jerome Kaino. It went as follows: Kaino: “Slap-down, sir!” Owens: “Not that I saw.” Kaino: “Even Superman misses stuff, eh?” Wayne Barnes explaining decisions in French to Castres’ forwards during the win over Munster should also be highly commended.
Deep-frozen Saints
The prize for the weekend’s longest rugby trip without actually playing any rugby went to Northampton, whose Challenge Cup pool game in Romania against Timisoara Saracens was called off because of a snowbound pitch. The Saints players were also stranded overnight when their scheduled flight home was cancelled despite efforts of players and officials to clear snow from around their aircraft.
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