No dead rubbers in final weekend of Champions Cup pool action

The final round of the pool phase of the Investec Champions Cup has arrived and not one of the 12 games to be played between Friday night and Sunday night doesn't have anything on the line.

The lack of dead rubbers is an endorsement of the new format that was introduced this season, with most of those at the bottom of the four pools still having a chance of making it into the top four that marks the cut-off point for round of 16 qualification.

And those that don't have a chance of making fifth, which means they can take part in the business end of the EPCR Challenge Cup, which will stage its final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on the Friday night before the Champions Cup Grand Final at the same venue the next day.

From the opening game between Glasgow Warriors and Toulon at the Scotstoun on Friday night through to the clash between Exeter Chiefs and Bayonne that close off the final round on Sunday evening, there is something on the line for everyone.

There are several battles within a battle taking place across many fronts, with the top teams looking to stay there so that they can be assured of home ground advantage in the round of 16 and beyond that.

Others are looking to keep their hopes of glory in the elite European competition alive by making the cut, even if it does mean they have the huge disadvantage of having to travel in the first playoff round.

STILL JEOPARDY FOR THE CHAMPS

There’s plenty of jeopardy for some big teams too though, and La Rochelle’s big win over Leicester Tigers hasn’t quite put them out of the woods as they battle for a top four spot in Pool 4. They managed to deal with the Tigers easily, but that was on their home ground. They might find it tougher away to Sale Sharks in their mid-afternoon game on Sunday, although on last week’s evidence there will be few betting on a home team win.

Sale did manage to keep their own hopes of survival alive when they grabbed a losing bonus point with a late try against the DHL Stormers in Cape Town last week, and it means that even the Stormers, currently second in the pool, can drop out of it if the weekend games go against them and the Sale/La Rochelle game ends with an unlikely five/two split in log points - meaning that Sale win and score four tries and La Rochelle lose by less seven and score four tries.

Unlikely? Yes, it certainly is. Impossible? Definitely not. Of course, that will mean the Stormers have to lose to Stade Francais without getting a bonus point, and the Cape team may be helped by the fact their opponents are one of the few teams this weekend who might feel they don’t have much to play for.

A QUESTION OF WHICH COMPS TEAMS FOCUS ON

Meaning that Stade do appear to be focusing more on the French league, the Top 14, where they are well placed, and you have to question whether Stade will have as much interest in the Challenge Cup, which they will reach if Sale loses and Stade win with a bonus point, as some other teams in their position might.

Is it better to have the European weekends free to freshen up for league play than to play for the Challenge Cup? That will depend on how much the secondary trophy, with the final to be played on the Friday night at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before the Champions Cup final on the Saturday at the same venue, means to those involved.

The Stormers have certainly not been ambiguous about their intentions this week. They know their passage to the next round is secure due to the two teams that can upset that quest playing each other this weekend, but they want second place and home ground advantage in the round of 16.

WILLIE PLAYING FOR THE BULLS

Which is why coach John Dobson has taken a full-strength team to France. The Vodacom Bulls, third in Pool 1 but within touching distance of second and likely to clinch home advantage for the round of 16 if they beat Bordeaux Begles at Loftus and Saracens do the same at home to Lyon, have let their Springboks take their mandatory leave now.

But Willie le Roux, a World Cup double winner, is taking his leave in two batches, so it will only really be Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie and Marco van Staden missing when the Bulls clash with one of the form teams in Europe in the mid-afternoon heat at altitude on Saturday afternoon.

If the Bulls do win against Bordeaux they will wait a few hours until the Saracens/Lyon game before learning of their fate. Not that they must worry about the travel, if that is what they must do, as the next round of the Champions Cup is well over two months away.

LEINSTER AGAINST TIGERS THE PICK OF THE GAMES

With so much on the line, it is hard to decide which of the games outside of the two involving South African teams should most grab the attention of South African viewers, but Leinster’s visit to Welford Road to play the Leicester Tigers should be right up there. Leinster and the Tigers have a rich tradition of rivalry so there shouldn’t be any question of Leinster, who haven’t been beaten in Pool play in this competition for a few years now, reducing their level of intensity.

And even if they didn’t have their rich rivalry, Leinster will be looking for as high a ranking as possible, meaning they will want to get as many log points as possible, for when the play-off fixtures are determined. The final is not set for their home patch, like it was last season, but they will want to be at home until the semifinals at least.

MUNSTER AND GLASGOW IN HOT COMPETITION

That is a different challenge to the one faced by two fellow Vodacom United Rugby Championship front-runners. The URC champions Munster and Glasgow Warriors are third and fourth respectively in Pool 3 and need to win their last games to be sure they advance.

They are both at home, with Munster following up their fine away win against Toulon by hosting the in-form Northampton Saints on Saturday while Glasgow will be wary of a potential Toulon backlash at the Scotstoun on Friday.

EVEN STRUGGLING RACING STILL IN THE FIGHT

Another big URC team, Ulster, travel to London to face Harlequins in their quest to safeguard their current fourth position from the threat posed by Racing 92. The French side, which of course features Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, is an example of how teams that have struggled have remained in the fight - they’ve lost all three games so far, but their three bonus points put them just two points behind Ulster and in with a good chance of advancing if they beat Cardiff and Ulster, with Steven Kitshoff a star player, trip up at The Stoop.

Even Cardiff though, with two points, have a chance of advancing, and that’s the beauty of the current Champions Cup format.

In the Challenge Cup all three South African teams are well placed to advance to the next round and there should be some focus on the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ quest to secure their first back-to-back triumphs of the season so far when they play the Dragons in Newport on Sunday night.

WEEKEND INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP FIXTURES

FRIDAY

Glasgow Warriors v Toulon (Glasgow, 22.00)

Connacht v Bristol Bears (Galway, 22.00)

SATURDAY

Vodacom Bulls v Bordeaux Begles (Pretoria, 15.00)

Harlequins v Ulster (London, 15.00)

Racing 92 v Cardiff Rugby (Paris, 17.15)

Leicester Tigers v Leinster (Leicester, 17.15)

Munster v Northampton Saints (Limerick, 19.30)

Stade Francais v DHL Stormers (Paris, 19.30)

Saracens v Lyon (Watford, 22.00)

SUNDAY

Sale Sharks v La Rochelle (Manchester, 15.00)

Toulouse v Bath (Toulouse, 17.15)

Bayonne v Exeter Chiefs (Bayonne, 19.30)

EPCR CHAMPIONS CUP

FRIDAY

Scarlets v Edinburgh (22.00
)

Gloucester v Castres (22.00)

SATURDAY

Pau v Zebre (15.00)

Black Lion v Clermont Auvergne (15.00)

Oyonnax v Toyota Cheetahs (17.15)

Benetton v Montpellier (17.15)

SUNDAY

Emirates Lions v Ospreys (15.00)

Perpignan v Newcastle Falcons (15.00)

Dragons v Hollywoodbets Sharks (19.30)