By Ollie Phillips
If you’d have told me that the Investec Champions Cup holders La Rochelle would be without a win after two of their pool games I’d have probably laughed at you.
Leinster and Stormers are difficult opponents but they’re the calibre of side Ronan O’Gara’s French men have toppled on many occasions over the last two seasons. Yet they both beat La Rochelle.
But it is not just the traditional Atlantic fortress struggling on behalf of the French Top14; Parisian giants Racing 92 and Stade Francais are both without a win in their two matches, Bayonne are yet to see a victory – though they chalked up an impressive draw away to Munster in round one – and Toulon are without a triumph thus far.
Traditionally French teams haven’t always shown much care towards the Champions Cup. When I was in Paris they couldn’t give a damn about it. But that attitude has changed and now there’s often two or three clubs who are short odds to lift the title.
Champions Cup competitive
This year, though, that is looking unlikely given the start they have made to their campaigns. In this year’s Champions Cup format, the top four sides from each pool of six will progress through to the round of 16. This weekend, therefore, is critical for those clubs with continental ambitions.
Bayonne travel to unbeaten Northampton Saints in a match that will be very difficult to win. Northampton look like a new team, with Lee Radford making the move from rugby league to shore up their defence. They’re looking dominant both domestically and in the Champions Cup and I expect that to continue this weekend.
Toulon host Munster in a huge game given that both sides are without a win. The pair are historical powerhouses of the competition and seeing them fall away from competitiveness is a shame, albeit the Irish province are plagued by injuries. I see Toulon coming through this one, just.
My old club Stade Francais has the toughest task of all, an away trip to Leinster at the Aviva Stadium. The only hope they have is that Ulster managed to beat them in the Irish capital over the festive period. But it’s not a promising outlook.
Racing head to the West Country and Bath in a match they need to win. It will also see Finn Russell face his former club, and at the moment he is a magician steering Bath to a series of positive results.
And finally La Rochelle are back at home, this weekend against Leicester Tigers. It’s not an easy one for the French outfit but they need to win if they’re going to boost hopes of winning a third consecutive Champions Cup title.
English success
It’s not looking ideal for the traditional big hitters of the French Top14 despite impressive showings from the likes of Toulouse, Bordeaux and Lyon.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t celebrate the English sides and their recent successes. It is brilliant to see the Premiership sides bossing the Champions Cup this year but we need to see them go deep into the competition rather than fall away in the round of 16.
Europe is always special and seeing the recent stereotypes of who performs well and who doesn’t flipped on their heads is exciting to see.
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance, experts in leadership development and behavioural change. Follow Ollie on Twitter and on LinkedIn.
