Investec Champions Cup takes shape
After Round 3 of the Investec European Rugby tournament, 8 of the 16 knockout places have been decided and the other 8 are dependent on the final Pool stage contests this coming weekend (January 19-21).
In Pool 1, Union Bordeaux-Begles at 3-0 and Lyon at 2-1 but with 5 bonus points, have booked their spot in the knockout phase. The Vodacom Bulls can guarantee their spot with a bonus point result against Pool leader Bordeaux-Begles while further progress for Bristol Bears or Saracens, tied at 1-2 and near-identical points difference will depend on results against Connacht and Lyon respectively. Bristol arguably have the easier fixture.
Pool 2 sees Stade Toulousain (3-0), Bath (3-0) and Harlequins (2-1) all qualified for the start of the knockout phase in early April. The 4th spot will go to Ulster if they can win away at Quins; failing that a strong win by Racing ‘92 (0-3) against Cardiff (0-3) would put the French team through.
In Pool 3, Northampton Saints (3-0) and Exeter Chiefs (3-0) have qualified. Munster (1-1-1) seal a spot with a win against Northampton but a loss without a bonus point leaves them vulnerable. Glasgow Warriors (1-2) need a win against RC Toulon (0-3) to avoid being overtaken by a big win by Aviron Bayonnais (0-1-2) against Exeter. If Toulon beats Glasgow, get your slide rules out to calculate who goes forward.
Finally, in Pool 4, only Leinster have clinched an R16 berth, with 4 other teams having a shot for other 3 spots. The DHL Stormers (2-1) and Leicester Tigers (2-1) are tied for 2nd but have different tasks this weekend; the South Africans play Stade Francais Paris (0-3) in Paris while Leicester play at home to Leinster. While a win by the Tigers would rewrite the standings, the more likely outcome is the 4th spot being decided by Sale (1-2) at home to Stade Rochelais (1-2). It is unlikely but not impossible that both of those teams get into the R16.
The Gallagher Premiership restarts on January 26, France’s Top 14 on January 27 and the URC on February 16. The Six Nations tournament kicks off with France vs. Ireland on Friday February 2. 6 Nations Television coverage will be provided by FLO RUGBY, NOT NBC’s Peacock streaming service (I guess they spent all their money on live streaming an NFL wild card game).