32 - 18

18 - 49

35 - 10

27 - 22

34 - 24

47 - 32

30 - 33

19 - 22

14 - 0

29 - 20

11 - 10

20 - 15

29 - 10

24 - 54

21 - 17

56 - 25

21 - 27

24 - 7

20 - 17

23 - 22

15 - 40

28 - 10

20 - 12

3 - 13

Today

10:00

Today

10:00

Today

15:05

Rob Baxter tackles hype that this is the year of the French in the Champions Cup

By Liam Heagney

08 Apr 2021

(Photo by PA)

Rob Baxter isn’t buying into the chatter that Exeter will be relinquishing their Heineken Champions Cup title into the hands of the French after the Top 14 provided five of the eight qualifiers for this weekend’s quarter-finals after last weekend’s unprecedented round of 16 straight knockout matches.

Quarter-final teams in previous seasons would have had to play six pool matches to reach the knockout stages, but the pandemic forced tournament organisers EPCR in a format revamp which resulted in the use of a round of 16 to restart the Champions Cup after the pool stages were decimated by cancellations.

The rejig led to French clubs winning five of last weekend games, giving them the upper hand in terms of the country by country representation in a last-eight line-up completed by two teams from England and one from Ireland.

Chris Robshaw joins Jamie Roberts on the latest RugbyPass Offload

A club from France has not lifted the trophy since Toulon secured their title hat-trick in 2015, but Baxter isn’t swayed by the suggestion that last weekend’s results marked a sea-change for the tournament.

Instead, Baxter – whose Exeter team knocked out Lyon at Sandy Park – argued that a couple of scores falling differently in the round of 16 matches in Coventry and Limerick would have seen Clermont and Toulouse beaten and the Champions Cup last-eight line-up looking far more evenly balanced.

The financial picture in England for club rugby can't be good when the usually profitable Rob Baxter-coached Exeter report a whopping loss#EXEvLEI https://t.co/U5A4RIyxrS
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 7, 2021

Speaking ahead of a weekend that will see Exeter host Leinster and La Rochelle take on Sale outside of a pair of all-French quarter-finals, Champions Cup-winning coach Baxter said: “You only have to watch the games. Wasps were within not giving away one penalty in the opposition 22 to beat Clermont and that is Clermont gone and Wasps through and what it is? Four-three.

“Munster was pretty much an even game until very, very late against a very good Toulouse side and then what would it become? It would become three English, two Irish, three French. On the basis of two scores across two games it would look so different in the quarter-finals.

“If you say that that’s how close the margins are, is it that they [the French] have got something hugely better or is it just a season where they were two games where they produced just enough to get them over the line?

“That is why some of these discussions, although valid, in one or two slightly different circumstances they can look so different. Sitting here now with five French clubs through the picture says to us they have got something really right this year but if you went back to the weekend, did Clermont outclass Wasps? No. Did Toulouse completely blow away Munster? No. Could either of those games have gone the other way? Potentially, yes, particularly the Wasps game.

“You could very easily have had a relatively even split in these quarter-finals. I know that myself, I know how hard it is for us [Exeter] to get to quarter-finals and also how many times we have lost a game by one score that would have got us out of the pool. That is how close some of the margins are and the margins didn’t feel that wide to me last weekend.

“I know there was a couple of bigger results but they almost came out of the blue a bit. Scarlets crumbling like they did, Edinburgh losing like they did. It’s a little more complex than saying the French have just got it right this year. It doesn’t feel like the gap has grown that big that quickly.

“When you get to the last-eight of Europe, how many Premiership clubs should be there? We have got two, we have got a quarter of the clubs. It’s not a bad showing in a bad year. It doesn’t feel that strange to me.”

10-YEAR QUARTER-FINAL LIST BY COUNTRY
2020/21: France 5, England 2, Ireland 1
2019/20: France 3, England 3, Ireland 2
2018/19: France 2, England 1, Ireland 3, Scotland 2
2017/18: France 4, England 1, Ireland 2, Wales 1
2016/17: France 3, England 2, Ireland 2, Scotland 1
2015/16: France 3, England 5
2014/15: France 3, England 4, Ireland 1
2013/14: France 3, England 2, Ireland 3
2012/13: France 3, England 3, Ireland 2
2011/12: France 2, England 1, Ireland 3, Scotland 1, Wales 1

Being told he wouldn't make it as a scrumhalf was one of a number of incidents that motivated @ExeterChiefs Jack Maunder's career, but they've opened up a world beyond rugby and have resulted in a best selling book
– writes @heagneyl ???https://t.co/o65wxHHqFP
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 4, 2021

LIVE

Comments

0 Comments

Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Latest Features

LONG READ

'Springbok Galacticos can't go it alone for trophy-hunting Sharks'

Lesser known names must step up if the franchise is to fulfil its aim of winning the URC and Champions Cup this season.

LONG READ

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Enforced rotation, poor results, and logistical and political issues have raised questions over the viability of South African Champions Cup involvements.

LONG READ

Return of 30-something brigade provides welcome tonic for Wales

The enduring class of Taulupe Faletau, Liam Williams and Josh Adams on their returns gives Wales hope after a wretched year.

Comments on RugbyPass

GrahamVF 9 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

About 500K of those are schoolboys 90% of which will not go on to play club rugby.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 10 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Exactly. Shoo would that it was so easy to develop competitions.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 14 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

SA wealthy? Compared to which countries. The economy is in tatters unemployment is at record low numbers and you think SA has money to spend on rugby development -0 and remember the SARU was technically bankrupt and was only saved by the COVID tour of the B&I Lions. No Sa doesn't have spare cash lying round for rugby development and given the resources SARU is doing just fine.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 17 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

South African domestic rugby is in great shape. Four top tier franchises fed by a series of competitions ranging from national schools competitions through Varsity Cup to Currie Cup and then to top four franchises is a model Australia would do well to follow. SA should never have more than four top domestic teams.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 22 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

That might be the best spin off from SA's involvement north of the line.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 22 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Of course not Nick 😉

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 27 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

We have our own theories about The Sharks. Plumtree is a good coach but he has not done anywhere near the best he could with the talent and money he has at his disposal and it doesn't help to have a marquee director of rugby who has spent by far the majority of his career playing and coaching sevens.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 31 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Don't worry - you'll win again soon then you'll feel a lot better. Right now get on with your SH comps and we'll get on with being barely the best in the world.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 35 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

JW you really have no idea of how Africa works. It will take generations not decades no matter how much SA puts into it. The poverty in Africa is something that is obviously beyond your understanding. Do you think the governments of impoverished nations are going to watch happily as rugby pours massive investments into infrastructure to promote what is essentially a white western game? And SA was trying hard to develop the game in Africa until the African vote blocked our "23 bid after the independent consultants to the RFU voted unanimously for SA? The Confederation of African Rugby virtually excluded South Africa.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 44 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Nick, our association with Argentina Rugby runs very long and deep. We are exploring reciprocal two/three test tours in the future - and even more games at neutral venues such as in Europe where a lot of both teams have players anyway.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 48 minutes ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

"has SA actually EVER helped to develop another union to maturity like NZ has with Japan," yes - Argentina. You obviously don't know the history of Argentinian rugby. SA were touring there on long development tours in the 1950's

We continued the Junior Bok tours to the Argentine through to the early 70's

My coach at Grey High was Giepie Wentzel who toured Argentine as a fly half. He told me about how every Argentinian rugby club has pictures of Van Heerden and Danie Craven on prominent display. Yes we have developed a nation far more than NZ has done for Japan. And BTW Sa players were playing and coaching in Japan long before the Kiwis arrived. Fourie du Preez and many others were playing there 15 years ago.

"Isaac Van Heerden's reputation as an innovative coach had spread to Argentina, and he was invited to Buenos Aires to help the Pumas prepare for their first visit to South Africa in 1965.[1][2] Despite Argentina faring badly in this tour,[2] it was the start of a long and happy relationship between Van Heerden and the Pumas. Izak van Heerden took leave from his teaching post in Durban, relocated to Argentina, learnt fluent Spanish, and would revolutionise Argentine play in the late 1960s, laying the way open for great players such as Hugo Porta.[1][2] Van Heerden virtually invented the "tight loose" form of play, an area in which the Argentines would come to excel, and which would become a hallmark of their playing style. The Pumas repaid the initial debt, by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park, and emerged as one of the better modern rugby nations, thanks largely to the talents of this Durban schoolmaster.[1]"

After the promise made by Junior Springbok manager JF Louw at the end of a 12-game tour to Argentina in 1959 – ‘I will do everything to ensure we invite you to tour our country’ – there were concerns about the strength of Argentinian rugby. South African Rugby Board president Danie Craven sent coach Izak van Heerden to help the Pumas prepare and they repaid the favour by beating the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

Which country do you think was instrumental in developing rugby in Argentina which then spun off into the rest of Latin South America? South Africa was touring Argentine in the 50's with their Junior Bok side on three months development tours. And they didn't do it to cultivare players for the Boks. Regarding Africa you are not taking into account that South Africa itself is an emerging nation. The rugby union has prioritised the development of rugby in South African rural communities with outstanding success.

It has taken 15 years to build the participation of rugby both in playing and watching. For South Africa on its own to build a viable international rugby competition in africa will take generations - not decades. New Zealanders seem to resent the fact that SA has doubled the income of the URC since their inclusion. If New Zealand Rugby hadn't insisted on have a disproportionate slice of the pie in Super Rugby, SA might not have fled the coop.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

Does South Africa have a future in European competition?

I think this debate is avoiding the elephant in the room. Money. According to the URC chief executive Martin Anayi, the inclusion of SA teams has doubled the income of the URC. There is no doubt that the SA teams benefit from the URC but so do the other countries' teams. Perhaps it doesn't affect a club like Leinster but the less well off clubs benefit hugely from South African games' TV income. I don't think SA continued inclusion in the URC is a slam dunk. They don't hold all the cards by a long way - but they do have an ace in the hole. The Ace of Diamonds.

156 Go to comments

GrahamVF 1 hour ago

How Wallace Sititi humbly reacted to All Blacks Player of the Year honour