IInnovation in rugby tends to divide people into two camps. The purists prefer their game to remain gloriously unchanged, while casual fans are more open to proactive experimentation. Rarely are those “unicorn” moments when both tribes are happy and something feels right so instantly that it should have happened years ago.
One way or another, European club rugby is entering a new era. A two-legged ’round of 16′ will be introduced in the Champions Cup this weekend and so far there has been little dissenting voice. Because if you’re a Munster fan, for example, you’re in for the best of both worlds: a tempting away trip to England, followed by the thunderous buzz of a big Thomond Park rematch a week later. Look forward to something? Of course you are.
A spicy triple header is already underway at Bordeaux and La Rochelle. On Saturday, Bordeaux head coach Christophe Urios had a sideline spat with fellow La Rochelle player Ronan O’Gara and was quoted in the French press using the word ‘intolerable’ to describe the Irishman. Let’s just say the pot is already simmering with anger as two more parts of the trilogy have yet to unfold.
Football has followed this model for years. Judging by the Champions League profile, it seems to be doing pretty well. The only potential snag, barring the bane of further Covid disruptions, is rugby’s scoring system. When a home side goes down 31-21 in the 80th minute of an otherwise tight first leg, it becomes a daunting task to close a 10-point deficit away from home the following week.
But consider the range of possible scenarios. Let’s say Exeter lead Munster by a point with 10 minutes to go this Saturday. What are you going to do next? Teams that take an early lead can no longer sit back and park the bus. If they do, a tiny fiddle could change everything. Instead, the potential to take an eight-point lead over Limerick will send everyone into overdrive by the 80th minute. Then there are another 80 minutes to negotiate …
quick start Guide
Champions Cup: KO phase
show
Race 92 against Stade Francais
Bristol against sale
Harlequins against Montpellier
La Rochelle versus Bordeaux
Ulster vs Toulouse
Munster versus Exeter
Leicester versus Clermont
Leinster vs. Connacht
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The new dynamic will also be fascinating in terms of style. Are the teams keeping some tactical tricks under wraps in the first leg? Or are you just trying to blitz your opponents with three tries in the first 20 minutes to end the tie as early as possible? Will they step away from home more and choose damage control? Or will the revised tournament structure play into the hands of the stronger French and Irish sides with their superior squad density?
The home advantage must be fully exploited. Take the opening game in Galway on Friday. Leinster played there just last Saturday week and won 45-8. But Connacht had a player sent off within three minutes, significantly skewing the result. While Leinster will appear with their Ireland internationals this time around, so will their hosts.
Connacht have beaten Stade Français 36-9 this season and narrowly lost to English leaders Leicester. What if Leinster are suddenly faced with an early red card and a stiff pitch wind in their face?
A view of Thomond Park in Munster ahead of the game against Wasps in January. Photo: Billy Stickland/INPHO/Shutterstock
In theory, they should have the depth of squad to stay on course if the first leg turns into an unplanned disaster. But from almost every perspective – coaches, players and spectators – there is a fresh dynamic at play. The idea should have been a feature of last year’s competition, only for Covid to ruin the plan and the sudden death element adds another benefit. “Away goals” do not count here, extra time is played if the total score is equal after 160 minutes.
Will familiarity lead to contempt in some cases? Bristol, for example, only beat Sale 32-15 at Ashton Gate in January. Since then, however, the bears have looked defensively permeable. Which makes it extremely difficult to call a two-legged tie. If any side can tear free and change the complexion of a tie in 15 minutes, it’s Pat Lam’s team.
It will also test the ability of one or two French teams to perform two weeks in a row. Montpellier, Clermont and Toulouse will be keen to flex their muscles at home and defeat Harlequins, Leicester and Ulster respectively. But will the margins be enough to protect them on their trips the following weekend? Look at the list of games and how many likely home and away double bankers do you see? At most two or three out of eight.
In all the other subplots – not the least of which is the Paris ‘derby’ of two clubs who were close to merging not too long ago – there’s also the tennis-esque draw that presumably makes it impossible for the two title favorites, Racing 92 and Leinster, to meet before the final.
For all of France’s Grand Slam exploits at the Six Nations, it is by no means out of the question that three of the quarter-finals could take place on English or Irish soil. Should Bordeaux and Toulouse progress, for example, they may need to travel into the last eight and Leinster, who have controversially postponed their pool game at Toulouse, could end up going to Welford Road if Leicester oust Clermont.
That doesn’t mean an English side is ready to lift the trophy. The Premiership has been a slightly mixed picture this season and Harlequins, Leicester and Exeter will do well to reach the last four, let alone the final. But therein lies the beauty of the Champions Cup this year. No one can be quite sure how the redesigned cards will fall.
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