Farrell back to boost Saracens
SA STARS: BURGER, BRITS LIKELY TO MAKE THEIR RETURN
Champions aiming for a hat-trick of title victories.
Paris
Already the kings of Europe for the last two years and top of the English Premiership, Saracens will be boosted by the return of British and Irish Lions flyhalf Owen Farrell for the start of their Champions Cup defence.
Ulster and Wasps got this season’s competition underway late last night before the champions make their bow tomorrow afternoon away to domestic rivals Northampton.
The two sides met on the opening day of the Premiership season with Sarries running in nine tries in a 55-24 thrashing at Twickenham, and that without Farrell.
As well as the half-back, Springbok forwards Schalk Burger and Schalk Brits could also return from injuries.
“Owen has trained for two days and is fine. Schalk Burger and Schalk Brits have a chance of being available,” Saracens’ director of rugby Mark McCall said.
“For Brits it will be soon after having his appendix out, so that would be a decent turnaround. He trained on Wednesday and if he has no reaction he has a great chance of being involved.”
Saracens not only successfully defended their title last season but also set a new record of 18 European matches in a row unbeaten as they defeated Clermont, the French champions, 28-17 in the Edinburgh final.
The north Londoners already look to have hit their stride this season, despite the absence of key players such as Farrell and England No 8 Billy Vunipola, out until the new year with a knee injury.
Getting off to a good start will be vital in a pool that includes Clermont – beaten finalists in three of the last five years – and Ospreys.
With such fierce opposition, it could be one of the groups whose runners-up fail to make the knockout stages.
Clermont begin their campaign in Wales looking to end a run of four straight defeats on their travels this season.
And they are unlikely to be able to welcome back French centre Wesley Fofana for the trip to Swansea.
But coach Franck Azema was feeling positive despite tomorrow’s 28-18 defeat at Toulouse.
“I think we’re on the right track. It will do us good to start the European Cup with an away match and knowing that every point counts,” he said.
Both Sarries and Clermont played on Sunday, as did Wasps – thumped 38-19 by the European champions – who started their campaign last night with a tough trip to Belfast.
It means they have a five-day turnaround, something McCall described as “grossly unfair”.
On top of that, Wasps are missing 15 players through injury, including flyhalf Danny Cipriani and No 8 Nathan Hughes.
“It’s not ideal by any stretch of the imagination,” Wasps’ director of rugby Dai Young told BBC Radio 5 live.
“There is very little we can do about it. We’ve known for a number of weeks what was the case, and we’ve just got to get on with it.”
Wasps have had a poor start to the season, losing four matches in a row but their pool does appear one of the less tricky ones, with French debutants La Rochelle and Harlequins, who have been an English mid-table side for the last few seasons.
And this is still the side that topped the regular Premiership standings last season, before losing to Exeter in the final.
English champions Exeter have not excelled in Europe so far but will be expecting to finally make their mark, albeit in what appears a tough pool alongside Leinster, Glasgow and Montpellier.
Three-time champions Toulon look to have drawn the long straw in a pool alongside Bath, Scarlets and Italians Treviso.
It may be the last time an Italian team is seen in the Champions Cup for some time with qualification rules changing for next season, based solely on final league positions and not on nationality.
Since the Champions Cup was reduced from 24 to 20 teams, no Italian side has qualified through merit. –
Pool 1: Harlequins (ENG), La Rochelle (FRA), Ulster (IRL), Wasps (ENG)
Harlequins and Wasps are struggling in the English Premiership, the latter facing a startling five-day turnaround from their 38-19 league mauling by Saracens to last night’s opening match against Ulster. With 15 players already out injured, it’s a scenario Wasps coach Dai Young has described as “not ideal by any stretch of the imagination”. La Rochelle were the surprise package of the Top 14 last season, finishing top at the end of the regular season, and most observers concur that their focus will again be success in the elite French division. Ulster, albeit missing mercurial former Springbok scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar, who is now with Montpellier, have the chance to snatch top spot in the pool but will have to improve their away form.
Pool 2: Clermont (FRA), Northampton (ENG), Ospreys (WAL), Saracens (ENG)
A pool warranting the label of “Group of Death”. The much-bandied cliche is often overused, but there can be no denying that it applies in this case. The fact only the pool winner is guaranteed to progress to the knockout phase means double defending champions Saracens or French heavyweights Clermont, losing finalists in 2013, 2015 and 2017, could miss out. Ospreys, hit by news that Wales halfback pairing of Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar will leave at season’s end, have been in dreadful form in the Pro 14, while it is difficult to see Northampton matching the quality of either Saracens or Clermont. The third-round match between the two giants on December 10 could prove decisive.
Pool 3: Exeter (ENG), Glasgow (SCO), Leinster (IRL), Montpellier (FRA)
Another tough pool, pitching the might of Montpellier, now coached by former Scotland boss Vern Cotter and boasting a wealth of battle-hardened Springboks, against two-time champions Leinster, English champions Exeter and Glasgow. The key to topping the group will undoubtedly be notching up victories away from home. While Glasgow, who have won six from six in the Pro 14 under new coach Dave Rennie, and Exeter might struggle, Leinster could thrive, depending on how much of Montpellier’s sticking power stays should early results go against them.
Pool 4: Castres (FRA), Leicester (ENG), Munster (IRL), Racing 92 (FRA)
A pool with two French clubs invariably sees one fall by the wayside almost from the off. In this case, it will likely be Castres, more concerned with scrapping for Top 14 survival after a stuttering start to their league season. Racing 92, beaten finalists in 2016, boast a large squad bolstered by the likes of New Zealand great Dan Carter, but they have also failed to impress on the field. All that leaves the door wide open for Leicester to battle it out with fellow two-time Cup winners Munster for top spot, with another qualifier from the pool a good bet. Pool 5: Bath (ENG), Scarlets (WAL), Toulon (FRA), Treviso (ITA) Treviso have long been the whipping boys of European rugby, and the second-placed team in their pool should also qualify for the quarters. Toulon won three Cups in a row from 2013-2015, but those days are behind them in a much-changed team not featuring the likes of Matt Giteau, Jonny Wilkinson or Leigh Halfpenny. The Wales fullback will relish a return to the south of France with new club Scarlets, whose adventurous running style of rugby under Kiwi boss Wayne Pivac, ex-Wales flyhalf Stephen Jones riding shotgun as attack coach, has the capacity to light up any stadium. Bath will look to another Welshman, Taulupe Faletau, to help them find some consistency and a vital win on the road. – AFP