Champions Cup 2019/20 Round 5

Burkie1203

Friday 10th January
Bath - Harlequins
La Rochelle - Sale Sharks


Saturday 11th January
Clermont Auvergne - Ulster
Ospreys - Saracens
Connacht - Toulouse
Glasgow Warriors - Exeter
Gloucester - Montpellier


Sunday 12th January
Leinster - Lyon
Northampton - Benetton Rugby
Racing 92 - Munster


Game of the week is in Clermont.

Predictions
Bath
La Rochelle
Clermont
Saracens
Toulouse
Exeter
Gloucester
Leinster
Northampton
Racing

Nice spread of fixtures this weekend. Thought Leinster was tomorrow but two provincial games tomorrow and two on Sunday is a nice spread.

Glasgow v Exeter probably the only non provincial game with both teams still in the hunt?

sydthebeat

Bath putting out the dirt trackers versus quins, who will be raring to go after last weeks humiliation away to sale... so possibly expect an away win here.

saracens will wipe the floor with ospreys, regardless of ospreys getting some of their test players back.

I can see exeter beating glasgow as they are vying for those valuable top 2 QFs spots.

La rochelle by 10 in a dead rubber

It would be surprising for toulouse not to win, but stranger things have happened. Connacht getting some first liners back will mean they will have to be better than they have been over the christmas period. i still think toulouse' skills will be too much for connacht here but this will be a good game to watch for the neutral.

everywhere else will be home wins. Clermont v ulster will be a cracker, but i still expect clermont to have too much.
similar for racing v munster, i think munster will huff and puff a lot but this racing team can score 14 within a blink of an eye... and i can see them get 4 tries here... whereas munster are finding try scoring hard to come by these days.

saints will win easy enough, and leinster... well.... 25+

I have a sneaky feeling about Ulster this weekend.

Adele Famous Stoplight

Adele Famous Stoplight wrote: »

I have a sneaky feeling about Ulster this weekend.

Same, I think they can do it but have to play their best rugby of the season and probably find something a bit special on top of that in the final quarter.

vienne86

Deleted User wrote: »

Same, I think they can do it but have to play their best rugby of the season and probably find something a bit special on top of that in the final quarter.

I think this game will be a cracker - but Clermont at home.....Ulster will have to play out of their skins.

Digifriendly

Bath vs Harlequins a non event tonight as neither can qualify so I might watch La Rochelle vs Sale instead.
Clermont/Ulster obviously takes precedence over Ospreys/Saracens.
Connacht/Toulouse up against Glasgow/Exeter tomorrow so will be in a dilemma which one to concentrate on.
Leinster/Lyon on Sunday obviously preferred to Northampton/Benetton.

Any point in watching either match tonight?

Squidgy Black

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Any point in watching either match tonight?

La Rochelle Sale might be slightly entertaining, but the Quins Bath game is pretty much a dead rubber, Bath gone full B team.

Digifriendly

Deleted User wrote: »

Any point in watching either match tonight?

Neither La Rochelle nor Sale or completely out of the picture as it stands, so better game to watch than Bath vs Harlequins as both those teams are already out of contection.

errlloyd

Digifriendly wrote: »

Neither La Rochelle nor Sale or completely out of the picture as it stands, so better game to watch than Bath vs Harlequins as both those teams are already out of contection.

What channel is that on.

vienne86

errlloyd wrote: »

What channel is that on.

BT3.

Dunney848

That barf outhalf Burns is the spit of Chris Ashton

Buer

Dunney848 wrote: »

That barf outhalf Burns is the spit of Chris Ashton

Always thought he looked really like the Ulster outhalf.

Dunney848

Buer wrote: »

Always thought he looked really like the Ulster outhalf.

No not the Ulster outhalf tha Barf outhalf who is his brother

Speaking of which is Craig Doyle on Dermot Bannon levels of annoyance

McGinty is such a quality player. Best player on the pitch LaRochelle v Sale.

errlloyd

[Deleted User] wrote: »

McGinty is such a quality player. Best player on the pitch LaRochelle v Sale.

Just cost his team a try tho.

errlloyd

Ihia West disappointing so far.

errlloyd

errlloyd wrote: »

Just cost his team a try tho.

Boards.ie posters curse...

Squidgy Black

Sale throwing this one away, silly mistakes that LR are capitalising on despite having not been in the game at all really.

vienne86

La Rochelle in front now, despite missing two shots at goal. Sale have looked the better side, but made some bowlers.

RugbyLover123

How far in advance were these games picked for tv? 2 dead rubber games on the Friday.

vienne86

Good kick by McGinty to put Sale back in front.

errlloyd

RugbyLover123 wrote: »

How far in advance were these games picked for tv? 2 dead rubber games on the Friday.

Predictable dead rubbers too I'd have thought

Squidgy Black

MacGinty down and in a lot of pain

I regret saying anything.

vienne86

Squidgy Black wrote: »

MacGinty down and in a lot of pain

Shame for him. He was having a decent game.

ionadnapokot

Botia just broke another player
Full steam into McGinty.

Looks like his shoulder is busted
Was playing well

ClanofLams

Think Mcginty has done his shoulder couple of times already. Quality player, seems to be struggling to get a clean run at a season the last couple of years.

ionadnapokot

RugbyLover123 wrote: »

How far in advance were these games picked for tv? 2 dead rubber games on the Friday.

Keep watching. Hopefully Ashton will get Botiaed

errlloyd

I sort of like Ashton now. His first break was class.

JimmyCorkhill

Havent seen any of the match but have a bet on La Rochelle as part of an accum, they are the final leg!!!

Thinking of laying it off a bit.

Who looks more likely to win?
Does either team have wind advantage in the second half?

Thanks

ionadnapokot

Ashton is enjoyable to watch in his club jersey...sometimes!

For all his talent with the ball. I get much much more enjoyment when I see him getting smashed.

Squidgy Black

ClanofLams wrote: »

Think Mcginty has done his shoulder couple of times already. Quality player, seems to be struggling to get a clean run at a season the last couple of years.

He went under the knife for it back in 2018 and it's been a niggly one since. Always a sad sight to see a player going off with recurring injuries.

Squidgy Black

Ihia West is just throwing points away, brutal off the tee so far

vienne86

Excellent try for La Rochelle.

vienne86

........and Ashton gets a yellow!

Squidgy Black

This has turned into an absolute shítshow

Synode

Mindless red card. The teams would have been 14 v 14 had he not retaliated

razorblunt

Bath are so poor. Well both teams are but Bath are worse.

Really bad tackle on de Glanville there, a weird WWE move but play on almost landed on his face by had the ball in front of his chest.

vienne86

La Rochelle much better in the second half.......score would be huge if they'd slotted their kicks at goal.

razorblunt

razorblunt wrote: »

Bath are so poor. Well both teams are but Bath are worse.

Really bad tackle on de Glanville there, a weird WWE move but play on almost landed on his face by had the ball in front of his chest.

They lost a lineout at the death, their sub Hooker could only throw to 2. Appalling stuff from both teams. BT trying to polish a turd.

Eod100

Not a whole lot at stake in tonight's matches really. Watched La Rochelle v Sale. Fairly high scoring but not a whole lot to write home about.

Looking like Clermont/Ulster's group will have best runner up (6th)

Think final table could look something like this. I'm more than happy to be proven wrong (especially if Munster and/or Connacht get through).

Last place is nearly hardest to predict at this with 3 teams but think Northampton have slightly easier remaining games despite their worst points difference.

1) Leinster 28
2) Exeter 27
3) Toulouse 26
4) Clermont 25
5) Racing 23
6) Ulster 22
7) Saracens 19
8) Northampton 15

Burkie1203

Sarries red card after 5 min

Dunney848

Burkie1203 wrote: »

Sarries red card after 5 min

Hopefully they lose

Dunney848

Ulster 8-3 after 7 mins

Clegg

Saracens picked a B team for this game. Now they're down to 14 men with 75 minutes to play. They're in trouble.

Could an Ospreys win keep Munster in the competition even if the latter loses to Racing?

sydthebeat

Clegg wrote: »

Saracens picked a B team for this game. Now they're down to 14 men with 75 minutes to play.

Could an Ospreys win keep Munster in the competition even if the latter loses to Racing?

I've a feeling 17 points will be needed to get through... Which means munster would need to take at least 1 point home tomorrow

stephen_n

Looking at the Saracens game on Tribe and seeing M Vinopola and thinking for a second why was Mako taking kicks. Doh!

Cookiemunster

sydthebeat wrote: »

I've a feeling 17 points will be needed to get through... Which means munster would need to take at least 1 point home tomorrow

I think Saracens are still going to win this handily, so Munster will need to win tomorrow.

Bridge93

Ospreys have turned down 3 penalties in the Sarries 22. What is wrong with them as a club. Stupidity and mediocrity seems to spill from everywhere