European Rugby Champions Cup: La Rochelle thump Wasps
A round-up of the weekend's action in the Champions Cup.
European Champions Cup results (Dec 8-10)
Sunday December 10
- Harlequins 5-17 Ulster
- La Rochelle 49-29 Wasps
- Saracens P-P Clermont
- Exeter 8-18 Leinster
Saturday December 9
- Scarlets 33-28 Benetton Treviso
- Toulon 24-20 Bath
- Northampton 32-43 Ospreys
- Castres 16-13 Racing 92
- Munster 33-10 Leicester
Friday December 8
- Glasgow 22-29 Montpellier
Sunday review
Harlequins 5-17 Ulster
Harlequins tries: Sinckler
Ulster tries: Stockdale
Penalties: Cooney (4)
Harlequins' hopes of progression to the Champions Cup quarter-finals were virtually extinguished as they crashed to a third-consecutive defeat in Europe, a 17-5 loss at home to Ulster.
It was the first time since the 2009-10 season that Quins had lost three European games on the bounce and this defeat leaves them rooted to the bottom of Pool 1 with just a single point and trailing 14 points behind runaway leaders La Rochelle.
It was a miserable afternoon for Quins as their injury-ravaged squad lost Chris Robshaw and Danny Care to failed head assessments and could only manage a single try from Kyle Sinckler.
Ulster were deserved winners with Jacob Stockdale scoring their try, while John Cooney added four penalties to pick up the man of the match award.
La Rochelle 49-29 Wasps
La Rochelle tries: Aguillon, Boughanmi, Botia (2), Rattez (2)
Conversions: James (3), Lamb (2)
Penalties: James (3)
Wasps tries: Miller, Young, Daly, Simpson, Stuart
Conversions: Gopperth (2)
La Rochelle left Wasps with a mountain to climb to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup after beating them 49-29 in front of a packed crowd at Stade Marcel Deflandre.
Six tries from the home side earned them their third successive try bonus point and moved them nine points clear of Wasps at the top of Pool 1. The only consolation for the Premiership side was that they managed to score four tries to pick up a try bonus point themselves.
The two teams meet again at the Ricoh Arena next Sunday in what is now a must-win game for Dai Young's side after a second away defeat in this season's campaign.
Exeter 8-18 Leinster
Exeter ties: Short
Conversions: Steenson
Leinster tries: Sexton, Conan
Conversions: Nacewa
Penalties: Sexton, Nacewa
Leinster took a firm grip on Pool Three of the European Champions Cup as they inflicted a first home defeat in 12 months on Aviva Premiership champions Exeter.
The Irish province moved six points clear at the top of the group by producing the sort of performance that won them three European crowns.
The Chiefs, however, will point to a hugely controversial moment early in the second half, when they felt they should have had a penalty try that would have put them 10-8 ahead after Leinster hooker Sean Cronin was sin-binned for a high, try-saving tackle on Jack Nowell.
Saturday review
Munster 33-10 Leicester
Munster tries: Marshall (20), Zebo (31), O'Mahony (56), Cloete (68)
Conversions: Keatley (21,32)
Penalties: Keatley (7,27,38)
Leicester tries: Thacker (65)
Conversions: Ford (66)
Penalties: Ford (35)
Johann van Graan enjoyed a memorable Champions Cup coaching debut as his Munster side thumped Leicester 33-10 at Thomond Park.
Beaten 38-0 in this corresponding fixture last season, Leicester's Limerick woes continued as European debutant Chris Cloete's 67th-minute bonus-point score moved Munster four points clear at the top of Pool Four.
Rhys Marshall's first European try and Simon Zebo's 58th in Munster red were the highlights of a clinical opening half from the hosts, with Ian Keatley kicking the other points for a 23-3 half-time lead.
A lone George Ford penalty was all Tigers could muster, as Munster dominated the breakdown and the collisions, while Tigers captain Tom Youngs was fortunate to avoid the sin-bin for a neck roll and then a shoulder charge just before the break.
Turnover ball teed up Munster skipper Peter O'Mahony for a 55th-minute try out wide, and although Leicester replacement Harry Thacker scored from a maul, South African Cloete did likewise just three minutes later to ensure the maximum return for Van Graan's men.
Northampton 32-43 Ospreys
Northampton tries: Hartley (53), Groom (64), Horne (67), Tuala (69), Mallinder (72)
Conversions: Mallinder (68,70)
Penalties: Myler (17)
Ospreys tries: Evans (29,56), Habberfield (38), Hassler (46,61), Fonotia (49)
Conversions: Davies (30,39,50,57,47)
Penalties: Davies (21)
Northampton pushed hard in a second-half fightback but couldn't overcome Ospreys as they fell to a 43-32 defeat at Franklin's Gardens.
Jeff Hassler and Dan Evans both scored twice for Ospreys, with Tom Habberfield and Kieron Fonotia also dotting down and Sam Davies adding five conversions and a penalty in an accomplished fly-half display.
Northampton did produce some late fireworks, scoring five times in the second half through skipper Dylan Hartley, Nic Groom, Rob Horne, Ahsee Tuala and Harry Mallinder, but it was not enough to prevent a ninth defeat in 10 games in all competitions.
Mallinder and Ospreys' Rob McCusker were sin-binned for their part in a brawl late on and the visitors' Hanno Dirksen saw red for a high tackle on JP Estelles.
Northampton have now been beaten in all three Champions Cup matches and their hopes of progression from the pool stages are already over.
Toulon 24-20 Bath
Toulon tries: Nonu (34), Mathewson (51), Belleau (76)
Conversions: Trinh-Duc (36,52), Belleau (78)
Penalties: Trinh-Duc (67)
Bath tries: Watson (15), Joseph (61)
Conversions: Priestland (16,62)
Penalties: Priestland (13,40)
Chris Ashton had his blushes saved by a moment of individual brilliance from Toulon's new France international Anthony Belleau after his howler almost gifted Bath a notable away win in the Champions Cup.
Playing at full-back for the French giants, the former England wing, a Champions Cup winner in the last two seasons with Saracens, gifted the English side a try in the 62nd minute with a complete miskick from behind his posts as he attempted to clear his lines.
The ball came off the side of his boot and bounced on the line and allowed Jonathan Joseph to snap up the ball, and the sucker try. Rhys Priestland's conversion made it 20-15 and Bath were back in control of the game.
But Belleau, a 72nd-minute replacement for the injured Francois Trinh-Duc, put his side back in front with a kick-and-chase try from five metres out that changed the face of the game a mere three minutes after coming on, teeing his men up for a 24-20 win.
Toulon's win allowed them to move three points clear of Bath at the top of Pool Five, with the Scarlets two more behind in third place.
Scarlets 33-28 Benetton
Scarlets tries: Davies (3,6), Beirne (27), Evans (76), Asquith (79)
Conversions: Halfpenny (3,6,27), Patchell (76)
Benetton tries: Barbieri (14), Hayward (37), Esposito (57), Ruzza (70)
Conversions: Allan (14,38,57,70)
Centre Paul Asquith scored a try in the final minute as Scarlets pulled off a remarkable 33-28 bonus-point victory over Benetton at Parc y Scarlets.
It looked set to be a comfortable home victory when Scarlets went 14-0 up after six minutes and then Benetton had flanker Francesco Minto sent off for a dangerous tackle in the 24th.
But after 70 minutes the visitors, who had been 21-7 down, found themselves 28-21 up with a bonus point and all set to celebrate their first win in Europe for more nearly three years.
Scarlets' nerves held firm however to set up a grandstand finish and score two tries in the final four minutes to claim their first win in Pool Five.
Scarlets' try scorers were scrum-half Gareth Davies (two), Tadgh Beirne and Steff Evans with Leigh Halfpenny kicking three conversions and Rhys Patchell one. Benetton's tries came from number eight Robert Barbieri, full-back Jayden Hayward, wing Angelo Esposito and lock Federico, with fly-half Tommaso Allen kicking four conversions.
Castres 16-13 Racing 92
Castres tries: Vaipulu (73)
Conversions: Urdapilleta (74)
Penalties: Urdapilleta (22,32,77)
Racing tries: Maka (51)
Conversions: Machenaud (52)
Penalties: Machenaud (10,36)
Benjamin Urdapilleta's late penalty saw Castres edge past Racing 92 with a 16-13 win in Pool Four.
The sides were locked at 6-6 at half-time after two penalties apiece from Urdapilleta and Maxime Machenaud before a try from Edwin Maka, which was converted by Machenaud, put Racing in front.
The visitors looked set to hold on for victory until Maama Vaipulu crossed for a converted score in the 73rd minute, before Urdapilleta slotted the crucial kick.
Racing missed two late penalty attempts through Antoine Gilbert and Teddy Iribaren as Castres held on for their first win in the competition.
Friday review
Glasgow had no-one but themselves to blame as they succumbed to a third successive European Champions Cup defeat with a 29-22 loss at home to Montpellier.
The Warriors had looked in firm control at 17-5 in the first half, but two yellow cards saw the game swing dramatically in Montpellier's favour at Scotstoun.
Referee Matt Carley was in the thick of it, sin-binning George Turner for an incident off the ball before Jonny Gray followed him in a 20-minute period that turned the game.
A brace from Kelian Galletier, a penalty try and one from Jacques du Plessis claimed a bonus point for Verne Cotter's men, leaving Glasgow facing a likely exit from the competition after three defeats in three.
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