Nick Tompkins
Nick Tompkins

European Champions Cup round-up: Results & review of Sunday's action


A review of Sunday's action in the Heineken European Champions Cup.

Lyon 10-24 Saracens

Nick Tompkins struck twice to ensure Saracens extended their unbeaten record in the Heineken Champions Cup and became the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals.

In making it a perfect five out of five in Pool 3 by beating Lyon 28-10, the two-time champions set-up a winner-takes-all clash with second-placed Glasgow Warriors in the battle for top spot and a potential home draw in the knock-out stages.

Mark McCall was able to pick a fully-fit pack that contained four British & Irish Lions and one of them, loose head prop Mako Vunipola, played a key role in the two tries the English champions managed in the first half.

Lyon, without a win in their first season in the Champions Cup, took the lead with a drop goal in the seventh minute from outside half Jonathan Wisniewski. After that it became one-way traffic on the scoreboard.

Playing a few miles down the road from where they were first crowned European champions in 2016, Saracens opened their account midway through the first half.

With the home fans calling for a penalty against Schalk Burger for the way he twisted a home forward out of a ruck in the 22, the ball was moved infield and Vunipola picked out Tompkins with a great pass.

The centre raced to the line and Owen Farrell had no difficulty in adding the conversion. Saracens struck again on the half-hour mark and once again Vunipola, on his 50th Champions Cup appearance, was the link man.

Alexandre Menini was penalised for collapsing a scrum and Farrell kicked deep into the home 22. George Kruis won the ball, Billy Vunipola assumed the scrum-half duties, Tompkins set up the ruck and Vunipola then acted as the link man to send Jackson Wray through a gaping hole with a neat inside pass.

Farrell again improved the try and was on target again three minutes into the second half when Tompkins crossed for his second try. This time the young centre joined a driving line-out before detaching himself and powering over the final eight metres to score.

Maro Itoje, who knocked the ball out of a player's hand at a ruck, and replacement prop Bertie Buckle, for a stamp, received yellow cards at the same time and with extra space to play with, Saracens picked up their bonus-point try in the 54th minute.

Not for the first time, Alex Goode broke the home defensive line to create a clear run to the line from 40 metres for replacement scrum-half Ben Spencer. Farrell's conversion made it 28 unanswered points.

Former France wing Alexis Palisson scored a late consolation try for Lyon, which he also converted. Lyon head to Cardiff Blues on Saturday to try to avert a whitewash.

Exeter 34-12 Castres

Exeter kept alive their Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final hopes with a 34-12 bonus-point victory over Castres at Sandy Park.

But the Gallagher Premiership leaders still face a Herculean task to progress, needing victory over twice European champions Munster in Limerick next Saturday.

Unless they beat Munster at Thomond Park - and deny them a losing bonus point, or collect a five-point maximum - the Irish heavyweights will win Pool Two.

The Chiefs, though, still have hope after tries by full-back Jack Nowell, fly-half Joe Simmonds, lock Jonny Hill, wing Tom O'Flaherty, centre Henry Slade and replacement hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie - plus two Simmonds conversions - eliminated 14-man French champions Castres.

And it gave the Premiership belated cause for cheer, with five clubs - Bath, Wasps, Gloucester, Leicester and Newcastle - having been knocked out before the penultimate round of pool games had even been completed.

Castres' replacement prop Tudor Stroe was sent off midway through the second half for a swinging forearm into Chiefs centre Ollie Devoto's head.

And although wing Taylor Paris and centre Thomas Combezou scored tries for Castres, with fly-half Benjamin Urdapilleta adding one conversion, Exeter were good value and deservedly maintained their European dream.

Exeter showed a number of switches from the side which beat Premiership opponents Bristol last weekend, with England back Nowell headlining the changes following his recovery from a hamstring injury.

And it took Nowell just three minutes to stamp his class all over the contest, cutting Castres' defence apart as he claimed a memorable 45-metre solo try.

Nowell, making his first appearance since England's victory over Japan in mid-November, gathered possession from the base of a ruck, then sprinted into space and brushed aside three attempted tackles as Exeter enjoyed a dream start.

Simmonds drifted the conversion wide, but the Chiefs were off and running as Castres' brittle confidence surfaced on the back of losing three French league games from their last four outings.

But their response was impressive, as far from going into their shells, they hit back with an equalising try just four minutes later, with Canada international Paris rounding off a slick passing move to cross unopposed.

It was a shot across Exeter's bow, yet they regained the lead approaching the end of a lively opening quarter.

A strong attacking scrum provided a foothold, then it was all about Devoto, who teased Castres' defence with his footwork before finding Simmonds through a stunning one-handed off-load that allowed the fly-half an easy finish.

Exeter relished the space afforded them by a lacklustre defence, and they claimed a third try 10 minutes before half-time following patient work by the Chiefs' pack that ended with Hill collecting scrum-half Nic White's pass to cross unopposed.

The Chiefs then went agonisingly close to securing a bonus point after a breath-taking length-of-the-field move started by Nowell's possession turnover that involved several players, but Slade dropped number eight Matt Kvesic's scoring pass.

Exeter, though, were in charge at the break, holding a 12-point advantage and looking eminently capable of adding to their tally.

And Slade made amends for his error, by creating Exeter's fourth try through a superb break and cleverly-placed kick that O'Flaherty scooped up at pace to score.

Simmonds converted, and although Castres replied with Combezou's touchdown, Slade continued to shine by finishing impressively for another Exeter try, before Cowan-Dickie completed an emphatic success.

Exeter celebrate
Exeter celebrate

Glasgow 33-24 Cardiff

Glasgow kept themselves in with a chance of claiming top spot in Heineken Champions Cup Pool 3 with a 33-24 victory over Cardiff.

The bonus point kept them four behind leaders Saracens ahead of their trip to London next weekend but they were made to work all the way at Scotstoun before George Horne crossed in the 78th minute.

Warriors' 19-point tally is the best of all five second-placed teams with one game left with only the three best runners-up qualifying.

Warriors had taken a 14-0 lead with two tries in six minutes from Grant Stewart and Scott Cummings around the half-hour mark but it was Brandon Thomson's impressive kicking in difficult conditions that proved the difference with the teams on four tries apiece before Horne's score.

Chris Fusaro and Oli Kebble also crossed for Glasgow while Owen Lane scored two tries and Harri Millard and Josh Navidi touched down for Cardiff.

Blues were already eliminated and made 12 changes including a first appearance since late 2017 for winger Tom James, when the 12-times capped Wales international took an extended break because of depression.

The wind was strong enough to leave the posts constantly shaking and Stuart Hogg in particular found it difficult to use the conditions to Glasgow's advantage in the first half as two kicks went behind the Cardiff dead-ball line.

Glasgow were disrupted by losing two-thirds of their back row to injury inside 10 minutes as Matt Fagerson (shoulder) and Callum Gibbins (knee) were replaced by Tim Swinson and Fusaro.

Warriors struggled to get into any rhythm and it took them 27 minutes to open the scoring as they finally took advantage of a close-range lineout after kicking a penalty into touch. Stewart went over after the maul.

Glasgow kept up the pressure after Tommy Seymour broke through some poor Cardiff tackling to run from one 22-metre line to another, before Swinson was held up just before the line.

Warriors soon crossed again after a five-metre scrum as Ali Price fed Cummings to dive over.

Dan Fish almost gifted Warriors a third try when he spilled the ball but Nick Grigg could only make a dent in the advertising hoardings as he dived in an unsuccessful bid to chase down his kick forward.

The Cardiff full-back showed better handling moments later to collect Lane's short kick forward and return the ball to the winger to cross with the match officials ruling out offside concerns.

With the wind at their backs and the deficit down to nine points, Cardiff had a comeback in their sights. But Warriors quickly took control of the second half and Fusaro touched down in the 49th minute as the hosts made their second rolling line-out maul count.

Millard crossed on the left flank after an excellent move but Dave Rennie's side soon secured the bonus point when Kebble battled his way through and stretched to touch down as he took a major hit, which immediately forced him off injured.

However, Cardiff were in no mind to give up. Good work from Millard set up Navidi to cross and the visitors cut the gap to four points with nine minutes left when Lane rolled over after a five-metre scrum.

Warriors quickly went on the attack though and replacement scrum-half Horne took the ball out of a five-metre scrum to go over himself.

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