Nick Cain casts an expert eye over last week’s European Champions Cup draw

The recruitment rosters of the Premiership and Pro12 teams make them look like a pop-gun parade compared to the heavy artillery that their Top 14 rivals will point at them in next season’s European Champions Cup. Even a cursory glance tells a tale of overwhelming French supremacy in the transfer market.
England’s two big spenders, Saracens and Bath, both of whom want the salary cap increased, have made no marquee signings so far. With all due respect to Italian-Fijian No.8 Samuel Vunisa and South African back five forward Michael Rhodes (ex-Sharks) they are hardly ‘A’ list incomers to Allianz Park. It is a similar story at the Rec where Glasgow’s lively Fijian scrum-half, Nikola Matawalu, and Wales back up fly-half Rhys Priestland are Bath’s only notable arrivals.
Northampton, Leicester, Exeter and Wasps have pushed the boat out a little further, although most of them are domestic transfers – such as Kieran Brookes joining Northampton from Newcastle – with barely a marquee overseas signing in sight, let alone a superstar.
The Pro12 squads are similarly low-key, with even Jonny Sexton’s return to Leinster lacking a little fanfare because of its ‘been there, done that’ connotations.
The wealthiest French clubs, meanwhile, have gorged on rich Southern Hemisphere pickings.
Toulon have celebrated becoming the first club to achieve a European Cup treble by restocking in a big way, bringing in star names such as All Black centre Ma’a Nonu and Springbok No.8 Duane Vermeulen. Add veteran Irish lock Paul O’Connell to the mix along with Samu Manoa’s arrival from Northampton and you have a potent mix to replace the retiring Carl Hayman, Bakkies Botha and Ali Williams.
That is a high-quality influx considering that Matt Giteau, Brian Habana, Juan Smith, Drew Mitchell, Juan Martin Fernandez-Lobbe, the Armitage brothers, Mathieu Bastareaud and Sebastien Tillous-Borde are already on Toulon’s books.
Racing 92 have splashed out by making Dan Carter the world’s highest-paid player, while also adding French international stars Yannick Nyanga and Remi Tales, former All Black Chris Masoe, Argentine lock Manuel Carizza, and up-and-coming Kiwi prop Ben Tamiefuna (Chiefs) to their ranks.
Clermont have restricted themselves to a handful of incomers with French-South African Test full-back Scott Spedding arriving from Bayonne, and Springbok lock Flip Van der Merwe joining from the Bulls. Wings David Strettle (Saracens) and Hosea Gear (Chiefs), and Argentine centre Patricio Fernandez, complete the haul.
Bordeaux-Begles signalled their intent to be serious players with a rash of new signings well before their play-off win over Gloucester secured them the last place in the Champions Cup. These include the ace Australian outside-back Adam Ashley-Cooper, his Wallaby tight-head compatriot Sekope Kepu, impressive French international No.8 Loann Goujon (ex La Rochelle), promising Western Province loose-head Steven Kitshoff, Auckland Blues flanker Luke Braid, and French full-back John-Marcel Buttin (ex-Clermont).
The main exceptions to the spending spree are Toulouse and Stade Francais, both of whom already have the luxury of international class squads, and Oyonnax, who are the Top 14’s answer to Exeter Chiefs.
Newly-crowned Top 14 champions, Stade Francais, have gone for quality before quantity. Wallaby scrum-half Will Genia is their only marquee signing, although there is also an ‘allo, allo’ for Melbourne Rebels prop, Paul Alo-Emile. The upside is that a fully firing Genia could be a huge asset to an already powerful squad led by Sergio Parisse – and the combination of the peerless Italian No.8 and the quick-breaking Aussie No.9 could be dynamite.
Toulouse are stacked with French and overseas Test stars already, but even so their signing of Fijian Sevens star Semi Kunatani, Leicester scrum-half David Mele, and Saffer prop Gert Muller (ex-Bayonne) seems like slim pickings for such a wealthy club.
Oyonnax will be praying that Nicky Robinson (ex-Bristol) is able to fill the boots of the Castres-bound Benjamin Urdapilleta, the Argentine fly-half and playmaker who has been intrinsic to the remarkable gains they have made in the Top 14 since their promotion. It is a tall order for veteran backs like Robinson, and Piri Weepu (ex-London Welsh), to make the transition successfully, although Harlequins lock George Robson should be a useful addition to Oyonnax’s formidable pack.
What the Top 14’s virtual cornering of the world transfer market indicates is that in order to match Toulon, Stade Francais, Clermont and company, their Premiership and Pro12 opponents will have to bring something exceptional out of the coaching locker to compete.
Saracens quarter-final victory over Racing in Paris and close call in the semi-final against Clermont established them as the Premiership’s only genuine heavyweights, while Bath also threatened to overthrow the established order when they overran Toulouse at the Stade Ernest Wallon before being edged out of a last four place in Dublin by Leinster.
However, Saracens and Bath both came up short in terms of the tactical invention, precision and the power plays required to beat the pacesetters in the Top 14. The same was true of Leinster, who, despite showing their mettle as the Pro12’s only representative in the knock-out stages by rattling a below par Toulon at the Stade Felix Mayol, also bowed-out in the semi-finals.
What Wednesday’s pool draw at the EPCR headquarters in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, confirmed is that in this slimmed-down, ultra-competitive European Champions Cup model there are virtually no bolt-holes or free passes for anyone – French, English or Celt – as there were in the old Heineken Cup.
POOL 1 – SARACENS SWIM AGAINST TIDE
Should Saracens finish top of this pool they will again be one of the few sides capable of swimming strongly enough not to be washed away by the Top 14 tide. However, no side with Toulouse in their pool will ever be entirely confident, and it could be that with Guy Noves moving on to coach France after two decades at the club they will be even more unpredictable.
With 20 or more established internationals on their books – Thierry Dusautoir, Louis Picamoles, Luke McAlister, Maxime Medard and Gael Fickou among them – a Toulouse resurgence could depend on how many of them play in the World Cup and what shape they return in. By the same token, Saracens have an England contingent which could include Mako and Billy Vunipola, Jamie George, George Kruis, Maro Itoje, Owen Farrell, Richard Wigglesworth, Brad Barritt, Chris Ashton, and Alex Goode.
There is likely to be very little in the three-way tussle between Toulouse, Saracens and Ulster. However, Saracens have the advantage of a rugby director in Mark McCall who knows the Ulster set-up inside out, and although he has said he expects a torrid test at the Kingspan Stadium from Chris Henry, Ruan Pienaar, Jared Payne, Craig Gilroy and friends, forewarned is forearmed.
Oyonnax also have a trump card that cannot be discounted. With barely a current international in their tight-knit squad they will not suffer from World Cup disruption or fatigue.
The other thing that cannot be discounted, irrespective of how well France do in the World Cup, is that next season the superior purchasing power of the multi-national Top 14 clubs could produce the first all-French semi-finals in European Cup history.
POOL 2 – VINTAGE FROM BORDEAUX
A French one-two cannot be ruled out in a pool which pitches Clermont and Bordeaux against the Ospreys and Exeter Chiefs. The Welsh region have dabbled rather than splurged in the transfer market, with former NZ No.9 Brendon Leonard joining from Zebre, Test loose-head Paul James heading back across the Severn Bridge from Bath, and backrower Gareth Delve returning from Japan.
Whether that will add enough firepower for Alun-Wyn Jones and company finally to make the breakthrough they have long been promising is doubtful, especially against teams with as much pedigree and depth as Clermont and Bordeaux.
Along with the new signings listed here already for both French clubs they will have to contend with star turns like Wesley Fofana, Noa Nakaitaci and Jonathan Davies in the Clermont backline. Bordeaux, meanwhile, will have a beefed-up pack to feed classy backs that include top try-scoring Fijian wing Metuisela Talebula and Sofiane Guitoune.
However, Exeter, could be a stumbling block having strengthened their well-balanced squad with the arrival of grizzled veterans Geoff Parling and Julian Salvi from Leicester, and two exciting runners in Italian Test centre Michele Campagnaro and Ollie Woodburn (ex-Bath). Put them into the melting pot along with existing talent like Henry Slade, Jack Nowell and Luke Cowan-Dickie and a successful pool campaign is not beyond the Devon club.
POOL 3 – WILL DAN BE THE MAN?
Expectations will be sky-high at Racing following the arrival of All Black fly-half legend Dan Carter, and they now have a squad with enough international quality throughout to start winning the big prizes. Back three finishers like Brice Dulin, Teddy Thomas and Juan Imhoff will be relishing Carter’s arrival, and with their pack also strengthened by a Southern Hemisphere influx the French big spenders will be the team to beat in a pool which also features Northampton, Glasgow and the Scarlets.
The Saints felt Racing’s muscle in last season’s tournament when they were blitzed at Franklin’s Gardens, and despite the arrivals of Brookes, back rower Jamie Gibson from Leicester, lock Michael Paterson from Sale, and fly-half JJ Hanrahan from Munster, they will have their work cut out to secure a place in the last eight.
Buoyed by the success of winning their first Pro12 title, Glasgow will be on a mission. With inspirational forces like Josh Strauss and young lock Jonny Gray up front, and giant Fijian winger Taqele Naiyaravoro scheduled to join an all Scottish international backline from the Waratahs, they have the dynamism and size to do some damage.
The Scarlets will also be determined not to be a speed-bump for their rivals, and with Welsh international backs of the calibre of Liam Williams and Scott Williams, and hooker Ken Owens leading by example up front, they should ensure there are no free points on offer.
POOL 4 – THE ITALIAN JOB
My only reservation is the one place at the top table still reserved for an Italian side – in this instance, Treviso. After being given 16 years in the professional game to bed-in, and being well- funded in the process, it is time for Italian clubs to stand up and be counted. Being gifted a ring-fenced place should no longer be necessary, and it is time they earned the right on merit to be among the top 20 clubs in Europe.
For the record, Treviso finished the regular Pro12 season in 11th place with 19 points, while Italy’s other pro “super-club”,  Zebre, finished last. Cardiff Blues, who finished 10th, were 16 league points ahead of Treviso. It is time that the safety net was removed and the Italians took a leaf out of the Irish book and imported elite coaches, like Joe Schmidt, to raise standards.
Being drawn with a semi-competitive side like Treviso in Pool 4 is undoubtedly an advantage to Stade Francais, Leicester and Munster – especially when it comes to securing one of the best second placed slots in order to qualify for the quarter-finals. It is a leg-up which the combatants in the fiercely competitive Pool 5 have good reason to take umbrage at.
Whether the arrival at Welford Road of Aaron Mauger as coach, and a raft of sub-Test Southern Hemisphere imports, like Auckland Blues flanker Brendan O’Connor and Chiefs lock/back row Michael Fitzgerald, will be enough to lift the Tigers back to former glories is open to question.
What we do know is that Stade will give Leicester, and their two-cap Wallaby wing signing Peter Betham (ex- Waratahs), a run for their money. Munster – who made one of the best signings of the summer in the sparkling Kiwi centre Francis Saili – can also promise the recast Tigers the most thorough of examinations.
POOL 5 – THE BUTCHER’S BLOCK
Whoever of Toulon, Bath, Leinster and Wasps survive intact from the Pool 5 butcher’s block, they will be among the favourites to lift the title. Given the strength of Toulon’s renewed squad it would be unwise to predict that their blood will end up on the tiles. Instead, it looks like the English and the Irish slugging it out for a runners-up slot – and based on last season’s form, when Leinster saw off both Bath and Wasps, they have the pedigree to claim second place.
Leinster against Bath promises to be a battle royal given the closeness of last season’s quarter-final, as well as the prospect of Jonny Sexton and George Ford pitting their wits against each other. Wasps have made some interesting signings, including Jimmy Gopperth arriving from Leinster to replace Andy Goode at fly-half, and the veteran Wallaby openside George Smith bringing his experience to the back row.
However, Wasps lack of front five clout remains a concern. The arrival of heavyweight tight-head James Johnston from Saracens could solve the problem if he can improve his mobility, but a shortage of physical presence in the second row when Bradley Davies is on the sick-list is a worry.