Champions Cup and Challenge Cup Sunday round-up
DUBLIN, IRELAND - MAY 20: Ross Byrne of Leinster reacts towards the crowd during the Heineken Champions Cup Final match between Leinster Rugby and Stade Rochelais at Aviva Stadium on May 20, 2023 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Sunday saw a fourth meeting in as many seasons of La Rochelle and Leinster in the Champions Cup, with their last two clashes both having been in the final and going the way of the French club.
Their tussle was one of four Champions Cup and two Challenge Cup games on Sunday that saw five Top 14, four Premiership and three United Rugby Championship clubs involved hoping to get off to a winning start.
So what happened on Sunday in the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup?
Champions Cup
Leinster finally ended their hoodoo against La Rochelle with a 16-9 victory, halting a run of three straight defeats coming in the aforementioned 2022 and 2023 finals, as well as a semi-final in 2021.
Having led in all three of those games, Leinster would not have felt comfortable until the final whistle despite going ahead early through Jordan Larmour. They needed Ciaran Frawley’s boot to maintain a lead that never got above four until the clock went red, before the replacement fly-half knocked over a third penalty from 60 metres to seal a famous triumph; it also got Dubliners some portion of revenge for their recent final defeats.
Earlier on Sale Sharks bounced back brilliantly from their disappointing defeat at the hands of Harlequins last Friday, as the Premiership leaders scored 22 unanswered points to beat Stade Francais 28-5 and open their campaign with a comprehensive victory for the second straight year.
Two George Ford penalties had given the Salford side a slender 6-5 lead at half-time, but despite missing chances in the first half they never looked back in a second half that saw Tom O’Flaherty, Jonny Hill and Sam Dugdale go over, though they did narrowly miss out on the four-try bonus point.
It was a bonus point score that was needed for Harlequins to get their win, also against Parisian opposition, as they shocked Top 14 leaders Racing 92 in the French capital to make a statement of intent in a tournament where they have limited pedigree.
That try from Jack Walker came after Andre Esterhuizen, Alex Dombrandt and Marcus Smith – named Man of the Match for the second consecutive game – had all scored in a thrilling attacking performance, with the in-form fly-half also knocking over a 45-metre drop goal late in the first period.
Before that, Leicester notched yet another win for a Premiership side as they too were inspired by a fine display from their number ten. Handre Pollard scored twenty points that included a try as Tigers won 35-26 against the Stormers, setting up Josh Bassett with a brilliant pass late on to get his side’s fourth score and send them top of Pool 4.
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup’s opening Sunday saw the Premiership and Top 14’s basement boys face off, as Montpellier – without a win since August – travelled to Newcastle, who hadn’t won all season so far in their domestic league.
And unfortunately for the Falcons, they still haven’t won this season as they were beaten 24-19 at Kingston Park by the Provençale club despite making a brilliant recovery from a dismal first 45 minutes.
Ineffectual attack and soft defence allowed the 2016 and 2021 champions to burst into a 17-0 lead, and though Newcastle hit back with quickfire tries from Callum Chick and Iwan Stephens, they once again missed tackles to allow Sam Simmonds to start, and finish, a brilliant breakaway try.
Jamie Blamire went over from a 15-man maul to get Newcastle a losing bonus point, but it wasn’t enough for the Falcons to suffer a ninth defeat in a row in all competitions, now without a win since beating Caldy in the Premiership Cup in October.
The other game on Sunday saw Montpellier’s neighbours in the Top 14 relegation places, Perpignan, go up against the URC’s Lions with the Johannesburg-based club running out 28-12 winners away from home. Jordan Hendrikse kicked an impressive 23 points to seal the victory in a scrappy encounter ahead of the Lions hosting Newcastle at Ellis Park next weekend.
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