In his third exclusive column for Planet Rugby, For The Love Of Rugby co-host Ben Youngs reveals what he admires about Henry Pollock and the Willis brothers, analyses the problems Saracens and Harlequins are experiencing and explains why coach Ronan O’Gara is still the real deal.
The Investec Champions Cup came in for some criticism after the opening two rounds, but people sometimes don’t look at the whole package. What they look at are a couple of blowout results and that determines what they say. But Glasgow Warriors versus Stade Toulousain, RC Toulon versus Bath Rugby and Leicester Tigers against Leinster Rugby were fantastic in the last round.
There was no end of great games and this weekend now almost feels like it’s the knockout rounds already. You are at Round Three and this is really pivotal.
In the first two rounds, you kind of see who is where and then when you get to Round Three, you start to work out right who is actually going to get out of their pool, who needs what and it almost feels like knockout the next two weeks before you even get to the Round of 16. It feels very much like showtime these next two weekends.
What I’d love to see from Pollock
Let’s start with Northampton Saints at Union Bordeaux Bègles, which is my fixture of the weekend. The carry-on after the final last year adds spice and everyone wants to see this match.
Northampton are in great form. So are Bordeaux. It’s two top teams on form and I hope Saints go fully loaded. I hope Henry Pollock is out there causing havoc, celebrating and being a wind-up merchant. I’d love to see that.
The Bordeaux carry-on in Cardiff was just one of those moments where maybe they look back a few days later and go, ‘We didn’t really need to do that’. But it happens, it’s done and, if anything, we wouldn’t be as excited about this game if it hadn’t happened.
Pollock strikes me as someone who is just into everything – I love the way he plays. It’s a real point of difference compared to some back-rowers in terms of his pace and ability to run through the line and then use footwork and speed.
He seems to be in the right place at the right time and on the back of what happened last year, he has gone, ‘Okay, that’s where we are at, people are trying to wind me up and I’ll just crack on with it’.
I don’t think he has put a foot wrong. He is still on the upward curve from eight months ago and strikes me as someone who will absolutely relish the opportunity to go there and perform, essentially letting Bordeaux have it really.
It is what you want. You want someone like that who is putting eyes on the game. I’m a big fan who really wants him to go there and properly give it to them, which would be awesome.
Looking back on a career, some of the fondest memories are wins away in France because they are so difficult. So what a great opportunity to go to somewhere like Bordeaux and win.
I’m going to for Saints to win it, to beat Bordeaux away, and it’s going to be a great game. The way they play and move the ball, they can do the business.
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Out of the ordinary – the Willis brothers
It’s definitely out of the ordinary, two brothers playing against each other at Champions Cup level. I never did that against Tom as we were both at Leicester, but I can imagine it is a really difficult thing to do because Jack and Tom Willis have a lot of care for each other.
If they get an opportunity to go head-to-head with each other with a run-up on Sunday in Saracens versus Toulouse, that will be quite interesting. Jack’s ability around the breakdown seems to be far beyond what other players are capable of; he is just that effective. It’s just incredible how he bends, the positions he gets into. He is just amazing. World-class.
He has gone to France and done such a good job. But equally, his improvement around the ability to offload, chase offloads, link play, all those bits he has got off the back of being at Toulouse because of the way that they play – the Jack Willis that left England, you look at him now and think, blimey, he really is close to being the full package.
Yes, Tom Willis can jackal but clearly his ability to leg drive, to stay on his feet, to push out of tackles and gain an extra metre is his point of difference. In many ways, it’s going to be a contrast in styles on Sunday, and I can’t wait to see them go at each other.
Tom is obviously now heading out to Bordeaux next season as well; I just think some English players are really suited to that French style and the physical demands of the Top 14. The Willis brothers are two great examples.
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Saracens not winning collisions they used to
For so many years, Saracens have been so consistent, just churning out results and winning and doing what they do. But there is not as much rhythm to their game at the moment; they are not winning collisions as we are so used to seeing.
Mark McCall criticised their attitude in last Sunday’s PREM Rugby loss at Leicester. Obviously, he saw things he didn’t like as someone who has been there a decade and a half now and has seen it all.
No matter what is going on, Saracens usually bring enthusiasm and a constant wave of energy for 80 minutes. Every stoppage on the pitch, they are pumping each other up and getting each other ready. McCall was probably right in terms of we didn’t see that for the first 20, 30 minutes at Tigers.
There was a moment when Nick Tompkins got pulled over his own line and no one came in and got around him. It sounds crazy, something so simple, but that wasn’t what Sarries are about.
Normally, everyone would be around Tompkins and pumping up how they can’t wait for the scrum and that challenge. I just didn’t see that energy and life about them. McCall saw this lack of bounce and encouragement for each other.
Saracens will welcome a change of scenery from the PREM coming into this and they are at home, but to think of Toulouse losing another pool game after the Glasgow defeat is unimaginable given the quality they have and what they recently did to La Rochelle in the Top 14. This will be an edgy affair, but Toulouse will just have too much.
World-class partnership – Henshaw with Ioane
I see that Robbie Henshaw is back fit for Leinster after his finger injury at Munster Rugby, so I am looking forward to seeing him and whether they partner him again with Rieko Ioane at 13. They were picked together at Leicester and at Munster, so I am interested to see them pair up again against Stade Rochelais.
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My Ronan O’Gara prediction
Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle are very vulnerable with injuries; they are not getting the results we are used to seeing and I don’t see them getting the job done at Leinster.
People are saying Leinster aren’t as consistent or performing as well as they should, but they are getting results and that is the beautiful thing – playing badly by their standards and still winning. They are in a good spot and will win on Saturday.
Leinster fans should be quietly happy. So often they have seen their team dominate in the pool stages, but you don’t need to be at your best yet. You need to be your best in the latter end of the tournament and maybe what is going on just now is a bit of a blessing.
They are not quite finding their form yet but it’s alright as they have got time to find that and be at their best come the knockouts. Previously, Leinster have almost peaked in the pools and got it wrong towards the latter end.
The abrasive and physical Will Skelton is back for La Rochelle, and he will want to use his strength and size. He is a talisman for the French club and there is no doubt that he improves them, but I’m not sure he has enough to get the job done against a quality Leinster outfit.
The adversity that La Rochelle boss O’Gara is going through is totally natural for any coach and the beauty is they are sticking with him. Having been at Racing 92 and Crusaders, he knows the game extremely well. You can tell that by the success he has had.
He is now going through a bit of a sticky patch, but that is totally natural and probably great for his evolution as a coach. No doubt about it, O’Gara will be coaching international rugby very, very shortly, I’m sure of that. He will be a high target for anyone looking for a coach to come in.
I don’t think what is happening now at La Rochelle is a bad thing; it’s just part of his evolution as a coach. He has had things to deal with, injuries, certain personnel not being available, everything like that.
But you can’t question O’Gara as a coach. He is a proven product, someone who is very, very good, and what La Rochelle are going through will actually just round him into being a better coach.
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The Munster grind
RC Toulon away is a tough old task and Munster need a win given the Bath result they had. It’s going to take a big Munster performance, and they need to turn into a real sort of grind.
I watched their United Rugby Championship game against Leinster a couple of weeks ago and they had their opportunities. Munster, on their day, have got a chance but Toulon, given the fact they sent a bit of a mixed team to La Rochelle and were hammered in the Top 14, I feel like Europe is the one for them. They will be going for this game, and I am not sure Munster have enough firepower.
Harlequins release 114-word statement after heavy loss at Northampton Saints
That Harlequins club statement
I have never seen a statement come out like that from a club halfway through a season about performances and results not being acceptable, but Harlequins have been on the wrong side of some bad results recently.
However, they played two in-form teams in Bristol Bears and Northampton, so that hasn’t helped. The big thing for Quins is they need to get back to what we expect from them.
They have never had the best defence, let’s say. It’s almost been the mindset that if you score four tries, we’ll score five. You score six, we’ll score seven. That’s their mindset but we are not seeing the tries now.
There is no doubt, though, they will be doing everything they can to turn this around and you will see a real emotional performance against DHL Stormers this weekend.
They have been written off, have a lot of questions to answer, will have steam coming out of their ears and will really fly into the Stormers in the hope of getting their game plan out there because we just haven’t seen it.
With the disruption of Danny Wilson going just before the season started and what has happened since, the Champions Cup will be a welcome change for them from the PREM.
They have actually gone well in this tournament, getting a try bonus point at Leinster and comfortably beating Aviron Bayonnais, so they are in a really good position and will look at this as an opportunity to beat the Stormers.
The URC leaders might send a mixed squad for this one and go fully loaded for Leicester next weekend, so Quins have got to see this as their to get into the last 16.
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Running the Bulls
I’m particularly excited about Bristol visiting the Vodacom Bulls. A dry track is expected and while the match is obviously at altitude in Pretoria, the Bears will zing it about. With Bordeaux to play in Round Four, Bristol have to target this one as I don’t see them beating Bordeaux at home.
They have got to try and run the Bulls around and play that attacking style that we are so used to seeing. I might end up eating my words here, but the thing with Bristol that you can guarantee is that they will always pick up a losing bonus point because of the way they play, creating tries and scoring loads of points.
My understanding is that they have gone out to South Africa as a team trip for the week, so everyone has travelled and I suspect they will go in pretty loaded.
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