Ice cold: ROG - Burning up: Clermont
It is time for our weekly wrap up of who has their name in lights at the moment...and who is making the headlines for the wrong reasons.
They're on fire!
Clermont, Ulster and Harlequins: Already qualified for the Heineken Cup quarter-finals, unbeaten Clermont must now be considered the outstanding favourites to claim their first European title. Of course, there is still plenty of rugby to be played and fellow early-qualifiers Ulster and Quins are looking pretty sharp too.
Saracens: When any team is outscored three tries to one, yet still wins, you must lay part of the blame on the losers for coughing up so many penalties. But Sarries deserve a lot of credit for forcing Racing into those mistakes and young Owen Farrell gets a tip of the hat for slotting all 11 of his shots at goal.
Eli Walker: Another wing sensation emerges from Wales! 20-year-old Walker was in blistering form for Ospreys last week and looks set to make a splash on the international scene during the Six Nations after getting called up to Rob Howley's squad.
Wesley Fofana's try against Exeter: Do we have our Try of Year already? Fofana provided the finishing touch but it was a wonderful team effort from Clermont. If you missed it, check out the best tries of the Heineken Cup weekend here.
Toulon's Springbok old boys club: Bakkies, Habana, Rossouw... and if RCT skipper Joe van Niekerk's Twitter feed is be believed, a certain World-Cup winning former Bok skipper will soon join the mix on the French south coast.
Coaching in Ireland...if you're a Kiwi: The appointment of Auckland-born Pat Lam at the helm of Connacht means that the head coaches at all four Irish provinces hail from the Land of the Long White Cloud. It seems that the front row isn't the only area where southern hemisphere imports are popular in Ireland.
Perpignan and Worcester: The Catalans have scored 36 tries in five Amlin Challenge Cup games this season while Warriors have touched down 40 times! It's a pity they can't both qualify for the quarter-finals from Pool 2. Level on points, the French side are set to progress by virtue of a superior try count of 3-1 from the head-to-head matches between the clubs.
Brrrrr....it's cold in here!
Suspect Saracens recruiting: A team whose activities within the salary cap have always raised a few eyebrows, Saracens' confirmation of the arrival of Harlequins prop James Johnston and England number eight Billy Vunipola for next season created plenty of reaction on Monday, with not all of it positive. The departure of John Smit and Carlos Nieto has no doubt freed up valuable cap room but the disappointment shown from Wasps and Harlequins has once again opened up the question - just how do Saracens have all of those players in their squad for only £4.5m? Sarries aren't making any friends with the way they're going about business either. Part of the blame must obviously lie with the players involved but we can sympathise with Wasps, who were a bit peeved to only officially be informed that Vunipola was leaving the afternoon before the news went public.
Ronan O'Gara: We'll be massively surprised if the Munster fly-half escapes without a hefty suspension for his cowardly kick on Edinburgh lock Sean Cox, even if he was provoked. ROG, only girls and soccer hooligans kick people in the shins. If you're going to take your frustration out on someone, at least look him in the eye before you give him a knuckle sandwich.
Scottish Heineken Cup sides: The numbers tell a sorry tale. Zero wins and only six tries...from ten games.
Welsh Heineken Cup sides: Two wins - both for the Ospreys - from fifteen games. The paradox is, one of those victories came against mighty Toulouse.
Juan Martín Hernández: El Mago was in vintage form in the first half of Racing's loss to Saracens, before things turned sour. Loose passes, poor decision-making and a horrendous missed kick to touch with time running out in the second half saw the critics round on the Argentinian fly-half. His future in the 10 shirt with Olly Barkley waiting in the wings remains to be seen.
Sale Sharks: There is no worse time to be playing in the Heineken Cup than when you're bottom of the league - just ask Sale. Friday's home defeat to Montpellier was just the latest demoralising chapter in a tough season for Premiership strugglers, who will now be without Scotland duo Richie Gray and Richie Vernon during the Six Nations.
By Ross Hastie and Ben Coles
@RossisHastie and @bencoles_
Comments
pantreac says...
Obviously '99call' didn't see last weeks match where Jackson had a shocker trying to kick the ball out of hand, He is a very good player and if he was to concentrate on this major fault in his game he could be a 'complete player.' As it is I would play Marshal at scrum half with Piennar as out half.
Posted 13:16 17th January 2013
dolphinster says...
Easy to see why Scottish rugby is where its at when 6'5" Cox gets kicked up the jacksy by that Man mountain ROG........what would Paulie have done......laughed
Posted 00:09 17th January 2013
DBRowan says...
5Lock4Ward - Samu Manoa was selected for the USA WC squad but chose not accept the call up. He said he would rather play for Saints than for USA (understandable to be honest).
Posted 23:43 16th January 2013
5Lock4ward says...
Why don't Sale just pull a Northampton by refusing to let Gray and Denton play in the internationals the way Saints do to Samu Manoa?
Posted 20:03 16th January 2013
froggy73 says...
@ GCP_jones: Agree for Edinburgh and the structure of the Welsh clubs.
As for the French, they seems to keep their feet down to earth and don't seem to spend more than they have. Yes they have a lot, but their is a massive interest for rugby now in France and it's seems to generate good incomes.
And frankly, watching Bakkies Botha, Giteau, Habana and co in the Top14 doesn't make me unhappy as long as the national team doesn't suffer from it. But with 14 clubs there is space for everyone, the French players training alongside or playing against the world legends strenghten the national team imao.
Posted 19:46 16th January 2013
THESKUTCH says...
Again. Why is Luke Fitzgerald not mentioned here??? After a long absence from the game he's returned to start a Heineken Cup game, scoring a try and putting in a MOM performance
Posted 19:00 16th January 2013
stag says...
was delighted for cox. rog has been takin cheap shots all his career by overgrown thugs like cox. if cox is gonna dish it out like that (his shoulder charge on a prone ROG was equally cowardly) then he has to expect to take it in return
Posted 16:23 16th January 2013
GCP_jones says...
@ Froggy 73...
The lack of people through the gates is an issue but not he main one.Insisting in playing the likes of Edinburgh in Murrayfield is quite frankly a joke, they would be fair better supported if they moved the team around to various grounds throughout the season IMO.
If you listen to, or read Welsh fans opinions, they have real difficulty in buying into the way their professional clubs are structured.
Still does'nt take away from the fact that we should be applauding these emerging super clubs, soccer is the last "sport" on the planet that we should be looking to as a way of running the professional side of rugby union.
Posted 16:14 16th January 2013
froggy73 says...
@GCP_Jones: at least the stadium of Toulon is full for every single Hcup game. When I see the 3/4 empty stadium in Edimburgh or at the Ospreys, no wonder why the Scottish and Welsh clubs are short of money.
Posted 15:23 16th January 2013
curates_egg says...
For your 'hot' section, you can add Ireland and Lions wing Fitzgerald, who returned from injury to the Heineken Cup with an excellent man of the match performance - and a far better all round performance than Walker, who looks promising but far from the finished article.
Posted 15:16 16th January 2013
curates_egg says...
Would you be massively surprised if ROG "escapes without a hefty suspension"? I wouldn't. Lower end of scale for the law and given his record, he will probably get off with less than the 4 weeks. Stupid, petulant stuff but - unfortunately for Munster and Ireland - he will probably be back in a couple of weeks.
Posted 15:15 16th January 2013
GCP_jones says...
Surely a standard fixture in the weekly NOT HOT section has the to be all things Toulon and their like....
How can Planet Rugby think its a good thing that the on-going desire of the Boudjellal to buy every player on the planet be a good thing for our game.
Which leads me to the Scottish and Welsh clubs not being competative,if the likes of Toulon are allowed to continue to spend from their bottomless wallets on their players how do you think the Scotish and Welsh are gonna perform.
Posted 14:13 16th January 2013
99call says...
stupid act from ROG no need for it but it could be a blessing in disguise for Ireland as we'll have to look elsewhere for a back up 10 which can only mean one man, it will be geat to see Paddy Jackson pushing Sexton from within the squad as he is the future as much as Sexton is the present
Posted 13:46 16th January 2013
PatrickH says...
Ahh ROG. I have to say, the girly trip made me laugh.
Posted 13:31 16th January 2013