TRU's European Champions Cup XV - Round 1

The inaugural European Rugby Champions Cup kicked off this weekend in fantastic fashion, making all the drama and controversy around the competition last year worthwhile. We ran the rule over all the games and came up with our ERCC team of Round 1. 

1. Nicky Smith, Ospreys

The young loosehead has made a storming start to the Pro 12 season and carried that form into the opening ERCC weekend with aplomb. Smith had opposition tighthead Rupert Harden in all sorts of trouble on Sunday afternoon, as well as being part of a defensive effort that completely shut Treviso out whilst he was on the pitch. 

2. Duncan Casey, Munster

Although Munster’s scrum was found wanting by Sale on Saturday, their lineout functioned very well and much of that rests on the young shoulders of Casey. He was on target with 100% of his lineouts and put himself about on defence, making 13 tackles, four more than any other Munster player. He was aided by the proficiency of Peter O’Mahony at the lineout, but all in all, it was a very tidy performance from the hooker. 

3. Luc Ducalcon, Racing Métro 92

The Racing tighthead was in fine fettle against Northampton on Saturday, disrupting their usually reliable scrum and giving loosehead Alex Waller a lesson in scrummaging that the Englishman will not soon forget. Ducalcon was fairly anonymous in the loose, but such was his contribution at the set-piece, that that missing facet of his game was easy to overlook.

4. Graham Kitchener, Leicester Tigers

If you can rattle Rory Best early on in a game, chances are your side will be able to sneak an advantage at the set-piece, and that is exactly what Kitchener did. The stats will tell you that Kitchener was only able to steal one lineout Saturday evening, but the reality is he was able to cause so much disruption that fellow teammates were able to secure possession, or at least kill any hopes Ulster had of quick ball off the top. His contribution in the loose was also telling, proving dangerous with ball in hand and crossing the try line for what turned out to be pivotal score.

5. George Kruis, Saracens

The versatile lock may not have marauded through the Clermont lines, but he was a brick wall defensively, chopping down the French side’s big ball carriers at source, as well as ruling the skies at lineout time. His soaring display at the lineout allowed Saracens to dominate that facet of the game and build a strong platform from which to launch their forays towards the Clermont try line.  

6. Luke Wallace, Harlequins

Competition was amongst the most fierce for the blindside flanker spot, with Ibrahim Diarra, Jamie Gibson and Magnus Lund all making compelling cases, but an efficient performance from Wallace stole the show. Wallace’s work at the breakdown, securing quick ball for his side and slowing down Castres’, was extremely impressive. His work rate was also admirable, as he always seemed to be on hand as a support runner or willing carrier, and you could be forgiven for thinking there were two Wallaces on the pitch Friday night.

7. John Barclay, Scarlets

Arguably the best player on the pitch at Stade Mayol, Barclay battled well with the ‘Galacticos’ of Toulon at the breakdown and often came out on top. His try early in the game also infused the Scarlets with belief, and though they ultimately lost the game, it was not for the valiant efforts of Barclay and his back row colleague, Aaron Shingler, in defence. 

8. CJ Stander, Munster

One of Stander’s best performances since joining Munster in 2012, the big South African was in bruising form against Sale. Whenever the back rower was given a few metres to build momentum, he was able to swat aside Sale defenders with ease. With O’Mahony taking care of the dirty work at the breakdown, Stander was able to play with freedom, helping carry Munster to a memorable victory. 

9. Ben Youngs, Leicester Tigers

Leicester’s captain had his struggles with form over the course of last season, but looked close to his best against Ulster, keeping them honest defensively with his balance of sniping runs and pinpoint distribution. The scrum-half was pivotal in setting up all three of Leicester’s tries at Welford Road and it’s not hyperbole to say without him they probably wouldn’t have beaten the men from Belfast.

10. Camille Lopez, Clermont Auvergne

Charlie Hodgson was superb for Saracens, but it was his opposite number, Lopez, who won the battle of the 10s. The Frenchman was almost always playing on the back foot given the ferocity of Saracens’ defensive pressure and their set-piece dominance, but was still able to get his back line firing and was arguably the only reason Clermont were still in contention in the dying minutes. His decision-making was flawless, whilst his kicking from hand was also highly effective, two factors which may have piqued the interest of Philippe Saint-André.

11. David Strettle, Saracens

The veteran winger put on a masterclass in finishing at Allianz Park. Strettle crossed the try line twice against Clermont, both in the corner and both illustrated his textbook positioning, body control and awareness. Strettle could not have done much more to put himself back in England contention, but it seems likely now that any chances he had of adding to his 14 caps are a thing of the past for the 31-year old.

12. Wynand Olivier, Montpellier

It takes quite a performance to outshine Rene Ranger, but that’s just what Olivier did in Montpellier’s loss to Toulouse on Sunday. The South African was a danger with ball in hand and took his early second half try well, bringing Montpellier to within striking distance of Toulouse at Stade Ernest Wallon. Unfortunately for the visitors, they could not stay with Toulouse, but the loss takes none of the gloss off of an impressive performance from the centre. 

13. Mark Bennett, Glasgow Warriors

Bennett was run close by Sale’s Johnny Leota, but given how poorly the Munster midfield defended against the Samoan, Bennett’s accomplishments against Bath seem all the more impressive. The outside centre finished with two tries to his name, whilst the havoc he caused the Bath defence helped open up space for at least one of Glasgow’s three further tries. 

14. Noa Nakaitaci, Clermont Auvergne

It was almost a coin flip with Tommy Seymour for this spot, but the Fijian-born French winger was in sparkling form in a losing effort against Saracens. In a game where the three other starting wingers all bagged braces, it might seem surprising to go with Nakaitaci, but the damage he caused Saracens’ defence was significant, whilst his offloading not only kept alive Clermont forays into Saracens’ territory, but also brought them within metres of scoring on more than one occasion.   

15. Nick Abendanon, Clermont Auvergne

Time seems to pass more slowly for Abendanon on a rugby pitch, where he dazzles with his elusive running and ability to spot a gap in a split-second. The former Bath full-back exploited Saracens’ aggressive defence well, joining the attacking line seemingly as soon as the slightest dogleg showed in the North Londoner’s defensive line. Abendanon beat nine defenders at Allianz Park and would have had an even bigger impact had it not been for relatively lacklustre performances from the midfield pairing of Wesley Fofana and Aurélien Rougerie.