Stade End Ulster Championship Hope

Ulster are out of the Champions Cup despite Saturday’s hammering of Oyonnax after Leicester Tigers were beaten 36-21 away at Stade Francais.

Leicester had already secured top spot in Pool 4 after winning their opening five matches but were unable to make it six from six as Stade Francais claimed a bonus-point triumph in Paris which sealed the French side’s quarter-final berth as well.

England centre Tuilagi, in his third game since returning from his lengthy lay-off with a groin injury, lasted 50 minutes before being replaced as he continued his comeback and never looked out of place.

And it was the 24-year-old who opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a 35-metre dash to the posts for a try that was converted by Freddie Burns.

However, Stade Francais’ response was emphatic with the French champions running in three tries in the space of 10 minutes through Jules Plisson, Waisea Vuidarvuwalu and Rabah Slimani to establish a 19-7 lead at half-time.

The home side’s bonus point try, from their rampaging flanker Raphael Lakafia, came in the 53rd minute shortly after Leicester had lost their skipper and hooker Tom Youngs to the sin-bin for a midfield fracas with Slimani.

That try more or less ensured Stade — who had scored 26 unanswered points at that stage — would go into the quarter-final draw and meant Ulster were pushed out, resulting in no Irish province being in the last eight in the top tier of European rugby for the first time since 1998.

Leicester had no such concerns, as they were already assured of a home quarter-final before kick-off.

And the Tigers were good value for the lead given to them by Tuilagi’s score having totally dominated the opening 20 minutes.

But then the momentum shifted as Stade tightened their discipline as well as getting their off-loading game going.

Plisson, who finished the match with 16 points, got the home side on the scoreboard following good work by Jonathan Danty, and the fly-half converted his own try to make it 7-7.

Vuidarvuwalu then went over in the left corner on the overlap before prop Slimani powered over for another score soon after, Plisson adding the extras on that occasion having missed his previous conversion attempt to put Stade 12 points clear.

Plisson also converted the Lakafia score that brought up the crucial bonus point, but the Tigers then regrouped and hit back.

Dom Barrow used all of his 6ft 7in frame to touch down at full stretch for a try at the posts and there could have been another had the TMO not called up Sam Harrison’s inside pass as forward.

There was a third Leicester try from replacement hooker Harry Thacker to close the gap to eight points heading into the final four minutes, but an interception score from replacement centre Geoffrey Doumayrou gave the French side a final flourish as they progressed to the last eight as one of the best runners-up.

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Saracens Secure Bonus Against Ulster

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Saracens secured a home quarter-final in the Champions Cup with a round of matches still to go following another hugely impressive performance with a thoroughly deserved bonus-point victory at Allianz Park.

Ulster threatened briefly to cause an upset, enjoying an excellent 20-minute spell in the first half, but a failure to take chances, a massively debilitating penalty count, an at-times misfiring set piece proved too big a millstone.

Jared Payne made an eye catching return after almost three months out injured, demonstrating his superb footballing qualities. Stuart McCloskey was good at times but the majority of the stand-out players belonged to the home side with Owen Farrell despite an off-day with his boot (five from nine place-kicks) controlling the game intelligently.

The Saracens pack, all contributing handsomely, dominated their opponents in the tight and once they sorted out the breakdown in most facets of the game. The bench gave them even more momentum.

Ulster didn’t get the losing bonus point they craved but if they can get one next week at home to Oyonnax, then the knock-out stages are still on.

Saracens made a late change to their starting line-up, losing captain and England centre Brad Barritt to injury with hooker Jamie George leading the side in his teammate’s absence. Nick Tompkins came into the replacements.

Ulster will have been disappointed at the interval following such a brilliant start, the old adage about taking opportunities particularly apposite, as Paddy Jackson shoved a 23-metre penalty wide of the far upright and then from a five metre lineout, an underthrow from captain Rory Best gave Robbie Diack little chance of securing possession.

In fairness to the flanker he had a justifiable complaint that Michael Rhodes grabbed one of his arms while he was in the air and the visitors could reasonably have been awarded a penalty. In not taking those chances, they allowed Saracens to muster a second wind, and they finished the half very strongly when number eight Billy Vunipola was driven over from a close-in lineout maul.

The Irish province will also rue fragility in the set piece, three turnovers at the lineout and a couple of scrum penalties, the second of which saw Wiehahn Herbst, the transgressor, helped from the field with a leg injury.

Owen Farrell drove Ulster back deep into the visitors’ 22, replacement Ricky Lutton was penalised for collapsing the first maul but after going to the corner again the home side survived Ulster’s initial shunt in the maul, to regroup and force their way over. Farrell’s touchline conversion have Saracens a 13-7 halftime lead.

The England outhalf won’t have been happy with only kicking three out of five from the tee during those opening 40-minutes, missing two penalty chances. He did kick an early penalty before Ulster responded with a gorgeous try.

Jackson identified a six-on three overlap out wide, the excellent Stuart McCloskey made a 35-metre break and although Ulster were thwarted in the opposite corner, they moved the ball wide again and the returning Jared Payne, produced a beautifully weighted grubber-kick that Luke Marshall ran onto to touch down. Jackson’s conversion from the touchline was exquisitely struck.

Farrell missed a couple of penalties and although Saracens dominated territorially, Ulster snaffled three turnovers at the breakdown, to relieve the pressure at various stages of the half. Best’s decision to go to the corner from a 12-metre penalty was underlined by the throw, and ultimately a turnover. Jackson missed a penalty and then the momentum shifted again.

Farrell’s penalty and Billy Vunipola’s try ensured that the home side’s dressing room was the happier. Ulster coach Les Kiss will have impressed upon his charges the need for improved discipline, sharper line speed and the need to be more accurate in the set piece.

McCloskey was getting Ulster over the gain-line and Craig Gilroy and Payne, offered glimpses that they were capable of causing Saracens problems. The visitors refused to be cowed by their set piece issues prior to the interval, with Jackson nudging a penalty into the corner four minutes after the re-start. On foot of a penalty advantage, the Ulster outhalf went for a cross-kick, but when play was called back bisected the posts from the tee.

At 13-10 Ulster were back in the contest but again their discipline let them down, Lutton penalised at a ruck; Farrell made no mistake from long range, facilitated by an upright. The visitors conceded another penalty soon after the re-start that gave Saracens field position once again and after battering away for 90 seconds on the threshold of the Ulster 22, Farrell made a decisive intervention.

The England outhalf dummied a pass, glided outside Robbie Diack, and concluded his angled run with a try scoring pass for Duncan Taylor; the only disappointment that he couldn’t tag on the conversion. Saracens had made a definitive break on the scoreboard at 21-10.

The English club confirmed at much on 58-minutes when secondrow Maro Itoje, one of eight Saracens players called into the England squad, squeezed over from a metre, after the home side had splintered Ulster’s resistance, driving a lineout maul 25-metres.

Farrell missed the conversion but Ulster’s day got appreciably worse when first Gilroy received a yellow card - accumulation of penalties conceded - and then replacement hooker Schalk Britz profited from his foot-speed and brittle defence to score his side’s bonus point, fourth try. As both sides emptied the bench, the only matter to be settled was the final margin on the scoreboard.

Replacement Ian Humphreys showed decent stamina to intercept a pass and run 70-metres to score under the posts, converting his lung bursting sally but unfortunately it was mere window dressing.

Scoring sequence

2 mins: Farrell penalty, 3-0; 4: Marshall try, Jackson conversion, 3-7; 19: Farrell penalty, 6-7; 36: B Vunipola try, Farrell conversion, 13-7. Halftime: 13-7. 44: Jackson penalty, 13-10; 48: Farrell penalty, 16-10; 52: Taylor try, 21-10; 58: Itoje try, 26-10; 62: Britz try, Farrell conversion, 33-10; 70: Humphreys try, Humphreys conversion, 33-17;

Saracens: 

B Ransom; C Ashton, M Bosch, D Taylor, C Wyles; O Farrell, R Wigglesworth; M Vunipolo, J George (capt), P Du Plessis; M Itoje, G Kruis; M Rhodes, W Frazer, B Vunipola.

Replacements: S Brits for George 55 mins; J Figallo for Du Plessis 55 mins; N de Kock for Wigglesworth 63 mins; J Wray for Fraser 63 mins; N Tompkins for Bosch 71 mins.

Ulster:

J Payne; A Trimble, L Marshall, S McCloskey, C Gilroy; P Jackson, R Pienaar; K McCall, R Best (capt), W Herbst; A O’Connor, F van der Merwe; R Diack, S Reidy, R Wilson.

Replacements: R Lutton for Herbst 35 mins; R Herring for Best 61 mins; I Humphreys for Jackson 61 mins; C Ross for van der Merwe 66 mins; R Scholes for Marshall 71 mins; L stevenson for O’Connor 75 mins; C Black for McCall 75 mins; P Marshall for Pienaar 75 mins.

Referee: J Garces (Fra)

Yellow card: C Gilroy (Ulster) 61 minutes

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Australia v New Zealand - Preview

New Zealand have had their opponents' number in recent times, with Australia winning just one of the last 12 meetings, but Michael Cheika's side has built a wealth of momentum ahead of the showpiece finale.

Australia came out of the pool of death unscathed, while the All Blacks saw off France and South Africa in the knockout stages to earn a place in the final. It's the best team in the world against the second best team, and we look at five key points that are pivotal in the clash.

The obvious one, and the one that has drawn the most debate in world rugby. In Richie McCaw the All Blacks likely have the best openside flanker to ever play the game, but in Michael Hooper and David Pocock Australia have two of the best breakdown operators in the world today.

Cheika has employed them as a double act in the World Cup, opting to move Pocock to No 8 rather than splitting up his two favoured sons.

What formed was a ferocious pairing that plundered the breakdown throughout the pool stages and beyond, and it's a combination that All Black legend Jonah Lomu feels could be the deciding factor on Saturday.

"The difference at the moment is that New Zealand only have Richie McCaw in their back row, while Australia have Hooper and Pocock working together," said Lomu. "That gives them a different dimension at the breakdown.

"Their speed into the breakdown will give the All Blacks a real headache. It will be interesting to see how they deal with that.

"Australia playing two opensides in Pocock and Hooper is a real threat to the All Blacks."

The main focus in the lead up to the week has been around the fetchers, but former Toulon star and retired All Black Ali Williams feels the real battle is between Jerome Kaino and Scott Fardy.

"That's going to be the good one," said Williams. "It's contact vs contact.

"Both guys are hard-nosed, and they're the ones that apply that physical edge for their team. So that's going to be a great battle."

The two blindside flankers have been the unsung heroes of their sides' respective campaigns, performing the unglamorous tasks that have allowed the backs to grab the headlines.

Kaino leads New Zealand for tackles made in the tournament with 48, while Fardy is second behind Kane Douglas in the Australian side, and sixth in the overall standings.

The pair will be tasked with building the platform at the ruck, seeing off defenders while McCaw and Pocock try to slow the ball down or steal it from the opposition.

Pocock, McCaw and Hooper may be the first names on every casual fan's lips this weekend, but Fardy up against Kaino is a showdown for the purists of the game.

Rumours circulated that Michael Cheika has refused to refer to the New Zealand team as the All Blacks in order to strip Hansen's men of the aura associated with their nickname.

It's a ploy that backfired for Clive Woodward, who reportedly didn't want to add to the myth of his 2005 Lions' opponents while in New Zealand. Woodward only succeeded in angering the hosts, who took their frustration out on the Lions in a 3-0 series win.

Reports of Cheika's desire to follow the same path originated from the New Zealand press, who claim that a social media post from the ARU used the term All Blacks before disappearing and reappearing with New Zealand instead of the All Blacks used in the wording.

However the rumours were laughed off by Cheika this week, who claimed that he never refers to teams by their nicknames.

"People have had a bit of a crack at me, thinking that I don't say that for a certain reason," said Cheika.

"But it's pretty funny because, if you notice, I never call Australia the Wallabies either. I'm really a bit old-fashioned in that way.

"It's a battle between nations on this stage. There's no secret squirrel."

Three months ago neither Dan Carter nor Bernard Foley was assured of a starting place in their respective sides. Quade Cooper was picked to start for the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship and Dan Carter was seemingly unable to find his normally lofty form following a return from injury.

But both brushed aside any loss of confidence as Foley single-handedly dismantled England at Twickenham to send them crashing out the World Cup, and Carter guided his side into the semi-final with a masterclass against France in Cardiff.

The two now face off for only the second time on the international stage, with Foley coming out on top in their previous meeting as Australia ran out 27-19 winners in Sydney earlier in the year.

The pair are in the top five for points scored overall by individuals in the tournament, with Foley's 75-point total earning him fourth place and Carter's 63-point haul getting him one place behind.

Carter and Foley are thoroughbred fly-halves, capable of kicking goals while also happy to run the ball at the opposition, and both are central to the hopes of their teams - but who will reign supreme at Twickenham?

This week it was announced that Steve Hansen and Michael Cheika have been shortlisted for the World Rugby Coach of the Year award along with Daniel Hourcade of Argentina and Eddie Jones of Japan.

Hansen has enjoyed a superb tenure in charge of the All Blacks, losing only three Tests since his appointment on the back of the 2011 World Cup. Cheika came into the Wallaby fold on the back of a blot on the record books of Australian rugby after Ewen McKenzie stood down amid scandal and speculation while players ran amok.

One of the key ingredients to Hansen's success is the fact that his All Blacks are centrally contracted, which gives him influential say on the welfare of his players even when they are turning out for their clubs rather than the national side.

Cheika on the other hand convinced the ARU to relax a law that dictated overseas-based players could not be selected. Under the new regulation - dubbed Giteau's Law - he could call upon Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell from France, both of whom have proven invaluable to the Wallaby cause in the tournament.

Hansen and Cheika represent what is possible when a coach is given full backing by those in charge of hiring him.

With Stuart Lancaster unable to select overseas-based players, the rich benefit of a coach being able to pick the best players available to him will be on full display at Twickenham at 4pm as two of world rugby's great thinkers collide.

New Zealand: 15 Ben Smith; 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Conrad Smith; 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Julian Savea; 10 Dan Carter, 9 Aaron Smith; 1 Joe Moody, 2 Dane Coles, 3 Owen Franks; 4 Brodie Retallick, 5 Sam Whitelock; 6 Jerome Kaino, 7 Richie McCaw (c), 8 Kieran Read.

Replacements: 16 Keven Mealamu, 17 Ben Franks, 18 Charlie Faumuina, 19 Victor Vito, 20 Sam Cane, 21 Tawera Kerr-Barlow, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Sonny Bill Williams.

Australia: 15 Israel Folau, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Will Genia; 1 Scott Sio, 2 Stephen Moore (c), 3 Sekope Kepu, 4 Kane Douglas, 5 Rob Simmons, 6 Scott Fardy, 7 Michael Hooper, 8 David Pocock.

Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 James Slipper, 18 Greg Holmes, 19 Dean Mumm, 20 Ben McCalman, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Kurtley Beale.

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