Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'Farcical': Eliminated Harlequins hit out at Champions Cup format

(Photo by Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Harlequins senior coach Tabai Matson has branded the new home-and-away round-of-16 format in the Heineken Champions Cup as farcical three days after the reigning Gallagher Premiership champions were dramatically knocked out of Europe on an aggregate difference of one point. Matson’s side were one of three higher-ranked teams eliminated by sides with lower seeds, Bristol and Ulster also losing out to Sale and Toulouse respectively.  

ADVERTISEMENT

The former All Blacks and Fijian international had no issue that Montpellier squeezed out Harlequins 60-59 over the two legs, admitting the French were the better team overall. His issue was that the tournament structure adopted by EPCR effectively gave a struggling team like Montpellier a second chance to succeed in Europe, something now denied to the English champions in their time of need. 

Harlequins won all four of their pool matches over the winter, defeating Castres and Cardiff twice to finish with 19 points in second place in Pool B compared to Montpellier, who finished in seventh place in Pool A where they were hammered 42-6 at Exeter and 89-7 at Leinster but still progressed as they were awarded a 28-0 committee room win over the Irish province for a controversially-enforced cancellation while they also beat the Chiefs at home to progress.

Video Spacer

What the All Blacks squad could look like halfway through Super Rugby Pacific | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

Video Spacer

What the All Blacks squad could look like halfway through Super Rugby Pacific | Aotearoa Rugby Pod

That contrasting pool stage track record annoyed Matson as he felt Harlequins weren’t adequately rewarded for their form in the group section as Montpellier were also given a home game in the round-of-16 section. “It’s pretty tough,” he explained at his weekly media session on Tuesday when asked to revisit last Saturday’s anguished European exit at the hands of the French at The Stoop. 

“On reflection, we finished second in our pool and they finished seventh in their pool and they basically get a free crack. I am not sure in the final 16 there was any advantage for us to finish (as high as we did). Ultimately we won five games, they won two but it’s not sour grapes. They were better than us over the last two games, so they deserved to go through. I have got no qualms about that but it does make the first part of pool play farcical if they can get two cracks at it and you don’t really get an advantage from finishing on top of the table.”

Related

Asked if he thought EPCR, the tournament organisers, were aware of this frustration regarding the format, the Harlequins leader added: “They know that. When you feed back that information now it’s quite a gripe. ‘Ah, the guys that got knocked out are griping about the format of the competition’. I think the format was a response to what has been happening around covid. I completely understand that. When you stand back and reflect, you know a team that comes first in the league plays the team that comes eighth and there is really no advantage other than that you get to play at home in the second leg. That’s not really an advantage.”

If so, does Matson expect the round-of-16 format to the altered for next season? “The response we have got from the weekend is that it’s really exciting when you are watching one game but also the aggregate score, but maybe if you do it in a semi-final or final that would be really interesting. At this point here maybe you would consider the teams that have finished pool play well could actually get an advantage. I’m sure I’m not the only person that would have fed that information back.”

ADVERTISEMENT

The winter form of Harlequins in Europe suggested they would go deep in the tournament and that anticipation has added to their sense of frustration that this season was a clear missed opportunity. “That’s why there was a real hollow feeling for the players and the whole group. We definitely missed an opportunity. 

“It’s on us. It’s not the format of the competition. When you play 160 minutes of rugby and you lose by one point you have definitely missed an opportunity. We were 34-0 down in the first leg. Against the best teams in Europe, you are asking to lose on aggregate. We fought ferociously at home but you can’t give any team at that level a 34-point advantage and then hope to beat them in the next 120 minutes.”

ADVERTISEMENT

South Africa vs New Zealand | The Rugby Championship U20's | Full Match Replay

Argentina vs Australia | The Rugby Championship U20's | Full Match Replay

Saitama Wildknights vs Tokyo Sungoliath | Japan Rugby League 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

The Game that Made Jonah Lomu

The gruelling reality behind one of the fastest sports in the world | The Report

Boks Office | Episode 40 | The Steven Kitshoff Special

Perry Baker in the house | HSBC Life on Tour | Los Angeles

Confidence knocks and finding your people | Flo Williams | Rugby Rising Locker Room

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

1 Comment
P
Poorfour 1123 days ago

Except obviously you can (if you're Quins) give a team a 34-point lead and hope to beat them, because Quins were one hooked kick away from doing so.

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
Solenn Bonnet 4 days ago
Leinster cleanse palette with record URC scoreline against Zebre

My name is Solenn Bonnet, and I am a single mother navigating the challenges of raising my two-year-old child while trying to make ends meet. I came across a trading platform that promised astonishing daily profits of 18%. The allure of such a high return on investment was too tempting to resist, and I found myself drawn into cryptocurrency trading. Excited by the prospect of financial freedom, I invested a significant amount of my savings, totaling over 5.7 BTC. However, what started as a hopeful venture quickly turned into a nightmare. The platform was a scam, and I lost everything I had invested. The emotional toll of this loss was immense; I felt devastated and helpless, struggling to provide for my child and keep up with my bills. In my desperate attempt to recover my funds, I sought help from various recovery experts. Unfortunately, I encountered numerous fraudulent individuals who claimed they could help me retrieve my lost money. Each time I reached out, I was met with disappointment and further scams, which only deepened my despair. Last year was one of the most challenging periods of my life, filled with anxiety and uncertainty about my financial future. Feeling overwhelmed and at a loss, I confided in a close friend from church about my situation. She listened compassionately and shared her own experiences with financial difficulties. Understanding my plight, she introduced me to Tech Cyber Force Recovery, a group of skilled hackers known for their expertise in recovering lost funds. Skeptical yet hopeful, I decided to reach out to them as a last resort. Their services came at a higher cost, but my friend generously offered to help me with a partial payment. I was amazed by how quickly they responded and began the recovery process. Their team was professional, efficient, and incredibly supportive throughout the entire ordeal. To my relief, they successfully recovered more than I had lost to those heartless scammers. This was truly transformative, and I felt a sense of relief and gratitude that I hadn’t felt in a long time. I strongly encourage anyone who has faced similar challenges or fallen victim to scams to reach out to Tech Cyber Force Recovery. If you’ve invested in a fraudulent platform like I did, they are highly capable of helping you reclaim your hard-earned money. Don’t lose hope; there is a way to recover what you’ve lost.

CONSULT TECH CYBER FORCE RECOVERY

EMAIL.. support@techyforcecyberretrieval.com

WhatsApp.. +15617263697

website.. https://techyforcecyberretrieval.com

Telegram.. +15617263697

0 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ 'If any Welsh side makes the URC knockout games, it will be worth applauding’ 'If any Welsh side makes the URC knockout games, it will be worth applauding’
Search