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Saracens beat Ospreys in thriller, Clermont win marred by Lopez injury
By Alex Fisher
Saracens made it two wins from two in the European Champions Cup on Saturday as they overcame a spirited Ospreys side 36-34 in a thriller at Allianz Park.
The Premiership leaders and defending champions found themselves 10 points behind at the half-hour mark as the Welsh province – who were forced into late changes after back injuries to Justin Tipuric and Dan Lydiate – made a roaring start.
Sarries showed their class in the final minutes of the half, though, Schalk Brits' converted try making it 17-17 at the break.
Second-half scores from Liam Williams and Nick Tompkins completed Saracens' comeback, securing a bonus point to top Pool 2 despite a late fightback from Ospreys.
The other game in the group was marred by a sickening injury to Clermont Auvergne's Camille Lopez, the France international fracturing the tibia in his left leg under a tackle from Piers Francis. Clermont expect Lopez to be out for "many months" – the fly-half set to have surgery later on Saturday.
Lopez's injury soured a 24-7 victory for the French side over Northampton Saints, the Premiership outfit also seeing Dylan Hartley yellow carded for catching Rabah Slimani in the face during a ruck.
Benetton Treviso's hopes of a rare Champions Cup win were ended by a last-gasp Francois Trinh-Duc penalty as Toulon snatched came out on top 30-29.
The Italians' last triumph in this competition came in January 2015 but the boot of Ian McKinley had them on the verge of a sensational result against the three-time champions in Pool 5 until Trinh-Duc came to the rescue for the Top 14 heavyweights.
Leicester Tigers bounced back from their opening defeat to Racing 92 with a stunning victory over Castres in Pool 4, the hosts scoring seven tries at Welford Road in a 54-29 win.
A sensational opening 40 minutes all-but secured the result as Leicester amassed 35 points to Castres' three, Telusa Veainu scoring a hat-trick as the Premiership side secured a bonus point.
Munster are level with Leicester on six points thanks to a narrow 14-7 success over Racing, the Top 14 side occupying third place just a point adrift after the opening two matches.
Jonathan Sexton put on a kicking masterclass on his return from injury as Leinster dented Glasgow Warriors' hopes qualifying from Pool 3 with a 34-18 win.
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Latest Comments
It is if he thinks he’s got hold of the ball and there is at least one other player between him and the ball carrier, which is why he has to reach around and over their heads. Not a deliberate action for me.
Go to commentsI understand, but England 30 years ago were a set piece focused kick heavy team not big on using backs.
Same as now.
South African sides from any period will have a big bunch of forwards smashing it up and a first five booting everything in their own half.
NZ until recently rarely if ever scrummed for penalties; the scrum is to attack from, broken play, not structured is what we’re after.
Same as now.
These are ways of playing very ingrained into the culture.
If you were in an English club team and were off to Fiji for a game against a club team you’d never heard of and had no footage of, how would you prepare?
For a forward dominated grind or would you assume they will throw the ball about because they are Fijian?
A Fiji way. An English way.
An Australian way depends on who you’ve scraped together that hasn’t been picked off by AFL or NRL, and that changes from generation to generation a lot of the time.
Actually, maybe that is their style. In fact, yes they have a style.
Nevermind. Fuggit I’ve typed it all out now.
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