By Harvey Allen
The first Champions Cup and Challenge Cup window of the season has come to a close. Rounds One and Two of each tournament has provided us with excitement, tension and top quality rugby. As we prepare to go back to league action, let’s reflect on some of the most shocking, surprising and unforgettable moments we have seen so far this season.
1. Glasgow 28 – 21 Stade Toulouse – Stunning Warriors comeback
Some are heralding it as the greatest European cup comeback of all time. Whilst that title can be up for debate, we can definitely say it gave Scotstoun a night to remember. Toulouse were 21-0 up at the break, with stellar performances from the amazing Antoine Dupont and Kalvin Gourgues’ two tries, they looked to have shut out Glasgow early.
However, the Warriors kept fighting. Four tries in 20 minutes meant the Glaswegians were ten minutes away from achieving greatness. A spirited performance from Sione Tuipolotu and his team helped keep Toulouse at bay whilst searching for their winner, accomplishing one of the most memorable comebacks the tournament has ever seen.
2. Newcastle Red Bulls find their wings in Europe
Whilst they are yet to win a game in the Gallagher PREM, the Red Bulls are flying in the Challenge Cup, winning both of their games so far. Round One brought them to Lyon, where a spirited performance during a tough yellow card period towards the end, saw them run out 23-14 victors against last year’s finalists.
Round Two welcomed Lions to Kingston Park, where the physical South Africans were hoping to make some dents into the Newcastle side, yet they were turned over by the rampant Red Bulls to go two from two. With the Tyneside club all but qualified for the knockout rounds, just how far can they get in this tournament?
3. Leicester Tigers 15 – 23 Leinster – Dubliners rise to Occasion
The first game of Round Two brought us a heavyweight clash between the most successful clubs in England and Ireland. Tigers got off to a better start at Welford Road, with Adam Radwan and Ollie Hassell-Collins showing off their football skills to dribble the ball all the way to the try line.
However, not many teams can keep Leinster down, as Jamison Gibson-Park and Dan Sheehan scored tries to pull back the game. They have now won both their matches, and will hope to crack on in this tournament, with the hopes of adding that elusive fifth star.
4. Cardiff 29 – 26 Ulster – Late drama seals famous win in Wales
After Ulster’s thrashing of Racing 92 in the first round, they looked to be one of the tournament favourites, and especially the favourites for this fixture. Cardiff, on the other hand, had lost their first game away to Stade Francais.
However Cardiff got off to a much quicker start, scoring two tries in the first 12 minutes. Ulster didn’t take long to respond and had a two point lead at the break.
The sides went blow-for-blow, not giving each other any room to breathe, with a 26-26 draw looming as the clock hit the red.
Up stepped Callum Sheedy, with a gutsy penalty attempt to take all the points with him, and he slots it straight over to win it with the last kick of the game, proving anyone can beat anyone in this tournament.
5. All Blacks sensation Rieko Ioane makes his mark in Europe
The All Blacks star made his Leinster debut in the first round against Harlequins, where he came off the bench to provide a try assist on his way to a 45-28 opening victory. He started in the game against Leicester, playing the full 80 as Leinster boasted a 100% record in the tournament so far.
Following in the footsteps of compatriot Jordie Barrett last season, Ioane already looks like a regular in this Leinster side. Could he match, or even beat, the success that Barrett played out before him?
6. Perpignan 41-17 Dragons – One sided loss for Men of Gwent
The Catalan outfit went into this year’s Challenge Cup bottom of the Top14 table, having lost 11 out of their 11 fixtures so far, holding just one league point to their name.
They went in against the Dragons, who were penultimate in the URC, also winless, but with two draws from their first six games. USAP blew the Newport-based side out of the water, dropping 41 points on them as they won their first match since June.
7. Ange Capuozzo is Toulouse’s Hat-trick Hero
The Italian fullback couldn’t have had a better start to this season’s European proceedings. His side were dominant against the travelling Sharks, scoring eight tries on their way to a 56-19 victory.
Capuozzo bagged three of the eight, and still remains joint-second top try scorer so far, behind Northampton’s George Hendy. As Toulouse prepare for their next two matches, the try-scoring machine that is the Italian will prove to be one of their biggest assets in future match-ups.
8. Black Lion test Montpellier – A statement by the Georgian side
Drawing the two-time winners at home was a tough opening round for the Georgian side, but they took it in their stride. They led 13-0 at the break, Luka Tsirekidze kicking eight points, whilst Akaki Tabutsadze scored their only try.
Despite the Montpellier comeback, Black Lion had a performance to be proud of in front of their home fans. They will face newcomers Montauban in their first match back, as well as hosting Zebre to close out the group stage, so could definitely charge for their third win in only their third competition.
9. Scarlets 16 – 17 Bristol Bears – Nail biter in Llanelli
Bristol sit just outside the playoffs in the Gallagher PREM as one of the top sides in the league, meanwhile Scarlets sit bottom of the URC with just a singular win to their name.
No one expected this game to be as close as it was, but only one point could separate the two sides. Sam Costellow’s 11 points off the boot, complimented with Gareth Davies’ try, saw the hosts lead in the 52nd minute. However, Louis Rees Zammit’s try only two minutes later saw Bristol edge ahead and hold out until the final whistle.
Bristol went on to beat Pau, who are second in the Top14, 61-12, whilst Scarlets were demolished by Bordeaux 50-21. It’s one of those fixtures that we’re not even sure how it happened, given all circumstances, but apparently it did.
10. Dragons 23 – 21 Lyon – Dragons dig deep to defy the odds
After losing convincingly at the hands of poorly-performing Perpignan, the Dragons hosted Lyon, who were victim to a shock defeat at home to Newcastle Red Bulls. After a tightly contested first half, Lyon pulled away: as they were 21-6 up with just 20 minutes to go.
The Dragons dug deep and were able to find three tries, that would put them up by two with just a minute remaining. Lyon fell victim to two comebacks in two weeks, as their current season woes continue. Whereas the Dragons had an epic victory, their first of the season.
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