Treviso just don’t belong at this level
Over the last 15 years all but two of the 20 contenders can point to at least one major trophy, domestic or European.
Glasgow are one exception but nobody would insult the Clydeside Warriors as the most consistent team in the Pro12 by questioning their right to be there.
The same cannot be said of Treviso. The argument for their inclusion, that a tournament with any pretence to be pan-European, has to make room for one Italian club, is all very laudable but not if it throws the entire competition out of kilter.
As the softest of soft touches, Treviso have ensured that two clubs from their lop-sided pool, Northampton and Racing Metro, will make the last eight — one as winners, the other as one of the three best runners-up.
Try count is a decisive factor and if Racing fill their boots the way the English Saints filled theirs at Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday, then any one of Saracens, Leinster and Munster, or possibly all three, could be eliminated as a result of having been in more competitive pools.
Such a scenario is nothing new. During the last season of the 24-club Heineken Cup, it was no surprise that the two best runners-up, Leicester and Saracens, went through from pools featuring Italian teams, Treviso and Zebre.
This time round with four teams fewer, Treviso qualified by virtue of finishing second from bottom of the Pro 12, one place and one point above their compatriots.
The political machinations which resulted in half of Treviso’s pack decamping to Leicester left them in no fit state for Europe’s streamlined premier event. Saturday’s record pasting, 67-0, tells its own sad story of a team yet to win this season. Sooner or later the Italian question will have to be answered.
Leon Tolstoy could have written a chapter of War and Peace in the time it took the officials to get to the bottom of the brawl towards the end of Leinster’s ding-dong with Harlequins.
Even allowing for the ever- increasing recourse to technology, this one took fully six minutes to resolve.
Television match official Eric Gonthier found himself juggling questions from the referee, Romain Poite, and rewinding the video as TMO turned detective.
‘9 Quins punched 12 blue,’ Poite told him. ‘Can we check 7 blue? Something happened?’
Once the relevant tape had been inspected, there was still more evidence to be unearthed.
‘So, in the beginning,’ Poite asked Gonthier. And that ultimately uncovered an English hand, Charlie Matthews’, all over an Irish face, Dominic Ryan’s.
Poite: ‘In the eye?’
Gonthier: ‘Not in the eye, no.’
Poite: ‘Close to the eye?
Gonthier: ‘Yes.’
Justice done and seen to be done, eventually.
Concord in California, whose celebrated citizens include Tom ‘Forrest Gump’ Hanks and the jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, may not have noticed a famous weekend deed by another of its native sons.
Samu Manoa, Northampton’s American back row forward, delivered one of the fastest try hat-tricks in European Cup history, if not the fastest.
It took him 13 minutes from start to finish during the Saints’ rout of Treviso.
After learning his rugby trade at the San Francisco Golden Gate club, the Californian of Tongan descent is merely maintaining the family’s sporting tradition.
An uncle, Sione, is a professional wrestler who goes by the professional name ‘The Barbarian.’
Appropriately enough, his nephew is also a Barbarian, having appeared for the famous invitational club against the Lions in Hong Kong last year.
Now you know...
For those of us at a loss to understand the point of the infernal pre- match fireworks, the weekend brought a moment of rare hilarity.
The pyrotechnics staged before Saracens’ home tie against Sale left a cloud of smoke which forced the kick-off to be delayed.
There are enough chips off old blocks out there to keep the home fires burning over Christmas. Recent action has featured at least ten sons whose fathers were all internationals.
Sale’s team at Saracens featured Josh Beaumont, a second row like his dad, Bill, who captained the Lions.
Goal-kicking full-back Rhys Jones and flanker Luc Jones helped the Newport Dragons’ charge to the top of their Challenge Cup pool – the sons of the Welsh regions’ coaching duo, Kingsley and Lyn Jones respectively.
Then there are the Ford brothers, George at Bath and Joe at Sale, whose father Mike played Rugby League before working as defence coach for Ireland and England.
Others include Ospreys’ full-back Sam Davies (son of ex-Wales centre Nigel Davies), Bristol flanker Olly Robinson (son of ex-England flanker Andy Robinson), Owen Farrell (son of Andy Farrell), Johnnie Beattie of Montpellier (son of Scottish Lion John Beattie) and, of course, Rhys Ruddock (son of ex-Wales coach Mike Ruddock).
Last eight as they stand with two pool rounds to go
Pool leaders: Toulouse (16 pts, 7 tries); Northampton (15 pts, 22 tries); Clermont (14 pts, 11 tries); Toulon (13 pts, 9 tries); Harlequins (13 pts, 6 tries)
Best runners-up: Racing Metro (14 pts, 7 tries); Saracens (13 pts, 9 tries); Leinster (13 pts, 4 tries).
Still alive: Wasps (12 pts, 14 tries); Bath (10 pts, 9 tries); Glasgow Warriors (10 pts, 6 tries); Munster (10 pts, 5 tries).
Biggest casualty: Ulster — one final, three quarter-finals in the last four seasons — reduced to a Scarlet shade of embarrassment after being counted out in West Wales last night.
At least one expert is backing Munster to work another miracle in the New Year, beat Saracens in north London and squeeze into the quarter-finals at the expense of their English opponents.
Dean Ryan, right, former England No. 8 now coaching Worcester, made the point in his newspaper column before Munster’s defeat yesterday that Sarries without the retired Steve Borthwick ‘don’t look like the side that got to last season’s final. I see Munster the more likely to go through.’
15. Brice Dulin (Racing Metro)
14. Noa Nakaitaci (Clermont)
13. Wesley Fofana (Clermont)
12. Ian Madigan (Leinster)
11. Matt Banahan (Bath)
10. Camille Lopez (Clermont)
9. Kahn Fotuali’I (Northampton)
1. Joe Marler (Harlequins)
2. Duncan Casey (Munster)
3. Davit Kirashvili (Clermont)
4. George Kruis (Saracens)
5. Ali Williams (Toulon)
6. Damien Chouly (Clermont)
7. Tom Wood (Northampton)
8. Louis Picamoles (Toulouse).
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