Making most of gamble by Gloucester

Will Gloucester’s rotation policy come back to bite them?

If Heineken Cup pool qualification is a sprint with no room for error, then how come Gloucester director of rugby Nigel Davies is sending a completely different team to Thomond Park from the one which did so well to beat Perpignan at Kingsholm last Saturday? Never mind the old adage of ‘if ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, conventional wisdom would suggest Munster, still wounded by defeat at Edinburgh, are going to come out all guns blazing this evening. This Gloucester team isn’t exactly full of lambs to the slaughter but it is a gamble to throw a new XV to the Thomond Park wolves.

Are Castres the real deal?

The French champions visit the RDS this afternoon for what should be a genuine clash of the titans with Leinster but there is little to suggest that winning the Top 14 title has altered mindsets that domestic success is still the main priority. So they won at home, beating Northampton Saints last weekend, but that was a close-run thing and there has been precious little appetite in the past for Castres when travelling overseas. Clermont, Toulouse and Toulon may covet glory at home and in Europe and, crucially, believe a double is attainable and worth striving for.

The jury is out as to whether Castres believe they consider themselves in the same company. The way they handle themselves in Dublin today will be a big indicator.

Will Racing Metro start using Jonny Sexton to the best of his abilities?

The Ireland fly-half is still bedding in with the Parisian club and he may well have helped to engineer the downfall of last year’s finalists ASM Clermont Auvergne in last Sunday night’s pool opener but Racing are still to get the best out of their highly paid new signing. At times during the game last weekend at Stade Yves du Manoir, Sexton seemed to be playing as an auxiliary full-back and his creativity seemed stifled by a lack of understanding (or unwillingness?) of his fellow backs to get on the same page, leading to some frustration for the former Leinster out-half, particularly when a trademark wrap-around failed to come off to his satisfaction. Mastering the language a little more will undoubtedly help Sexton, as will another European victory at Scarlets today, but will we see a bit more of the master playmaker we have grown accustomed to this evening?

Is there any way back for Cardiff Blues?

As if shipping six tries and getting tonked at Exeter Chiefs last weekend wasn’t bad enough, Cardiff Blues must entertain reigning champions Toulon and their team full of Galacticos at the Arms Park today. Okay, there’s been a player drain from the Welsh regions but there are still plenty of British & Irish Lions at the Blues, not least captain Sam Warburton and player of the summer, Leigh Halfpenny. It’s time for them to stand up, be counted and lead by example.

How the hell did Clermont v Harlequins turn into a must-win game for both sides?

Last April, this meeting of English and French table toppers was the odds-on match-up for the final in Dublin. But then Quins were ambushed at home by Munster in the quarters and Clermont imploded against Toulon in the Aviva decider. And now both come into this game at Stade Marcel Michelin having lost their opening fixtures, Quins at home to Scarlets and Clermont in Paris at Racing Metro, both games they should have won. Something will have to give tomorrow and given Clermont’s fantastic home record, it looks like it will be Harlequins.