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European Rugby Champions Cup: Wasps see off La Rochelle challenge
A round-up of the weekend's action in the European Champions Cup as Wasps got the better of La Rochelle.
European Champions Cup results (Dec 15-17)
Sunday December 17
- Wasps 21-3 La Rochelle
- Clermont 24-21 Saracens
- Ospreys 32-15 Northampton
- Leicester 16-25 Munster
Saturday December 16
- Montpellier 36-26 Glasgow
- Benetton Treviso 12-31 Scarlets
- Leinster 22-17 Exeter
- Racing 92 29-7 Castres
- Bath 26-21 Toulon
Friday December 15
- Ulster 52-24 Harlequins
Sunday review
Leicester 16-25 Munster
Leicester tries: Tait (13)
Conversions: Ford (15)
Penalties: Ford (3,52,61)
Munster tries: Stander (43)
Conversions: Keatley (44)
Penalties: Keatley (11,24,34,40,73,78)
Munster recorded their first win at Welford Road in 11 years with a 25-16 success over Leicester Tigers on Sunday evening.
Mathew Tait had scored an early try for Tigers but their ill-discipline was punished by Ian Keatley, who kicked six penalties to keep the scoreboard ticking.
CJ Stander also went over from close range for Munster, who are now firmly in control of Pool 4 after back-to-back wins against the Tigers.
Wasps 21-3 La Rochelle
Wasps tries: Daly (11,47), Cruse (73)
Conversions: Daly (12,48), Cipriani (74)
La Rochelle penalties: James (60)
Elliot Daly scored two tries as Wasps kept alive their hopes of progressing to the Champions Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 21-3 victory.
Wasps avenged their 49-29 hammering at La Rochelle last weekend but this game at the Ricoh Arena was a far cry from last week's try-scoring extravaganza in France.
The home pack shaded a titanic forward battle as the French failed to come to terms with the murky conditions until the final quarter and could only manage a penalty from Brock James in response to Wasps' three tries.
A late effort from Tom Cruse added to Daly's pair, with Daly converting two and Danny Cipriani one.
Ospreys 23-15 Northampton
Ospreys tries: Arhip (2), Webb (56,69), Tipuric (66)
Conversions: Davies (57,67,70)
Penalties: Davies (25,31)
Northampton tries: Mallinder (46), Gibson (80)
Conversions: Mallinder (80)
Penalties: Francis (51)
Replacement scrum-half Rhys Webb scored twice as Ospreys completed a double over struggling Northampton with a 32-15 bonus-point victory at a wet Liberty Stadium.
Ospreys, who backed up their 43-32 success at Franklin's Gardens, have given themselves a fighting chance in the Pool Two but will need to secure wins over Saracens and Clermont in the new year.
They were indebted to tries from prop Dmitri Arhip, Webb and the returning Justin Tipuric, with 12 points coming from the boot of Sam Davies.
Clermont Auvergne 24-21 Saracens
Clermont penalties: Parra (18,22,33,40,48,54,72), Spedding (80)
Saracens tries: Spencer (10), Lozowski (63)
Conversions: Farrell (10)
Penalties: Farrell (4,7,60)
A late penalty from full-back Scott Spedding made it back-to-back victories for Clermont over Saracens.
Ben Spencer's early try helped the European champions into a 13-0 lead but the three-time runners-up chipped away at it thanks to the boot of Morgan Parra.
The scrum-half surpassed 500 European points as he landed five kicks to add to Spedding's long-range penalty to make it 18-13, before Alex Lozowski went over for Sarries' second try to get them back in front.
But, after Parra locked the scores, Spedding kicked Clermont to a 24-21 victory that inflicted a seventh straight defeat on Saracens, who need two wins from their final two matches to give themselves a chance of advancing to the quarter-finals.
Saturday review
Bath 26-21 Toulon
Bath tries: Obano, Watson (2)
Conversions: Priestland
Penalties: Priestland (3)
Toulon tries: Mathewson, Manoa
Conversions: Trinh-Duc
Penalties: Trinh-Duc (3)
Anthony Watson scored two sparkling tries in front of England boss Eddie Jones as Bath produced some champagne rugby to down French heavyweights Toulon.
The Watson-inspired 26-21 victory took Bath top of European Champions Cup Pool Five on points difference, giving English rugby a welcome boost after all seven of their representatives were beaten last weekend.
Watson, a dynamic attacking presence for England and the British and Irish Lions this year, showcased his mesmeric running ability by touching down twice in 12 first-half minutes, which followed a try from prop Beno Obano inside the opening 60 seconds.
Fly-half Rhys Priestland added 11 points, while Toulon posted an Alby Mathewson try and Samu Manoa touchdown, plus a conversion and three penalties from Francois Trinh-Duc as the triple European champions departed the Recreation Ground with a losing bonus point.
The result sets up a thrilling pool conclusion next month, with Welsh challengers the Scarlets also firmly in quarter-final contention. Bath's final two games are at home to Scarlets and away against Benetton.
Leinster 22-17 Exeter
Leinster tries: McGrath
Conversions: Nacewa
Penalties: Nacewa (5)
Exeter tries: Skinner, Cowan-Dickie
Conversions: Steenson (2)
Penalties: Steenson
A tenacious fightback from 14 points down saw Leinster complete a Champions Cup double over Exeter Chiefs, with Luke McGrath's 65th-minute try proving crucial in a 22-17 win at the Aviva Stadium.
Stung by last Sunday's 18-8 defeat in Devon, the English champions had victory within their grasp as converted tries from Sam Skinner and Luke Cowan-Dickie stunned the Dublin crowd and carved open a 17-3 lead.
Leinster were rocked by the loss of Jonathan Sexton to a head injury and had Cian Healy and Scott Fardy both sin-binned, with the former very fortunate to avoid red for a forearm into Cowan-Dickie's face at a ruck.
However, the home side regrouped and five penalties from captain Isa Nacewa - three before half-time - chipped away at the Chiefs' advantage before replacement Dan Leavy broke and passed for scrum-half McGrath to run in the match-winning try.
Racing 92 29-7 Castres
Racing 92 tries: Nakarawa, Vakatawa, Szarzewski, Dupichot
Conversions: Machenaud (2), Iribaren
Penalties: Machenaud
Castres tries: Kockott
Conversions: Kockott
Racing 92 kept alive their European Champions Cup quarter-final hopes by claiming a comfortable Pool Four victory over Castres in Paris.
The bonus point win moved them level on points with group leaders Munster, and was secured thanks to tries from Leone Nakarawa, Virimi Vakatawa, Dimitri Szarzewski and Louis Dupichot, while Maxime Machenaud added a penalty and two conversions, and Teddy Iribaren one conversion.
Rory Kockott converted his own try for Castres, but Racing won comfortably despite having their Argentina international wing Juan Imhoff sent off for foul play midway through the second half.
Benetton Treviso 12-31 Scarlets
Treviso tries: Ioane (2)
Conversions: McKinley
Scarlets tries: McNicholl, Asquith, G Davies (2)
Conversions: Halfpenny (4)
Penalties: Halfpenny
Scarlets kept their hopes alive of reaching a first European Champions Cup quarter-final since 2007 with a 31-12 victory over Benetton Treviso.
Gareth Davies scored two of Scarlets' four tries at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo as they secured a second bonus-point victory against their PRO14 rivals in Pool Five.
The success takes Scarlets to 12 points, with games away to Bath and at home to Toulon still to come.
Montpellier 36-26 Glasgow
Montpellier tries: Nadolo, Ruffenach, Immelman (2), Paillaugue
Conversions: Paillaugue (4)
Penalties: Steyn
Glasgow tries: Brown, Horne (2), Grigg
Conversions: Horne (2), Russell
Montpellier also kept themselves in the hunt for the quarter-finals by making it back-to-back victories over Glasgow with a bonus-point 36-26 win in France.
The visitors had the better of a thrilling first half and led 19-14 at the interval, largely thanks to tries from Fraser Brown, Peter Horne and Nick Grigg. Nemani Nadolo and Romain Ruffenach touched down for the hosts.
A pair of quick tries - courtesy of replacement Henry Immelman and Benoit Paillaugue - turned things around after the break, and Immelman's second put the hosts out of sight before George Horne's consolation try 10 minutes from time.
The result kept Vern Cotter's side within touching distance of Leinster at the top of Pool Three.
Friday report
Ulster 52-24 Harlequins
Ulster tries: McCloskey (18), Gilroy (44), Piutau (56), O'Connor (62), Cooney (72), Trimble (80)
Conversions: Cooney (19,46,63,73,80)
Penalties: (5,10,34,51)
Harlequins tries: Smith (14), Walker (30), Chisholm (60), Ward (67)
Conversions: Smith (31,68)
Ulster stayed in the race for European Champions Cup qualification by delivering a six-try thumping of Harlequins.
Tries from Stuart McCloskey, Craig Gilroy, Charles Piutau, Alan O'Connor, John Cooney and Andrew Trimble set up a 52-24 win for Les Kiss' side, completing back-to-back wins over the English club.
Cooney kicked five conversions and four penalties for a personal haul of 27 points in the contest at the Kingspan Stadium.
Despite the five-day turnaround, Ulster got the result they needed to stay secure in second in Pool One, two points behind runaway leaders La Rochelle - who play at Wasps on Sunday.
