Saturday Round-Up
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Saturday Round-Up
After a very exciting day of Champions Cup rugby, Pools 1,3 and 5 have come to a close, giving a very good indication of who has managed to qualify for the knock-out stages.
In Pool 1, Ulster secured a very impressive 56-3 victory against a poor Oyonnax side. The Irish province knew that a bonus point was their only hope of qualification, and guaranteed that in this 8 try thrashing. Tries through Herring, Cave, Scholes and Reidy secured the bonus point in the first half. After the interval Gilroy, Diack, Humphreys and Payne added to the tally, boosting their points difference significantly. Unfortunately for Oyonnax, Clegg's attempt at goal was the only score they managed. This victory puts Ulster on the edge of qualification, and the province must await tomorrow's results.
MOTM - Nick Williams
Saracens completed their pool stage campaign perfectly, winning 6 from 6 after their 28-17 victory against Toulouse. Hodgson opened the scoring for Saracens with his kicking from the tee and a drop goal. At half time Saracens held a marginal lead of 9-7, with Toulouse scoring through McAllister. However, within the opening minutes of the second half Spencer went over for their first try. Luke McAllister and Maxime Medard attempted to stage a come back for Toulouse, but Farrell's impressive kicking at goal guaranteed a win for the English outfit.
MOTM - Luke McAllister
In Pool 5, Toulon did enough to edge out Bath and secure qualification as best runners-up, with a 19-14 win. In what was a very tight encounter, Toulon held a 11-6 lead at the interval, thanks to Steffon Armitage's try. In the second half, Anthony Watson went over early on to level the scores. As the half progressed Bath gained a 3 point lead. However this did not last long thanks to Bryan Habana collecting the ball after a fumble from Quade Cooper's cross-field and going over in the corner. James O'Connor sealed the victory in the dying minutes with his attempt at goal.
MOTM - Steffon Armitage
Wasps sealed their spot at the top of Pool 5 in spectacular fashion, with a 51-10 victory against Leinster. While the game appeared to be very tight in the first half, with the Wasps holding a 15-10 lead at half time, the second half was a different story. Elliot Daly scored a superb solo try, showing his pace as he sprinted for the corner, early in the second half. From this point on it was a rather one sided affair with the Wasps running in tries with ease up until the final whistle.
MOTM - Elliot Daly
In Pool 3, Glasgow managed to bring Racing's winning streak to an end, with a 22-5 victory. At half time, the only score of the game was Finn Russell's attempt at goal. As the second half progressed, Glasgow began to extend their lead, thanks Stuart Hogg's try and a combination of Russell and Weir's kicking at goal. Racing's only points came through Cedate Gomes Sa's try.
MOTM - Leone Nakarawa
Northampton Saints sealed a 22-10 bonus point victory against the Scarlets, giving them the best chance of qualification. It was rather one sided for the majority of the fixture, with Northampton taking a 12-3 lead at the interval after scoring 2 of the 4 tries needed. As the fixture progressed, tries through Dickinson and North guaranteed the bonus point for the Saints. In the dying minutes of the fixture, the Scarlets managed to score a consolation try through Aled Davies. This victory puts Northampton on 19 points, with their qualification hopes awaiting tomorrow's results.
MOTM - Harry Mallinder
