Clash of the Titans

Every year the Champions Cup competition brings together the best in Europe, it is the pinnacle of domestic rugby and it never disappoints. Its new structure means that, unlike previous iterations, there aren’t any ‘easy’ matches and instead teams must be on their game from Round 1 or face the consequences.

When the pools were drawn the one that stood out by a country mile was Pool 5. The sides housed in it hold nine tournament titles just one fewer than every other pool combined and every single match between Bath, Leinster, RC Toulon and Wasps was/is guaranteed to be phenomenal. Today Wasps will host Bath in Coventry for the first of their back-to-back meetings and looking across the two line ups there are outstanding match ups including a meeting between two world class individuals. 

Without question the Australian back row unit was one of the great talking points of Rugby World Cup 2015. Scott Fardy, David Pocock and Michael Hooper blended together in the manner in which every club and International back rows aspires to do. In particular the work of David Pocock was mesmeric and utterly destructive, he topped the turnover count for the tournament and England in particular were torn apart at his hands. The work of the Wallaby will have been watched and given a little affirmative hat tip by a man that takes to the field today, George Smith. 

(C) Paler Images

Smith could have easily played in this Rugby World Cup, whether he would have been as effective as the world-leading trio we will never know, however his presence in Wasps’ back row has already been magnificent. In a recent Premiership match Brian O’Driscoll shared that he spent much of the game just watching Australia’s most capped forward pick and choose his moments to pounce on the breakdown. The openside’s nous and years of experience means that he instinctively knows when 'it's on'. Smith also has skills that belie the number on his back as shown by his chip to put Frank Halai in for a score last weekend. 

Today however Smith’s proficiency will be tested as he will meet another world-class openside flanker, Francois Louw. Since joining Bath Rugby the Springbok has flourished and during the Rugby World Cup his presence was greatly missed by the domestic side.  In the tournament Francois went toe to toe with David Pocock in terms of turnover generation with 13, the second most in the tournament, and without question he caused every single side that South Africa met all manner of issues. 

Francois is a physical member of Bath’s back row as well as a breakdown specialist, like his counterpart today he has the years of experience behind him to know when it's on. It is the work of Francois across the park that I personally enjoy, he's mobile, athletic and has a tremendous work rate. Both men are leaders and arguably today there's more pressure on the shoulders of Francois due to Bath’s tough start to the season. The Springbok will captain the side, he is well aware of the weight hanging over them however is confident in his side, their game plan and their capabilities;

“One thing that we’ve created at Bath is a strong culture and tight-knit group. The guys are really close and ultimately that’s what holds you together during trying times. It’s very easy to be strong and in command when things are going well, but it’s when times are tough that a person’s true character is shown.”

For the eighty minutes today two of the world’s best openside flankers will go toe to toe. We all know how important the breakdown is to defining the outcome of matches and of course the blend of their respective back rows will be vital. Francois will have the physical presence of Matt Garvey and Scottish International David Denton supporting him while George will have James Haskell and Nathan Hughes for company. All six players have the ability to take this game by the scruff of its neck and make life very difficult for the other. As a unit Wasps’ are more comfortable with each other due to the greater number of starts together however Bath’s new blend has potential to take off and combine destructively. 

This match will be a fascinating affair and if you find yourself doing an O'Driscoll and just watching the two openside flankers pick and choose their moments then that's ok because you'll be watching two of the world's best in action!