The dyed in the wool doubters of the two-legged concept will have to dig their heels in that little bit more now, as those were two fairly compelling weekends of Heineken Champions Cup rugby.
Even the three ties which looked done and dusted after handsome away wins in the first legs were much more competitive than seemed likely. Granted, Leinster pulled well clear of Connacht but the Munster-Exeter, Ulster-Toulouse, Bristol-Sale and Harlequins-Montpellier ties were cracking contests, as the aggregate scores of 34-23, 49-50, 39-44 and 59-60 prove.
The concept added a new dynamic to the tournament, not least in giving life to what would otherwise have been fairly forlorn cases. After all, Harlequins trailed Montpellier by 34-0 in the second half of the first leg and ultimately came to within one missed conversion by Marcus Smit …
- April 19, 2022
