Champions Cup: The key head-to-heads to watch during the quarter-final ties
With the Champions Cup reaching the knockout stages, we discuss the main battles from each of the four quarter-final encounters.
Dan Sheehan (Leinster) v Julian Montoya (Leicester)
There are several big battles between these two heavyweights, including the encounter at number eight as Jack Conan and Jasper Wiese collide. However, with Freddie Steward on the wing and not directly facing off with Hugo Keenan and Caelan Doris shifted to openside following the injury to Josh van der Flier, we are looking towards the front-row for the main clash.
The two hookers have big jobs anyway, with the set-piece work, from throwing to scrummaging, always vital areas, but they will also look to influence proceedings elsewhere. For the hosts, Sheehan will be a prominent carrier in the loose, looking to use his outstanding footwork and supreme athleticism to get Leinster across the gain line. His rise has quite simply been staggering, and he has quickly become an important player for both province and country.
Montoya, on the other hand, will be looking to stop him, with the Argentine utterly superb at the contact area. Although the 29-year-old is powerful and a useful carrying option, his best work, outside of the set-piece, is generally done without the ball. There are few better front-rowers at the breakdown, and Leicester will need their outstanding hooker to slow the Irishmen down and prevent the home side from getting into their rhythm.
Francois Cros (Toulouse) v Siya Kolisi (Sharks)
The counter-ruck kings face off this weekend in what should be a very tasty duel at the breakdown. Although Cros is playing at number eight, he and Kolisi will be doing similar jobs for their respective teams. The Frenchman has become a destroyer of quick ball for both club and country, with supporters finally starting to acknowledge what the back-row brings to every side he plays for.
South Africa’s captain, equally, has had a few critics in the past, when the big ball-carrying and wide expansive game gave way to the grittier work in the tight as his career has progressed. But again, like with Cros, the Springbok skipper’s work, where he is constantly making subtle – but ultimately significant impacts – around the field, is finally being truly appreciated.
The 31-year-old is an absolute machine, constantly disrupting the opposition with his efforts in the closer exchanges, and he will need to be at his best to stop the Toulouse juggernaut. If there is a side that can make Kolisi look ineffective, it is Les Rouge et Noir, whose sheer size up front and utter brilliance behind the scrum makes them an incredibly difficult outfit to stop.
Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs) v Marcel Theunissen/Hacjivah Dayimani (Stormers)
After Simmonds’ clash with fellow Englishman Zach Mercer was disappointingly cut shot following the Montpellier man’s wrongly-awarded red card, he will now have less-than-expected time against another talented and athletic number eight this weekend, which may well benefit the England number eight. Up until that 49th minute decision, it had been a fascinating battle with both players impressing at Sandy Park, but Mercer’s departure gave the Exeter back-rower the extra space he needed to really thrive.
He was probably Exeter’s best player in the final 50 minutes of the last-16 contest and the 28-year-old will need to repeat that effort against another massive pack in the Stormers. The South Africans were very impressive in dispatching Harlequins, with their power obvious as they dominated the Chiefs’ fellow Premiership outfit up front. They have an outstanding front-row, led by Springboks Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe, while the back five of the scrum has plenty of workhorses.
🤯 Still coming to terms with Hacjivah Dayimani's turn of pace.
⛈️ The Stormer has been in red-hot form of late and shows no signs of stopping.pic.twitter.com/YN2Z1uM7J8
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) January 2, 2023
Dayimani is the one that generally provides that sprinkling of stardust, but he will not appear until the second half as head coach John Dobson has interestingly decided to start Marcel Theunissen in that position. Usually a flanker, Theunissen gets through a mountain of work and will look to lay a platform for his team-mate to potentially take advantage of tired Exeter bodies, who had to endure extra-time in last weekend’s win.
Possibly even quicker than Simmonds, Dayimani is a tremendous athlete who roams in the wider channels and regularly makes it through that first-up defence. He has been in superb form this season and the hosts will have to be on their guard to make sure that the Stormers number eight does not get too many chances to get his hands on the ball when he comes on.
Jonathan Danty (La Rochelle) v Nick Tompkins (Saracens)
La Rochelle’s encounter with Saracens is arguably the tie of the round as the defending champions take on the three-time winners, whose most recent success came just four years ago in 2019. There are a number of intriguing duels, including the clash at number eight as Gregor Alldritt and Billy Vunipola go head-to-head. Levani Botia’s contest with Ben Earl is another highlight, while talented France fly-half Antoine Hastoy goes up against England great Owen Farrell.
However, this confrontation at centre between two internationals will be massive in the outcome of the game. Tompkins has been in and out of the Wales side, but there is no doubting his importance to the Saracens cause, with his ability to break through contact, off-load and compete at the breakdown.
Danty also has those qualities, albeit he is slightly more direct in his carrying game – with his opponent on Sunday having the better footwork. The Frenchman’s influence on the international team was evident during the final two rounds of the Six Nations, and Saracens will do well to keep him quiet on both sides of the ball. La Rochelle – and Danty himself – were poor in the last-16 against Gloucester, so they need to step it up, but if they do, it could be a long day for Sarries and Tompkins.