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Stuart Barnes: Get to Twickenham for Champions Cup final if you can

Image: It has seemed inevitable for much, if not most of this season, that Toulon and Clermont would contest the Champions Cup final

The Champions Cup final could be a classic so get to Twickenham if you can, says Sky Sports' Stuart Barnes.

It has seemed inevitable for much, if not most of this season. Toulon, twice champions of Europe with the deepest squad on the continent, and Clermont, Europe’s most exhilarating team on their day – and with a decent depth of squad themselves - have been heading towards Saturday’s Twickenham showdown.

I am not going to surprise anyone when I write that an awful lot of neutrals will be metaphorically yellow and blue this Saturday.
Stuart Barnes

It is the second time the teams have met in the final in three years and a fair assessment of where the strength of the non-international professional game is currently situated. On the game itself, it seems I have been writing and talking about little else for the last month. That is not just a reflection on these teams but the fact that the space of only a fortnight between quarter, semi and final is inadequate.

There has been no time for anticipation and little for fans with a wish and budget to cross the European rugby zone to follow their team. The empty seats at Twickenham are a reflection more on some of the mistakes the new-found administration of Europe has made rather than the attraction of the fixture.

It would be sad to see English fans not heading for Twickenham because of any 'little England' mentality that sees them belittling Europe at the expense of their own - and extremely vibrant - tournament. That attitude was once the prerogative of the French. It could be a classic, there are seats available, get to Twickenham if you can afford it.

Single-minded

Whereas Europe was once second on the French domestic agenda, these giants have turned that around with their single-minded attack on this competition. For the last three weeks of Top 14 action both sides have been fielding shadow teams as their top squad prepare for Europe. It has led to a sequence of defeats with Clermont now only one point ahead of Toulouse and Stade Francais and risking losing their top two and automatic semi-final spot.

Such is the significance of the European Champions Cup for this team that has only won the French title once in their history. But it is Europe that is their priority. I am not going to surprise anyone when I write that an awful lot of neutrals will be metaphorically yellow and blue this Saturday.

The French league has been particularly thrilling of late. The weakened Toulon and Clermont teams have turned the table around but were that not the looming shadow of relegation which teams and fans would care? With two teams relegated the scramble to save a season is as thrilling for the smaller clubs as the pursuit of trophies is for the giants of the game.

Greig Laidlaw and Billy Twelvetrees Gloucester
Image: Greig Laidlaw and provides a superb sub-plot to the Challenge Cup final along with Sam Hidalgo-Clyne

Having a Saturday away from the microphone after Friday night in Belfast, I was enthralled to see the La Rochelle match with Toulon. The colour and atmosphere was a direct result of the stakes being played for; La Rochelle’s late winner ranks that game right up there amongst the most thrilling club fixtures of the European calendar.

Lyon are gone but there is one point between Bayonne, Castres, Grenoble and Brive. Relegation is a threat to the individual clubs involved but a stimulating larger aspect of what makes the league so thrilling. In France money most certainly talks but the final word still belongs to the actions of the teams on the field.

The never-fading and familiar voices that yearn for a closed league in England are acting in self-interest and the shortest of terms. London Welsh have been awful but there have been plenty of seasons when the battle at the bottom - though never as competitive as this season in France - has held the attention of fans who might otherwise have written off their team months before the end of season.

Monumental

Of course, there is the natural justice issue. Teams have a right to a shot at the top and 12, 13 or 14 clubs have no right to slam the trap door shut. After the World Cup we will hear more on this subject.

At the top end of the table there has been much to admire. The atmosphere at Milton Keynes was superb, the match excellent as Northampton bounced back from their Clermont loss to book a play-off place. Bath are second and likely to join them although two wins may yet be needed to guarantee a semi-final at the Recreation Ground. As Gloucester are the last team to face them – in Bath – that promises to be quite some finale.

Saracens are not safe but too tough not to make the top four which leaves Leicester, Exeter and Wasps fighting for the final play-off place. Wasps meet Leicester in round 21; that will be some 'derby.'

Live European Rugby Champions Cup Final

There is, unfortunately, neither relegation nor – this season – a battle for the play-offs in the Guinness Pro12 with Leinster eliminated from play-off contention on Friday night. Yet the excitement levels are rising with the scrap for home advantage at stake. Ulster meet Munster in the next round, one point behind, both teams needing the win, while Ospreys have a chance to leapfrog Glasgow in Swansea. There are four points separating the four teams. It is a monumental round 21.

Glasgow remain the most consistent Pro12 team but this is a title that will take some winning. If Glasgow achieve a first title it could be as fabulous a year for Scottish clubs as it was awful for the national team.

Edinburgh are still fighting for a top six place and on Friday night have a crack at becoming the first Scottish team to win a European trophy when they meet Gloucester at the Stoop. Both teams are in fine form while the clash between the Scotland scrum-half and captain, Greig Laidlaw and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne is a superb sub-plot, with the Scottish captain coming under real pressure for his position from the young nine.

Gloucester are a great club with superb support, the atmosphere will crackle at the home of the Harlequins. Here is hoping that the teams and fans generate the same sort of noise Saturday.

Enjoy the weekend.

Stuart answers your questions...

Got a question for Stuart? Email him at skysportsclub@bskyb.com, tweet @SkySportsRugby #askskyrugby or use the feedback form at skysports.com.

How do we get maximum consistency out of all our referees and assistant referees? In Wales only a select few are any good, hence my question. Robert Rees.

STUART REPLIES: Robert, it's not easy. Let's be clear here. The game has so many rules and regulations and the coaches are ever more canny in exploiting rules and pressurising referees. To maximise chances I would love to see referees told not to focus on any aspect - aerial collisions etc - but just referee the game as accurately as possible and should the players perpetually cheat use cards sooner than later to open up the game. Nigel Owens shows what is possible. As for assistant referees; please do not flag unless the offence is clear and obvious. That should be set in stone.
 
What are your views on O'Connor's future at Leinster?
Jamie Coyle

STUART REPLIES: A title in his first year and a European semi-final in his second is the case for Matt O'Connor. The style in which Leinster play is the case against... O'Connor has lost a lot of the men that made Leinster a great team; with Johnny Sexton returning I think he deserves a chance to prove whether he can reignite them. Those would be my views, I suspect a minority view in Dublin!
 
The Premiership top two are likely safely through to the semi-finals, with the next four teams (Saracens, Tigers, Chiefs, Wasps) fighting it out for the last two places. This weekend Wasps play Tigers and Saracens play Chiefs. How do you see this weekend going? James Kunhardt

STUART REPLIES: Wasps have some momentum and home advantage but I have watched Leicester too long to write them off. Saracens should be too strong for Exeter at home... But even if Wasps win, round 22 is advantage Leicester - every point counts in Coventry. Wasps' game against London Irish away looks easier but the Saints will field a weakened team having already wrapped up a home semi. 

I reckon Wasps need to win four points to nil against the Tigers to qualify... my top four would be the Saints, Bath, Saracens and Leicester.

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