• Warriors open their campaign with 13-7 victory• Leinster, Harlequins and Ospreys v Munster laterDTH Van Der Merwe’s try gave Glasgow a winning start to their Champions Cup campaign as they edged out Sale 13-7. Dave Rennie’s team dominated the first h…
• Leinster flanker out for six months with hip injury• O’Brien joins Dan Leavy in missing tournamentIreland’s Rugby World Cup hopes have suffered a blow with the news that flanker Sean O’Brien will miss the tournament in Japan with a hip injury, his cl…
Glasgow 15-18 LeinsterTries: Fagerson, Stewart. Con: Hastings. Pen: HastingsTries: Ringrose, Healy. Con: Sexton. Pens: Sexton 2Leo Cullen knew the European Champions Cup finalists would be up against it playing Warriors in their own city, and the vast …
With three European crowns in four seasons there are no signs Saracens’ reign is coming to an end anytime soonThis time next year European rugby’s finals will be held in the south of France rather than the north-east of England, with Marseille’s Vieux …
• Maro Itoje: ‘He told us he would show up’• No 8 scores decisive try in final against LeinsterBilly Vunipola gave a rousing speech on the eve of Saracens’ Champions Cup final victory, promising to deliver a match-winning performance. He then proceeded…
Learning through failure shifts power to Saracens, but this year’s showpiece could have seismic effects on the wider gameLeinster were a year ago hailed not only as the best team in Europe but potentially the best ever after winning the Champions Cup. …
George Kruis was a fantastic nuisance at the lineout and made a remarkable 27 tackles, while Garry Ringrose struggled to find space for LeinsterRob Kearney Mr Reliable under the high ball and it was his break down the right that eventually led to his s…
Saracens triumph after a torrid first half as their England No8 has the final word against Leinster in NewcastleJust occasionally two teams can be so evenly matched it is almost impossible to separate them. This was one of them, a contest so tight it p…
• Leinster 10-20 Saracens• Sean Maitland and Billy Vunipola lead Champions Cup fightbackThe unstoppable shifted the immovable. A meeting of the two leading clubs in Europe always threatened to come down to a few moments and two, either side of the inte…
Updates from the 5pm BST kick-off in NewcastleLaidlaw kicks Clermont to Challenge Cup gloryGet in touch! Email Niall or tweet @niallmcveigh 5.09pm BST 8 mins: Leinster scrum, from which Jack Conan snaffles the ball and tries to break away. McGrath’s cl…
Spencer’s performance in the European showdown against Leinster could lead to a World Cup spot for England in JapanSlowly but surely there has been a changing of the guard at Saracens this season. In the four finals they have won in the past three year…
• Irish province chasing a record fifth European title• Will Skelton starts in a strong Saracens packThis has been a special week for English teams in Europe but Leinster are the only side chasing a five-star outcome this weekend. No club have won rugb…
Leinster’s Furlong and Saracens’ Mako Vunipola were roommates on the 2017 Lions tour and the props are full of praise for each other before what they expect will be a breathless Champions Cup finalThey were teammates and roommates on the Lions tour to …
When so much quality exists across the board, the team that controls the game in all its elements for its duration will winYou can trawl though the archives and statistics to preview how Saturday’s Champions Cup final may pan out but I wouldn’t bother….
An irresistible force faces an immovable object and the winner will be Europe’s most remarkable champions, bar noneWidespread agreement is rare in rugby but this week is an exception. The two best, most consistent teams in Europe are contesting this ye…
Saracens and England hooker’s leadership skills have come to the fore to deal with a difficult off-field incident before the European Cup final against Leinster on Saturday“I’m never going to be a leader that starts screaming at people, demanding thing…
Veteran scrum-half believes little details and some Alex Goode magic can be decisive against Leinster in Champions Cup finalCup competitions rarely deliver a final that involves the two strongest teams. Luck of the draw is a factor along with knockout …
• Leinster 30-12 Toulouse• Three tries take holders into fifth European finalAs long ago as October the smart money was on Leinster and Saracens contesting this season’s Champions’ Cup final and a brutal Anglo-Irish slugfest duly awaits. On the evidenc…
Scottish lock is ready for the Champions Cup semi-final between the competition’s only four-times winnersIn a battle between the two most successful sides in Champions Cup history Toulouse must not be too loose. French rugby’s aristocrats have relocate…
Ulster wing’s failure to ground ball let Leinster off the hook while 14-man Toulouse held off their French rivalsWhichever team ends up winning the Champions Cup this will go down as the year of the European clanger. Maybe Leinster, Munster and Toulous…
