Preview: European Cup, Round Five
Coveted knockout stage places are on the line for Europe's premier club competition, the Champions Cup.
Once again, fans will be expecting the traditional nailbiting drama associated with Rounds Five and Six and if some clubs see qualification for the quarterfinals as a long shot at the moment, it's worth remembering that Exeter Chiefs won their Champions Cup pool last season with 16 points.
Holders, Saracens, have their sights set on another Champions Cup milestone when they travel to Scarlets on Sunday – seeking a record 14th straight win in the tournament.
As the only club to date with four wins, Sarries have breathing space at the top of Pool Three and they can book their place in the quarterfinals with another victory, but will be wary of an opposition that has won both of this season's matches at Parc y Scarlets.
RC Toulon meet Sale Sharks in the other match in the pool hoping to further their claim for a spot in the last eight.
Last weekend's bonus point victory for Munster over Racing 92 has put them in control of Pool One and they can also qualify for the quarterfinals if they get the better of Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun on Saturday.
There is plenty at stake at the Ricoh Arena too where Wasps clash with Toulouse in a repeat of the 2004 final. The two clubs are locked on 13 points at the top of a highly-competitive Pool Two along with Connacht, who host Zebre.
Three-time tournament winners, Leinster, can secure their place in the last eight with victory over Montpellier when Round Five of the Champions Cup kicks off at the RDS Arena Friday.
ASM Clermont Auvergne are the leading Top 14 contenders and they can also progress to the knockout stage if they get the better of Bordeaux-Bègles at Stade Chaban-Delmas on Sunday.
Three-time champions Toulon welcome back Australian playmaker Matt Giteau for their make-or-break match against Sale this weekend, when a number of teams could guarantee themselves spots in the European Champions Cup quarterfinals.
Toulon trail reigning champions Saracens by eight points in Pool Three and with a visit to the English giants in Round Six, their penultimate round-robin outing against the Sharks has become a must-win encounter.
Giteau, a key man in Toulon's hat-trick of titles from 2013-15, is back to fitness after suffering a broken ankle and an additional leg fracture playing for the Wallabies against New Zealand in the Championship.
"We have to show that we are hungry," insisted Toulon coach Mike Ford, having seen his side hammered 30-6 by Clermont in Top 14 action last weekend.
"Jonny Wilkinson's Toulon no longer exists. We must draw a line under our glorious past. We are no longer at the top of the tree in Europe. Before, Toulon were the ones being chased driven out, but now we are the hunters.
"We must approach matches with a different mentality. I think that all teams playing against Toulon are no longer afraid. We must not forget that we didn't win anything last season."
The beauty of the European Cup is that just the five pool winners are guaranteed of progressing to the knock-out phase, the three other places going to the best finishing second-placed teams.
It means there is rude competition throughout pool play to seal one of those eight places.
Saracens are the only unbeaten side left in the competition, while Leinster and French league leaders Clermont, who travel to Top 14 rivals Bordeaux-Begles, have only lost once and top Pools Four and Five respectively.
Munster and Glasgow, also with one loss apiece, are locked at the top of Pool One, with Leicester in third and Racing 92, last year's beaten finalists, pointless in fourth. And Pool Two sees a three-way shared lead between Wasps, Toulouse and Connacht, Italian whipping boys Zebre bottom.
Leinster have 16 points from their four matches so far and know they will advance to the final eight if they overcome Montpellier at home on Friday.
"There's a lot of us without any medals in our back pockets and you look at the senior guys with a lot of them," prop Tadhg Furlong said of the Irish province which won European honours in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
"As a younger player you try to pay homage to what the lads have done but, in your own way, move it on a bit as well.
"For lads to make European debuts last year, and then get knocked out in the pool stages with the tradition that the club has, does hurt and it definitely feeds the desire for this year."
Arguably one of the matches of the weekend will be Munster's trip to Glasgow on Saturday, with the two teams having hit some great form.
The Irish province smashed Racing last week and have already beaten the Warriors, 38-17, in the second round of matches.
But Glasgow coach Gregor Townsend said his team knew what to expect, explaining: "Munster will come at us with ball in hand and are very physical.
"It will be a real test of how we deal with their high balls and their set-piece challenge. We will have to be better if we want to win."
Friday, January 13
Leinster v Montpellier
(RDS Arena – Kick-off: 19.45; 20.45 French time; 19.45 GMT)
This will be the fourth meeting between the clubs, and honours are even with both sides picking up a win after their first meeting ended in a draw.
Leinster have won 20 of their last 22 home games against Top 14 opposition in the competition; RC Toulon (2015/16) and ASM Clermont Auvergne (2012/13) are the two sides to have bucked the trend.
Montpellier have lost their last seven away games and have won just three times in 15 away games overall.
Isa Nacewa has scored the joint most points in the Champions Cup this season (67, level with Owen Farrell) and has also scored the most tries (5).
Leinster's Josh van der Flier and Montpellier's Paul Willemse have each won six turnovers this season, no player has won more.
The teams:
Leinster: 15 Isa Nacewa (captain), 14 Adam Byrne, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Rory O'Loughlin, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Jack Conan, 5 Hayden Triggs, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 James Tracy, 1 Jack McGrath.
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Michael Bent, 19 Ross Molony, 20 Dan Leavy, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Rob Kearney.
Montpellier: 15 Joffrey Michel, 14 Timoci Nagusa, 13 Vincent Martin, 12 Joseph Tomane, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Frans Steyn, 9 Nic White, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Akapusi Qera, 6 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 5 Konstantine Mikautadze, 4 Paul Willemse, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili.
Replacements: 16 Charles Geli, 17 Yvan Watremez, 18 Davit Kubriashvili, 19 Antoine Battut, 20 Kelian Galletier, 21 Tomas O'Leary, 22 Henry Immelman, 23 Jesse Mogg.
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Simon McConnell (England)
TMO: Stuart Terheege (England)
Saturday, January 14
Connacht v Zebre
(The Sportsground – Kick-off: 13.00; 14.00 Italian time; 13.00 GMT)
Connacht have won all five previous meetings with Zebre in the tournament including a 52-7 victory in Round Two.
Zebre are still searching for their first victory in the top flight; the nearest they have come to winning so far was a five-point loss at The Sportsground in 2013.
A win would represent Connacht's best pool stage performance in a Champions Cup campaign – they have never won four matches in a season.
Connacht have averaged the most metres gained (629) and the most clean breaks (15.5) per game this season while Zebre have averaged the fewest metres (215) and clean breaks (3.8).
Teams:
Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Niyi Adeolokun, 13 Rory Parata, 12 Craig Ronaldson, 11 Matt Healy, 10 John Cooney, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 John Muldoon (captain), 7 Eoin McKeon, 6 Sean O’Brien, 5 James Cannon, 4 Lewis Stevenson, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Denis Buckley
Replacements: 16 Dave Heffernan, 17 JP Cooney, 18 John Andress, 19 James Connolly, 20 Naulia Dawai, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Tom Farrell, 23 Danie Poolman
Zebre: 15 Kurt Baker, 14 Lloyd Greeff, 13 Edoardo Padovani, 12 Mattia Bellini, 11 Guglielmo Palazzani, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Federico Ruzza, 7 Johan Meyer, 6 Maxime Mbandà (captain), 5 Valerio Bernabò, 4 Gideon Koegelenberg, 3 Pietro Ceccarelli, 2 Carlo Festuccia, 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements: 16 Oliviero Fabiani, 17 Andrea De Marchi, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Joshua Furno, 20 George Biagi, 21 Carlo Engelbrecht, 22 Derick Minnie, 23 Serafin Bordoli
Referee: Tom Foley (England)
Assistant referees: Ian Tempest (England), Roger Baileff (England)
TMO: Sean Davey (England)
Northampton Saints v Castres Olympique
(Franklin's Gardens – Kick-off: 13.00; 14.00 French time; 13.00 GMT)
The last seven meetings between the clubs have all been won by the home side on the day.
This will be Northampton's 10th game against Castres, making them the most regular opponent they have faced in this competition (Scarlets nine times).
Northampton have lost their last three games, and they've not lost four pool matches on the bounce since 2000.
Five of Yannick Caballero's eight line-out takes this season have been steals – no other player has stolen as many opposition throws.
Mike Haywood has found a teammate with all 32 of his line-out throws this season, the most of any hooker yet to misplace a throw.
Teams:
Northampton Saints: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Juan Pablo Estelles, 13 Luther Burrell, 12 Harry Mallinder, 11 George North, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Teimana Harrison, 7 Jamie Gibson, 6 Tom Wood (captain), 5 Christian Day, 4 Courtney Lawes, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Mikey Haywood, 1 Alex Waller
Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Paul Hill, 19 James Craig, 20 Ben Nutley, 21 Lee Dickson, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Ahsee Tuala
Castres: 15 Geoffrey Palis, 14 Horacio Agulla, 13 Afusipa Taumoepeau, 12 Robert Ebersohn, 11 David Smith, 10 Julien Dumora, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Maama Vaipulu, 7 Alexandre Bias, 6 Yannick Caballero, 5 Victor Moreaux, 4 Loic Jacquet, 3 Damien Tussac, 2 Jody Jenneker, 1 Mihaita Lazar
Replacements: 16 Brice Mach, 17 Antoine Tichit, 18 Daniel Kotze, 19 Rodrigo Capo Ortega, 20 Antoine Dupont, 21 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 22 Steve Mafi, 23 Thomas Combezou
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Leo Colgan (Ireland), Paul Haycock (Ireland)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
Wasps v Toulouse
(Ricoh Arena – Kick-off: 15.15; 16.15 GMT; 15.15 GMT)
Since Wasps beat Toulouse 77-17 in their first meeting back in 1996, the ensuing six games have all been decided by seven points or fewer (including two draws).
The clubs met in the 2004 Final, Wasps edging out Toulouse 27-20 thanks to a famous try from Rob Howley in the final minute.
Toulouse have failed to win in their last four fixtures against Premiership opposition, their worst such run.
Both these clubs have beaten 103 defenders in total this season, more than any other side.
Wasps have scored four tries from kick returns so far this season, more than any other side.
Teams:
Wasps: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Jimmy Gopperth, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Guy Thompson, 6 Thomas Young, 5 Kearnan Myall, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Martin Moore, 2 Ashley Johnson, 1 Matt Mullan
Replacements: 16 Edd Shervington, 17 Simon McIntyre, 18 Phil Swainston, 19 Matt Symons, 20 James Gaskell, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Kyle Eastmond, 23 Frank Halai
Toulouse: 15 Maxime Médard, 14 Kunatani Kunabuli, 13 Yann David, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Yoann Huget, 10 Jean-Marc Doussain, 9 Sébastien Bézy, 8 Francois Cros, 7 Talalelei Gray, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 5 Joe Tekori, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Christopher Tolofua, 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements: 16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 Vasil Kakovin, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Yoann Maestri, 20 Piula Faasalele, 21 Gillian Galan, 22 Toby Flood, 23 Arthur Bonneval
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Sean Gallagher (Ireland), Barrie O`Connell (Ireland)
TMO: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)
Glasgow Warriors v Munster
(Scotstoun Stadium – Kick-off: 17.30; 17.30 GMT)
After back-to-back wins over Racing 92, Glasgow are hunting for a third consecutive victory for just the second time in their history (2011).
Munster have won four of five previous games against Scottish opposition in the Champions Cup, although they did lose on their last trip to Scotland (v Edinburgh 2013).
Glasgow have scored 130 points in their last four home games (33 per game), winning every time and conceding just 31 in reply.
Two-time winners Munster have conceded just 42 points this season, fewer than any other side.
They're also the only team to conceded less than one try per game on average (three in four games).
Mark Bennett has averaged 14.9 metres per carry so far this season, the best average gain of any player to make at least 10 carries.
Teams:
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Lee Jones, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ali Price, 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Ryan Wilson, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Jonny Gray(captain), 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Gordon Reid
Replacements: 16 Pat MacArthur, 17 Alex Allan, 18 D’arcy Rae, 19 Matt Fagerson, 20 Chris Fusaro, 21 Grayson Hart, 22 Nick Grigg, 23 Peter Murchie
Munster: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Jaco Taute, 12 Rory Scannell, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Tyler Bleyendaal, 9 Conor Murray, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Jack O'Donoghue, 6 Peter O'Mahony (captain), 5 Donnacha Ryan, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 John Ryan, 2 Niall Scannell, 1 Dave Kilcoyne
Replacements: 16 Rhys Marshall, 17 James Cronin, 18 Thomas Du Toit, 19 Dave Foley, 20 Billy Holland, 21 Duncan Williams, 22 Ian Keatley, 23 Francis Saili
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant referees: Matthew Carley (England), Wayne Falla (England)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Racing 92 v Leicester Tigers
(Stade Yves-Du-Manoir – Kick-off: 20.45; 19.45 UK time; 19.45 GMT)
This will be the third time the clubs have met in the last 12 months, Racing won their semifinal encounter last season before Leicester's triumph in Round Two earlier this season.
Leicester's last away game (v Munster) saw them kept scoreless for just the second time; Ulster also managed the feat in 2004.
Leicester have lost 10 of their last 11 away games against Top 14 opposition, their only victory in that run coming against Montpellier in 2013/14.
Leone Nakarawa has made 14 offloads this season, at least three more than any other player.
Leicester have spent just 13 minutes and 32 seconds in possession on average per game this season – only Zebre (10 minutes, 59 seconds) have had less possession.
Teams:
Racing 92: 15 Juan Imhoff, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Anthony Tuitavke, 11 Teddy Thomas, 10 Benjamin Dambielle, 9 Xavier Chauveau, 8 Antonie Claassen, 7 Matthieu Voisin, 6 So'otala Fa'aso'o, 5 Francois van der Merwe, 4 Gerbrandt Grobler, 3 Luc Ducalcon, 2 Virgile Lacombe, 1 Eddy Ben Arous
Replacements: 16 Camille Chat, 17 Viliamu Afatia, 18 Ben Tameifuna, 19 Ali Williams, 20 Olivier Missoup, 21 James Hart, 22 Benjamin Dambielle, 23 Albert Vulivuli
Leicester Tigers: 15 Mathew Tait, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Peter Betham, 12 Matt Smith, 11 Tom Brady, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Lachlan McCaffrey, 7 Will Evans, 6 Mike Williams, 5 Graham Kitchener, 4 Ed Slater, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs (captain), 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Harry Thacker, 17 Greg Bateman, 18 Pat Cilliers, 19 Mike Fitzgerald, 20 Luke Hamilton, 21 Jono Kitto, 22 Sam Harrison, 23 Jack Roberts
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Sean Brickell (Wales), Gwyn Morris (Wales)
TMO: Jon Mason (Wales)
Sunday, January 15
Scarlets v Saracens
(Parc y Scarlets – Kick-off: 13.00; 13.00 GMT)
After beating RC Toulon in Round Four, Scarlets can now win three consecutive home games for the first time since 2010.
Saracens are on a run of 13 consecutive victories in the Champions Cup, one more victory would be a new record for the competition (Munster won 13 between 2005 and 2007).
This will only be Saracens' fourth away game in Wales, the last such visit coming in 2011.
The reigning champions have used just 29 players in the Champions Cup this season, the joint fewest of any side (level with Wasps).
Only Owen Farrell (24) has slotted more kicks than Rhys Patchell (21) who boasts the best success rate of any player to attempt 10+ kicks this season (91 percent).
Teams:
Scarlets: 15 Liam Williams, 14 Johnny McNicholl, 13 Hadleigh Parkes, 12 Scott Williams, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Dan Jones, 9 Aled Davies, 8 John Barclay, 7 James Davies, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ken Owens (captain), 1 Rob Evans
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Wyn Jones, 18 Werner Kruger, 19 Tom Price, 20 Will Boyde, 21 Jonathan Evans, 22 Aled Thomas, 23 Jonathan Davies
Saracens: 15 Alex Lozowski, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Nick Tompkins, 11 Chris Wyles, 10 Owen Farrell (captain), 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Michael Rhodes, 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Richard Barrington
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Titi Lamositele, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Kelly Brown, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Tim Streather, 23 Sean Maitland
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (France)
Assistant referees: Adrien Descottes (France), Thomas Dejean (France)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
Bordeaux-Bègles v ASM Clermont Auvergne
(Stade Chaban-Delmas – Kick-off: 14.00; 13.00 GMT)
This will be the fourth meeting between the clubs; the previous three have seen an average of 62 points scored per game.
Bordeaux's heaviest home defeat came at the hands of Clermont last season, losing 10-28 in Round One.
Clermont have won just two of seven away games against Top 14 opposition, beating Bordeaux last season and Montauban in 2008.
Forty players have featured for Bordeaux this season, more than any other side, while Clermont have used the third most players (37, level with Northampton).
Wesley Fofana leads the way this season for both clean breaks (12) and defenders beaten (26).
Teams:
Bordeaux-Bègles: 15 Jean-Marcellin Buttin, 14 Nans Ducuing, 13 Jayden Spence, 12 Joe Wakacegu, 11 Jean-Baptiste Dubié, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Baptiste Serin, 8 Marco Tauleigne, 7 Hugh Chalmers, 6 Loann Goujon, 5 Cyril Cazeaux, 4 Tom Palmer, 3 Vadim Cobilas, 2 Ole Avei, 1 Sébastien Taofifenua
Replacements: 16 Clément Maynadier, 17 Jean-Baptiste Poux, 18 Steven Kitshoff, 19 Berend Botha, 20 Luke Jones, 21 Yann Lesgourgues, 22 Blair Connor, 23 Geoffrey Cros
ASM Clermont Auvergne: 15 Isaia Toeava, 14 Noa Nakaitaci, 13 Remi Lamerat, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Adrien Plante, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Fritz Lee, 7 Viktor Kolelishvili, 6 Damien Chouly, 5 Arthur Iturria, 4 Paul Jedrasiak, 3 Davit Zirakashvili, 2 John Ulugia, 1 Raphael Chaume
Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Alexandre Lapandry, 21 Ludovic Radosavljevic, 22 Benson Stanley, 23 Scott Spedding
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Dan Jones (Wales), Wayne Davies (Wales)
TMO: Neil Hennessy (Wales)
RC Toulon v Sale Sharks
(Stade Félix Mayol – Kick-off: 16.15; 15.15 UK time; 15.15 GMT)
The last time Toulon hosted Sale (2012) the Premiership side suffered their heaviest defeat in the competition (0-62).
Toulon have won three out of three games against Sale, scoring 94 points and conceding just 11.
Toulon have a 100 percent win rate in Round Five of the pool stage, winning all five previous matches at this juncture.
Mamuka Gorgodze has made 34 tackles without missing this season; no player has made as many as the Georgian while maintaining a 100 percent success rate.
Only Wesley Fofana (26) has beaten more defenders than Mike Haley (16) who has played one game less than the Clermont centre.
Teams:
RC Toulon: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Pierre Bernard, 9 Sebastien Tillous-Borde, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Juan Fernandez Lobbe, 6 Liam Gill, 5 Samu Manoa, 4 Jocelino Suta, 3 Marcel Van Der Merwe, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Laurent Delboulbès
Replacements: 16 Jean-Charles Orioli, 17 Florian Fresia, 18 Levan Chilachava, 19 Juan Smith, 20 Matt Giteau, 21 Josua Tuisova, 22 Jonathan Pelissie, 23 Mamuka Gorgodze
Sale: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Paolo Odogwu, 13 Will Addison (c), 12 Mark Jennings, 11 Josh Charnley, 10 Sam James, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Laurence Pearce, 7 David Seymour, 6 Magnus Lund, 5 Jonathan Mills, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 Halani Aulika, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Neil Briggs, 17 James Flynn, 18 Kieran Longbottom, 19 George Nott, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Tom Curry, 22 James Mitchell, 23 Dan Mugford
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland), Ken Imbusch (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Exeter Chiefs v Ulster
(Sandy Park – Kick-off: 17.30; 17.30 GMT)
Ulster have lost six of their last eight away games, including their last three in a row; those most recent three defeats were by a margin greater than 14 points.
Exeter have failed to score 10 points in their last two home games, losing both to Top 14 opposition (8-35 v Clermont, 7-13 v Bordeaux).
The Chiefs are still searching for their first win against Irish opposition in the Champions Cup.
Exeter have made 92 percent of their kicks at goal this season, the best success rate of any side.
The Round Two fixture was the only game so far this season to have a successful drop goal with Gareth Steenson and Paddy Jackson both slotting one apiece.
Teams:
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Gareth Steenson (captain), 9 Dave Lewis, 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 Don Armand, 6 Tom Johnson, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Mitch Lees, 3 Greg Holmes, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ben Moon
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Moray Low, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Dave Dennis, 20 Kai Horstmann, 21 Stuart Townsend, 22 Joe Simmonds, 23 Ollie Devoto
Ulster: 15 Louis Ludik, 14 Charles Piutau, 13 Luke Marshall, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Andrew Trimble (captain), 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Dave Shanahan, 8 Sean Reidy, 7 Chris Henry, 6 Iain Henderson, 5 Pete Browne, 4 Kieran Treadwell, 3 Ross Kane, 2 Rory Best, 1 Callum Black
Replacements: 16 John Andrew, 17 Andrew Warwick, 18 Jonny Simpson, 19 Franco van der Merwe, 20 Clive Ross, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Brett Herron, 23 Jacob Stockdale
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees: Pierre Brousset (France), Stephane Boyer (France)
TMO: Arnaud Blondel (France)
Source: @ChampionsCup
