This was also a first for England winger Claudia MacDonald, who is married to the Irish women’s hooker Cliodhna Maloney/MacDonald. I hope they were friends again by the time they arrived home.
This was a multi-sport weekend in England with the Grand National, the Masters golf, and a pulsating number of Premier League football matches dominating the calendar.
There was also the Investec Champions League, which reached the quarter-final stage.
Bath won a thriller against Northampton on Friday night 43-41 despite being well behind at half-time. Northampton is the style council of English rugby. They play an exhilarating style. Bath is the money club. They have invested heavily in world-class players, some South Africans, and a very talented talisman in Finn Russell.
Form club Glasgow lost a narrow encounter to Toulon 19-23. Glasgow’s performance was error-strewn, and the morning review would have been painful to watch.
Leinster started slowly against Sale, who languish in the bottom half of the Gallagher Premiership. A score of 43-13 was to be expected when Leinster gained momentum. For Sale, it is another season where they have failed to meet expectations, and with many players leaving, the cheque book will remain open.
In the last quarter-final, a match that could have been named “El Clásico”, reigning champions Bordeaux played rivals Toulouse in an all-French classic. Once the initial arm-wrestling was broken, we had a classic, fast-paced encounter. Bordeaux was roared on by a capacity crowd and got home by 30 points to 15.
The semi-finals will be played on the weekend of May 1-3. Leinster will play Toulon, while Bordeaux face Bath. I think Bath can upset Bordeaux, but not Toulon over Leinster.
Wherever you live, enjoy your rugby.
The Global Rugby Coach, Mike Penistone, is a globally renowned professional rugby coach based in Phuket who is also an ambassador for the Asia Center Foundation, a charity for disadvantaged children. For more information visit: www.rugbycoachingconsultancy.com.