

Round 3 was slightly disappointing in terms of Superbru performance, where I picked the Ospreys win, and Castres to beat Racing, but showed too much faith in the English teams like Bath, Harlequins and Exeter.
This weekend sees the return legs of the Round 3 matches, so with the ultimate form guide in hand, this weekend should see us with 10 out of 10!
Ulster v Harlequins
It has been a sorry return to the Champions Cup for Harlequins, with just a single losing bonus point to their name. A bonus-point win for Ulster at home would put them in a very strong position to qualify as a best runner-up, whilst La Rochelle run away with the group, but they haven’t been scoring too freely so far. Ulster by 11
Montpellier v Glasgow
Having beaten the Scots away in Glasgow, it’s hard to see Montpellier losing this one as they return to the Altrad Stadium. Glasgow’s campaign is already over with three defeats from three, and you’d expect a comfortable French win. Montpellier by 16
Treviso v Scarlets
The Italians have come close to two upsets so far, and gave Bath a harder time than the 23-0 scoreline suggests. I fancy them to take this one at home. Treviso by 4
Leinster v Exeter
Leinster have been installed as title favourites by some people after last week’s win at Sandy Park. They can consolidate that status with a win at Lansdowne Road, which should ensure their qualification from a very tough group. Leinster by 13
Racing v Castres
Castres won the home match, but Racing will win this week as the venues are reversed, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was quite comfortable. Racing by 16
Bath v Toulon
Bath came within minutes of a famous win in Toulon last week, which would have done wonders for my Superbru leaderboard position, but as it stands now, they really need to win this one to have a chance of qualifying. Having run them close last weekend, they should have the confidence to finish the job this time. Bath by 4
Wasps v La Rochelle
With 15 points from their three matches already, La Rochelle will be eyeing up top seeding in the quarter-finals. This will be a tough fixture at the Ricoh though, where not many teams come away with a win. This would be quite an upset, but French teams are usually awful away from home. Wasps by 4
Ospreys v Northampton
Defeat at Franklins Gardens last week was the straw that broke the camel’s back, with head coach Jim Mallinder departing this week. It’s unlikely to get any better immediately, and the Ospreys will be strong favourites for this one. Ospreys by 8.
Clermont v Saracens
Only 9% on Superbru expected Clermont to win in Round 3, and surely nobody would have expected a 32-point drubbing in the hastily rearranged Monday fixture. It’s hard to see Sarries bouncing back from that, and another defeat here is going to leave them struggling to qualify. Clermont by 7
Leicester v Munster
The Tigers also suffered a heavy defeat, losing by 23 points at Thomond Park. Can they do any better at Welford Road? It should be closer, but they were so comprehensively outplayed last weekend that I can’t see them winning it. Munster by 6
What do you think? Can Bath and Wasps win as I’ve predicted to provide some festive cheer for English rugby?
Follow Hutch on Twitter: @Hutch_James
Wasps will get the win at home,la Rochelle will pick up the losing bonus point.Bath will be too strong for a Toulon team in decline especially as they are at home this weekend.!!!
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Largely agree with the predictions. With Toomua and Tuilagi returning we could see Leicester put up more of a fight, and even win this week.
Hoping Bath can get the win though, Falateau is a big loss but Louw back will help Bath with the breakdown.
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Bath by 8. Minimum prediction, they demonstrated that when they can go wide they’ll be devastating vs a massive Toulon side over the hill. They’ll match up better at the break down with Louw back and will continue to gain set piece dominance especially with the progressive and positive management of the game by referee Owens. Struggling to see Toulon actually turning up away from home!
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Hopefully English teams can restore some pride !
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Well Quins didnt manage it. Some of their defending, particularly out wide, was comically bad. Europe is no place to send out a side with so many regular starters absent.
Think Bath and Wasps have good chances to win, and i wouldnt be surprised if Saracens and Exeter got BP’s.
Tigers will turn it around and win too.
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