ACC, r3: Battle of the top guns as Castres play host to Saracens in Pool 3 shootout

10 December 2009

European action returns tonight (Thursday) with Montauban travelling to the Newcastle Falcons in the opening game of the Amlin Challenge Cup's round three.

Eight French teams are in action throughout the weekend, with Friday night's clash between Castres and Saracens - the respective leaders of Top 14 and the Guinness Premiership - perhaps the most intriguing.

Amlin Challenge Cup - Pool results and tables

Elsewhere, Pool 3 leaders Toulon will be hoping to continue their impressive start with a home win against Rugby Rovigo, while Bourgoin - last season's runners-up - travel to Rugby Parma to take on another Italian side. In-form Racing-Métro 92 also face Italian opposition - in the shape of Rugby Roma - while Montpellier host Spanish side Olympus Rugby XV Madrid.

Struggling Bayonne, meanwhile, are away to English heavyweights London Wasps at the beginning of a fortnight that make or break the Basque side's season.

Newcastle Falcons v Montauban
Marc Raynaud's Montauban should travel in good spirits for their crucial clash with Pool 5 leaders Newcastle following an impressive 20-15 weekend win over Clermont Auvergne. Their deserved win came hot on the heals of a narrow away defeat at Stade Toulousain as the green machine confirmed its emergence from a mid-season slumber. Both teams go into this match having won their two pool matches to date, although Newcastle are top after picking up bonus points in each game. Raynaud has moved hooker Brice Mach to number eight, with 21-year-old Cédric Coll named at fly-half, while there are also starts for Scottish duo Andrew Henderson and Scott Murray. Former Wasps prop Nick Adams is on the bench.
Newcastle, who lost to Gloucester at the weekend, have made four changes to the line-up. Fit again England Saxons scrum-half Micky Young returns, along with hooker Matt Thompson, full-back Alex Tait and flanker Will Welch. The hosts are currently seventh in the Guinness Premiership are viewing this competition as a viable entry into next season's Heineken Cup.
Verdict: Newcastle Falcons win

Castres v Saracens
It's an uncanny coincidence, but this match brings together the best that France and England can currently offer as Castres and Saracens top their respective leagues going into this Pool 3 clash. To add further juice both are presently behind pool leaders Toulon as the scramble for qualification hots up. Basically, that means the next two games between Castres and Saracens will act as an eliminator for the right to try and topple Philippe Saint-André's men - who have a relatively easy double-header against group minnows Rugby Rovigo.
"This is effectively our first knockout game of the year," admitted Mark McCall, Saracens' first team coach. "We want to be involved in big matches, play-off games, semi-finals, finals. We're a new side and the more big games the better. But having lost our Challenge Cup match at Toulon, and knowing that only the pool winner goes through to the knockout stage, means there is even greater significance," he added. "Their being top does add a bit of spice and it will give us an indication of where we are, having to go to the South of France to play their best team," McCall told The Times. McCall should certainly know all about Friday's opponents having spent two seasons there as backs coach before joining Saracens this season.
Saracens will restore Kiwi Glen Jackson to fly-half, but scrum-half Neil de Kock is still injured, with either Justin Marshall or Moses Rauluni starting at No 9 instead. Delon Armitage returned to training this week but Alex Goode remains at full-back for now. Castres will be without influential former All Black Chris Masoe - after he sprained an ankle in the weekend loss at Bourgoin - but Australian fly-half Cameron McIntyre could play after recovering from a neck injury. The boot of full-back Romain Teulet could be crucial, as it has been all season.
Verdict: Castres win

Toulon v Rugby Rovigo
Australian scrum-half Matt Henjak will make a Lazarus-like return to the Toulon first team in this match, and not only that, he will also have the honour of captaining them against Italian side Rugby Rovigo. The combative 28-year-old thought he'd played his last game for the club (on November 5th) when he had to make way in the squad for fit-again Argentine Felipe Contepomi (as you are only allowed two registered foreigners in Top 14 - i.e. non EU, Kolpak etc). But head coach Philippe Saint-André scoured the ACC rules and discovered he could name him as a licensed amateur due to a loophole that will be closed at the end of this season, thus allowing Henjak this unexpected opportunity. The popular scrum-half had been retained by Toulon in a non-playing role and now has the incentive - hence the captaincy - to see his side progress as far as possible in this tournament. "I'm very excited," he told Midi Olympique this week. "I thought I had played my last game there a month ago, and now I'm back".
Toulon are certainly taking it seriously - due to the carrot of a Heineken Cup slot for the winners - and have already recorded notable victories over Castres (17-33, a) and Saracens (31-23, h), the respective leaders of Top 14 and the Guinness Premiership. Rovigo shouldn't present too many problems - they were thumped 11-76 at home by Castres in round two - so Saint-André has taken the opportunity to rest a host of his stars, including England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson. Intriguingly - given Henjak's scenario - he is likely to play alongside Contepomi on Friday night as the Pumas captain continues his comeback from a lengthy lay-off. Former rugby league star Sonny Bill Williams will feature for similar reasons, while Tom May, Kris Chesney, Tim Ryan and Phil Fitzgerald are also in the squad.
Verdict: Toulon win

Montpellier v Olympus Rugby XV Madrid
A double-header against Spanish side Olympus Rugby XV Madrid should provide Montpellier with the perfect opportunity to put themselves back in contention in Pool 2, but how they must be ruing their 22-19 home defeat by Connacht. The Mediterranean side started impressively with an away win at Worcester Warriors, but their infuriating inconsistency once more resurfaced with the Connacht loss. It has been the tale of their season so far, with a recent four-match winning streak - a new club record in Top 14 - unceremoniously terminated by a 25-3 home drubbing by Brive. Last weekend's 29-3 loss at Perpignan was more expected, but it won't have helped team morale much. News that scrum-half/fly-half Benedict Paillaugue, 22, will undergo shoulder surgery next week and be out for four months won't have helped either. Originally injured in ACC game against Connacht on October 16, he suffered a relapse in training on Tuesday. Still, 'Montpol' should still prove too strong for their Spanish guests as they seek to get back to winning ways.
Verdict: Montpellier win

Rugby Parma v Bourgoin
Bourgoin know all about the positive effect of a good European run and the Top 14 battlers are keen on another bite of the cherry after losing in last year's final to Northampton Saints. Two wins from two so far has put them in good shape as they prepare for the back-t-back games against Italian side Rugby Parma, currently propping up Pool 1 with 'nil points'. Their weekend home win against Top 14 leaders Castres brought welcome relief after a torrid few weeks both on and off the pitch, and the next fortnight offers the opportunity to consolidate both that form, and pool position. Bonus points will be the order, with Eric Catinot urging his team to emerge with a maximum 10 from 10 if possible.
Verdict: Bourgoin win 

London Wasps v Bayonne
This looks a trip too far for Top 14 strugglers Bayonne, despite the fighting talk from captain Rémy Martin this week. The Basque side have lost six of their last seven league matches, and have also gone down in all eight away games so far this season. On paper that makes this an easy one to call and yet... Bayonne's sole away success in 2009/10 was their 20-16 victory at Racing-Métro 92 in round two of this competition and they are currently joint leaders of Pool 4 with London Wasps on nine points. But with their league form nothing short of disastrous head coach Thierry Mentières may decide that the pursuit of a lucrative Heineken Cup is worth the gamble of fielding his strongest sides over the next crucial fortnight. Certainly his captain Martin was in fighting mood earlier this week: "London Wasps are definitely the team to beat and we will have to double our efforts because we face them twice in a matter of one week. We'll have to stay focused and committed throughout the two encounters. That will require a lot of energy and whatever the result in round three we must keep up the hard work and do our best again in round four," he said. "It is vital to finish first in your pool and qualify for the quarter-finals so we are in for a superb game of rugby.
"Despite the fact that Bayonne are not in a good position in the Top 14 it doesn't mean that we will do badly on the European stage. That remains an avenue in which we can still hope to do well and we will stick to our goal in that respect no matter what happens in our domestic competition. The European matches are important to win because it is vital for your confidence and for the progression of your players and it benefits the club records as a whole," added the former Stade Francais player.
The two sides go into Saturday's encounter in sharply contrasting form with Wasps buoyant after their 24-22 win over Leicester Tigers, while Bayonne are still smarting from their 34-10 loss to Stade Francais in front of 70,000 fans at the Stade de France. Wasps could be further boosted by the playing return of 22-year-old fly-half Danny Cipriani. The highly-talented No 10 played 40 minutes in a reserve game on Monday and is itching to get back to first-team duties.
Verdict: London Wasps win

Petrarca Padova v SCA Albi
Top 14 survival remains the key priority this season for France's basement club SCA Albi, and after two defeats in two ACC games they have no realistic chance of progression in this competition. That means head coach Eric Béchu will use these two games to rest tired players and give further first-team exposure to fringe squad members. They may have won two of their last three league games, but with no chance of qualifying it makes no sense to risk injuries for the forthcoming battles ahead. Petrarca have also lost both of their Pool 5 games to date but they have been competitive on each occasion and will view this match as one they can possibly win.
Verdict: Petrarca Padova win

Racing-Metro 92 v Rugby Roma
Racing might be France's in-form team - certainly in terms of pure results - but their interest in this year's ACC probably ended when Bayonne beat them 16-20 at home in round two. Having already lost to London Wasps in Pool 4 head coach Pierre Berbizier is likely to use these two games to rest weary legs. Their eight-match winning streak in Top 14 - dating back to September 26 - has now propelled them up to third in the French league and given them genuine hope of securing Heineken Cup rugby by finishing in the top six. That is likely to remain their prime focus, enabling the likes of Sebastien Chabal, Lionel Nallet and Francois Steyn to be spared against the Italians. They also have two enforced absences, with young scrum-half Mathieu Lorée suspended following his cannabis confession earlier this week and 21-year-old flanker Nathan Lane having undergone shoulder surgery that will rule him out until February. Having said all of that Berbizier will still be looking for his charges to maintain their winning streak as they take on the still point-less Italian minnows. A points differential of -115 after two games tells its own story for Rugby Roma, although I'm sure the Italians will enjoy a fine weekend away in Paris.
Verdict: Racing-Métro 92 win

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