ACC, r6: Toulon and Bourgoin fly the flag for French clubs in the Amlin Challenge Cup

21 January 2010

Toulon and Bourgoin will be out to fly the Top 14 flag this weekend as both teams seek to secure their quarter-final berths in this season's Amlin Challenge Cup.

Pool 3 leaders Toulon remain in prime position despite losing last weekend away to Saracens, and will host fellow French side Castres at the Stade Félix Mayol. Bourgoin, last season's runners-up, are also well placed in Pool 1, level on points with group leaders Leeds Carnegie - who they travel to take on in a winner-takes-all scenario.

Amlin Challenge Cup - Pool results and tables

Toulon's path is straightforward if they want to make their first European quarter-final appearance for 15 years - beat Castres, and score four tries in the process to secure the attacking bonus. If they can do that then a place in the last eight is theirs, regardless of how Saracens fare away to Rugby Rovigo.

To that end they are likely to field a full-strength team, with the likes of Jonny Wilkinson, Juan Fernandez Lobbe and skipper Joe Van Niekerk all set to start. The Cote d'Azur side also boasts the tournament's top try-scorer this season with Gabi Lovobalavu having already run in seven so far.

Toulon have already played Castres twice so far this season (both away from home), going down 21-19 in Top 14 but winning 33-17 in the ACC. They remain unbeaten this season at the cauldron that is the Stade Félix Mayol and should have the advantage of Castres reserving their energies for maintaining their second-placed standing in France's domestic league.

Saracens, however, remain ready to pounce should Toulon not take five points from the match, with the English outfit away to Italian side Rugby Rovigo on Saturday afternoon. The Italians have failed to register a single point in the competition to date, but Toulon will at least know what they have to do as the Saracens match kicks off more than five hours before their own game.

Bourgoin, like Toulon, know exactly what they must do to progress to the last eight as they are currently tied on 19 points in Pool 1 with Sunday's opponents Leeds Carnegie. Unlike Toulon, however, they are on the road as they seek to push through to the quarter-finals.

Last season they somewhat surprisingly made it all the way through to the final - before losing to Northampton Saints - and that experience should stand them in good stead as they cross the Channel to take on their Guinness Premiership rivals.

They would dearly love to add the 2009/10 ACC to the one they picked up in 1996/97, but know that only an away win would allow them to dream on.

They beat Leeds in France 29-19 back in October and veteran prop Olivier Milloud believes that could give them the edge going into Sunday's game. "We know it will be a tough encounter, especially as we are playing away, but let's hope that we will take the positive from our results against them in round one into the second leg," he told ercrugby.com.

Bourgoin go into the match having won four of their past six games and boosted by the recall of fly-half Benjamin Boyet to the France squad. Boyet's boot is likely to prove pivotal to their chances at the weekend - both out of hand and going for goal - but their strongest asset this year has been their team spirit in the face of extraordinary off-the-field problems.

They began the season with 12 players unavailable after the LNR blocked a dozen players' licences due to financial problems, and they have also overcome the threat of potential bankruptcy and a rumoured merger. The financial situation has now been resolved - for this season anyway - and they recently ended Racing-Métro's long winning run by winning 18-17 up in Paris.

All the other French teams are playing for pride, with Racing at home to Pool 4 winners London Wasps tonight (Thursday), while Montauban host SCA Albi in an all Top 14 tie on Friday. Montpellier are also in action on Friday (at home to Worcester Warriors), while Bayonne will be keen to maintain their winning momentum (after beating Racing last weekend) when they travel to Rugby Roma on Saturday. 

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