Heineken Cup – Round three
preview
05 December 2008
Another frenetic weekend
of Heineken Cup matches gets underway tonight, with French
sides Montauban and Biarritz both in action, before the big
guns of Stades Toulouse and Francais enter the fray on
Saturday afternoon.
This is the crucial
third round of matches in both the Heineken Cup and European
Challenge Cup, with reversed fixtures following next weekend
as the battle for quarter-final berths hots up.
As ever, we at FRC will
be keeping you up to date with all the matches and results,
as well as putting our collective battered neck once more
onto the chopping block with a full set of predictions.
Last week’s Top 14
upsets made us look like turkeys, but hey, that’s what sport
is all about right?
Sale Sharks v
Montauban, Pool 1, 20.45, Friday
Montauban, who have narrowly lost
both their games so far in their debut Heineken Cup season,
face another tough challenge when they travel to England’s
Sale Sharks.
The Manchester side,
which won in Clermont in the opening round, will be doubly
keen to get the result following yesterday’s news that
French director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre will be
stepping down at the end of the reason – possibly to coach
Top 14 side Toulon.
All Black Luke McAlister
remains their key man, with former England fly-half Charlie
Hodgson set to orchestrate the Premiership side’s backs.
Scottish international
Scott Murray captains Montauban in the absence of usual
skipper Marc Raynaud. Former Cornish Pirates and Wasps prop
Nick Adams is also in the visitors’ line-up, together with
returning fly-half Cedric Rosalen.
Verdict: Sale win
Cardiff Blues v
Biarritz, Pool 6, 21.00, Friday
Former runners-up Biarritz are one
of several Top 14 sides currently experiencing something of
a crisis, and arrive in Cardiff to take on the Pool 6
leaders on the back of three successive league defeats, and
the sacking of forwards coach Jacques Delmas.
Cardiff may have lost
badly to Glasgow Warriors last week but they remain focused
on European success and should have too much for their
French visitors tonight.
Biarritz’s best hopes
probably revolve around the sometimes mercurial Dimitri
Yachvilli, and the American speedster Takudzwa Ngwenya.
French internationals Imanol Harinordoquy and Damien Traille
are also both in the starting XV, but the star-studded Welsh
outfit looks good for another home win.
Verdict: Cardiff win
Leinster v Castres,
Pool 2, 14.35, Saturday
Win-less Castres head to Ireland
with Top 14 relegation worries dominating their thoughts.
The absence of star names such as All Black Chris Masoe
indicate that league survival is taking precedence over
European glory, and the result could be embarrassing if
Brian O’Driscoll and Co maintain their superb start to the
competition.
Bonus point victories
over Wasps and Edinburgh have seen them claim top spot in
Pool 2, a position they are likely to strengthen with
another resounding win on Saturday.
Verdict: Leinster win
Toulouse v Newport Gwent Dragons, Pool 5,
14.35, Saturday
Three-times winners Toulouse top
Pool 5 after narrow wins against Bath and Glasgow, but their
league form has been irrepressible of late and they go into
this match on an eight-match winning run that bodes ill for
the Dragons.
The Welsh will no doubt
scrap mightily for possession but the Top 14 leaders have
class in every position and should run out convincing
winners. Complacency, as ever, will be their greatest
threat, but with the likes of Byron Kelleher and Freddie
Michalak teaming up at half-backs that seems an unlikely
scenario. Nothing but a bonus point win would be deemed a
success for the home side.
Verdict: Toulouse win
Stade Francais v
Harlequins, Pool 4, 16.30, Saturday
Perhaps the most appealing of the
weekend’s games with two good teams going to head-to-head in
front of more than 70,000 fans – a new Heineken Cup record –
at the Stade de France.
The French wannabes are
crucially without both Juan-Martin Hernandez and Lionel
Beauxis, while Quins will be directed on the field by
exciting Kiwi fly-half Nick Evans.
Director of rugby Dean
Richards has stressed to his players not to get distracted
by the usual Stade razzmatazz – including 20,000 free pink
flags for the fans – and with both sides going into this
match with 100% winning records something will simply have
to give. I’ve got a sneaking feeling it could just be the
Paris club that buckles.
Verdict: Harlequins win
Leicester v
Perpignan, Pool 3, 18.30, Saturday
The last of Saturday’s matches
sees ambitious Perpignan travel to Leicester Tigers, but
without the services of All Black fly-half Dan Carter.
The Kiwi No 10 is set to
make his USAP debut in the reverse fixture next week,
leaving Leicester free to concentrate on trying to rack up a
third consecutive win in the search for further European
honours.
David Mele is the man
with the unenviable task of filling Carter’s boots, but
Perpignan have been in good form in Top 14 and will travel
with hope, if not expectation.
Scottish international
Nathan Hines is in their starting line-up, but Leicester’s
blend of old and new should be too much… this week at least.
Verdict: Leicester win
Clermont v Munster,
Pool 1, 16.00, Sunday
The only Sunday clash involving a
French side sees inconsistent Clermont entertain reigning
champions Munster at the Stade Marcel Michelin.
Clermont were victorious
26-19 in the same fixture last season, but Munster’s
determined fight-back to secure an unlikely bonus point
proved crucial to the tournament’s outcome.
The Irish side has
arguably improved since then, with Clermont slipping by
comparison, as six league defeats already this season amply
demonstrates. Last week’s shock away loss at bottom club
Mont-de-Marsan will no doubt have fired up the coaching
staff, and with Aurelian Rougerie getting back to full
fitness Les Jaunards know they have the talent to prevail.
The form of South
African stand-off Brock James could be key to the fortunes
of a team that has already registered home league wins
against Toulouse, Stade Francais and Perpignan.
Verdict: Clermont win
Meanwhile, over
in the European Challenge Cup, Montpellier
scored two late penalties to win their all-French clash with
Toulon 14-10 as the action kicked off on Thursday
evening.
Both sides had
opportunities to win the error strewn Pool Two match and
visitors Toulon led 10-8 with eight minutes to go before
Olivier Sarramea landed the first of his two late kicks.
The result keeps alive
Montpellier’s hopes of a quarter-final berth, although they
are still behind pool leaders Northampton Saints.
Toulon, who fielded a
weakened side, are now effectively at the end of their
European adventure after three successive defeats.
At least they could take
some positives from this encounter – the first of three in
consecutive weeks against Montpellier.
Fly-half Ramiro Pez gave
them a 3-0 lead when he kicked a 20th-minute
penalty, but Montpellier responded with a Rickus Lubbe try
six minutes later to regain the initiative.
Jacques Schutte missed
the conversion, and two subsequent penalties, before
extending the home side’s lead to 8-3 on the stroke of
half-time.
But Toulon refused to
crumble and found themselves back in the lead when Gabrielle
Lovobalavu touched down shortly after the interval. Pez’s
conversion made it 10-8 and Tana Umaga’s side stayed ahead
until Sarramea’s double blow in the closing minutes.
Fellow Top 14 sides
Dax, Brive and Bourgoin are all in action
tonight (Friday) - at home to London Irish, El Salvador and
Worcester Warriors respectively – while Mont-de-Marsan
and Bayonne play their games on Saturday.
Basement club
Mont-de-Marsan are at home to Viadana in Pool Five, while
Bayonne – going so well in the league – entertain last
year’s Heineken Cup semi-finalists Saracens.
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