Challenge Cup Friday and Saturday preview
BLOEMFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA - DECEMBER 02: Johnny McNicholl of the Scarlets during the Guinness Pro14 match between Toyota Cheetahs and Scarlets at Toyota Stadium on December 02, 2017 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. (Photo by Johan Pretorius/Gallo Images)
With two Welsh sides currently dominating both of the European Challenge Cup’s 12-team pools, it’s a busy Friday and Saturday as teams’ jostling for a place in the last 16 intensifies.
Cardiff Rugby, top of Pool A, are in action on Sunday, with an in-depth preview of that game to be in this weekend’s The Rugby Paper, but it is the team top of Pool B that get the action underway this weekend.
Friday
Scarlets have had a miserable time in the league, but impressive back-to-back wins against the Dragons and Cardiff have got their domestic campaign back on track, and combined with their strong start in Europe they have now won four of their last five games in all competitions.
They head into their game against the Cheetahs (8pm KO) two points clear at the top of Pool B and with a chance to stretch their overnight lead to seven points.
Fellow Welsh region Dragons head to Pau (8pm KO) on the same night. The former are currently winless, but a four-try bonus point in a draw at the Lions has seen them move up to four points in the table and holding on to the last remaining knockout stage place in their group.
Pau, the 2000 champions, sit one point and two places above them and though they are locked in a Top 14 relegation battle, the reduced number of teams Pool B (with Worcester and Wasps no longer in the tournament) and opportunity to still qualify will see both teams approach this match with a keen eye on victory.
Saturday
The day begins with the weekend’s fixtures for Pool B being rounded off, with two early kick-offs seeing Franco-URC clashes taking place in Treviso and Paris.
If any team in Pool B has given up on qualification, despite the fact that 75 per cent of teams in it go through, it would be Bayonne who are bottom of the Pool with no points and a points difference of -70.
They travel to Treviso to play third-placed Benetton (1pm) who know that a win – especially one with a bonus point – will all-but seal their place in the last 16.
Second-placed Lions have the same opportunity when they head to Stade Francais (1pm), but a trip all the way to Europe against a side that has lost just one home game all season will be a tricky ask.
Fascinatingly in Pool A, five teams have won both their games, and the other have lost both theirs. It means that the top five are all just one win away from certain qualification, but all of the bottom five do still have a chance to claim the remaining knockout spot in sixth despite being winless so far.
Bath are one of those, and with starter Ollie Lawrence stating on The Rugby Paper Podcast a few weeks ago that winning the competition was an ambition this season, their game against Toulon (3:15pm) is a must-win fixture.
With a tricky trip to Newcastle up next week, Connacht will hope they can secure their place in the next round against Brive (5:30pm), and the same will apply for Glasgow, who will hope they can get the job done against Perpignan (8:00pm) to save themselves having to win against a hungry Bath next Saturday.
Saturday is rounded off with the Premiership and URC’s respective basement boys Bristol heading to Zebre (8:00pm). Despite their similar domestic fortunes, they have had a different time in the European game, but with Zebre sitting top of the winless teams and still with a decent chance of qualification, this will not be an easy trip for the Bears.
Challenge Cup Friday Fixtures:
Scarlets vs Cheetahs (8pm)
Pau vs Dragons (8pm)
Saturday Fixtures:
Benetton vs Bayonne (1pm)
Stade Francais vs Lions (1pm)
Bath vs Toulon (3:15pm)
Connacht vs Brive (5:30pm)
Perpignan vs Glasgow Warriors (8pm)
Zebre vs Bristol (8pm)
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