European Challenge Cup, Round two - teams and Predictions

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY PREVIEW: The Cheetahs will continue their Challange Cup adventure with another huge task in Parma.

The Cheetahs got off to a perfect start in their debut Challenge Cup clash, edging Section Paloise 21-16.

They will now take on Scarlets in Round two of the Challenge Cup in Italy as they seek back-to-back victories.

However, it will be easier said than done.

Scarlets were impressive winners against Bayonne last weekend. They run in five tries for a 39-7 victory at Parc y Scarlets.

The win ended the Welsh side’s four consecutive losses and if they can maned to match that level of performance they will be a handful for the Cheetahs, who will be without the likes of Springbok veteran Frans Steyn and Cheetahs flank Oupa Mohoje.

Steyn sustained a hamstring injury during last weekend’s against Pau, while Mohoje will miss the match due to a three-week ban.

The absence certainly forces Hawies Fourie’s hand, who made a couple of changes to his side.

Daniel Maartens will take the place of Mohoje. He will be starting on blindside flank next to Friedle Olivier, while Jeandre Rudolph will wear the nr. 8 jersey.

In the backline, Tapiwe Mafura moves to fullback to replace the injured Steyn (hamstring) with Munier Hartzenbeg playing at left wing.

On hooker, Marko Janse van Rensburg gets a start ahead of Louis van der Westhuizen in the starting XV.

Rynier Bernardo comes in at lock and Mzwanele Zito will provide cover on the bench.

#ICYMI: All you need to know about Round two
💢 Teams and our famous predictions #rugby #news #sports #Rugby365 https://t.co/LSiAFeGagr

— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) December 16, 2022

Cheetahs coach Hawies Fourie expects Scarlets to target his team’s line-out as they look to nullify the South Africans’ strength.

“Izak [van der Westhuizen, forwards coach] has put in much time on the line-outs this week and I’m confident we will be sharp on Saturday,”Fourie said.

“We expect Scarlets to target us there and we are expecting a fierce battle.”

Commenting on the Cheetahs, Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel said the South African will be a huge threat as they got a point to prove after their hiatus from international rugby.

“We watched Cheetahs and we know from their time in the Pro14 [now United Rugby Championship] that they’ll be physical,” Scarlets head coach Dwayne Peel.

“They’ve got a point to prove as well.

“In this competition, it’s a great opportunity for them travelling over here and being on tour. You get that sort of bond and tightness when you’re on tour.

“For us, it’s a big challenge to face them. It’s another big game, but an important one for us.”

#SPOTLIGHT: @CheetahsRugby boss Hawies Fourie confirmed that @Springboks Frans Steyn will head home!
🗣️ “Andell Loubser will replace him and is on his way to Parma.”#rugby #news @ChallengeCup_ https://t.co/LO9gRuuvav

— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) December 14, 2022

*Elsewhere, Bath Rugby look to bounce back from a narrow opening round defeat as they travel to RC Toulon for Round 2 of the EPCR Challenge Cup on Saturday.

A late penalty saw Bath fall 22-19 at home to Glasgow Warriors last time out, though there were positives to take for the  Premiership side as they crossed for three tries at The Recreation Ground.

Zebre Parma ran Toulon close in Round 1, with a 24-21 win in Italy far from convinced by the three-time EPCR champions.

Both Bayonnais and Benetton will seek their first victoried as their lock horns on Saturday.

In Saturday’s other fixture the Welsh side Dragons take on Section Paloise.

The Dragons will hope for a home victory after their pulsating 31-all draw with the Lions.

The French side Section Paloise will be just as desperate to secure their first win after recording a 16-21 defeat to newcomers Cheetahs.

In the late game on Saturday, Newcastle Falcons host Cardiff – two sides who enjoyed contrasting fortunes in the opening round of the competition.

Newcastle caused Connacht some problems at The Sportsground but were ultimately beaten 22-8 by the Irish province.

Meanwhile, Cardiff ran in seven tries as they thrashed CA Brive 41-0 at Cardiff Arms Park.

“We’re looking forward to hosting Cardiff and we always relish playing in front of our supporters.”Newcastle Falcons head coach Dave Walder.

” The way the tournament format is this season means there are a lot of matches with plenty riding on them and next weekend is no different.”

“We know we’ll have to go up a couple of gears to get a victory against Newcastle,” Cardiff Rugby director of rugby Dai Young.

“Yes, we won, but not being disrespectful, I think we were in third gear for most of the game and we’ll need to step up at least two gears next week.”

On Sunday, Bristol Bears return home for Round two of the Challenge Cup – and will look to continue their winning ways against Zebre Parma at Ashton Gate.

2020 EPCR Challenge Cup winners Bristol kicked off this season’s campaign by grinding out a 19-5 victory at Perpignan, requiring a big defensive effort to keep out their hosts after the break.

Zebre showed they will be no walkover as they ran three-time EPCR champions RC Toulon close in Round 1, ultimately going down 24-21 at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi.

Bristol last played Zebre in the pool stage of their triumphant 2019/20 campaign and were held to a 7-7 draw in Parma.

All the Saturday and Sunday’s teams and predictions:

Saturday, December 17

Toulon v Bath
(Stade Félix Mayol, Toulon – Kick-off: 14.00; 13.00 GMT; 13.00 UK time)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Toulon by eight points

Toulon: 15 Thomas Salles, 14 Gervais Cordin, 13 Jérémy Sinzelle, 12 Maëlan Rabut, 11 Jiuta Naqoli Wainiqolo, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Jules Danglot, 8 Sergio Parisse (captain), 7 Raphael Lakafia, 6 Jules Coulon, 5 Adrien Warion, 4 Swan Rebbadj, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Anthony Etrillard, 1 Bruce Devaux.
Replacements: 16 Teddy Baubigny, 17 Dany Priso, 18 Beka Gigashvili, 19 Charles Ollivon, 20 Brian Alainu’uese, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Ihaia West, 23 Aymeric Luc.

Bath: 15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Max Ojomoh, 11 Will Butt, 10 Piers Francis, 9 Ben Spencer (captain), 8 Richard de Carpentier, 7 Miles Reid, 6 Tom Ellis, 5 Fergus Lee-Warner, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 D’Arcy Rae, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Lewis Boyce.
Replacements: 16 Tom Doughty, 17 Valery Morozov, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Will Spencer, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 Max Green, 22 Orlando Bailey, 23 Ted Hill,

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Assitant referees: Alex Frasson (Italy) & Franco Rosella (Italy)
TMO: Stefano Roscini (Italy)

Cheetahs v Scarlets
(Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma – Kick-off: 16.15; 15.15 GMT; 15.15 UK time; 17.15 SA time)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Cheetahs by 10 points

Cheetahs: 15 Tapiwe Mafura, 14 Dan Kapepula,, 13 David Brits, 12 David Brits, 11 Munier Hartzenberg, 10 Siyabonga Masuku, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 , 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Victor Sekekete (captain), 4 Rynier Bernardo,, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Marko Janse van Rensburg, 1 Schalk Ferreira.
Replacements: 16 Louis van der Westhuizen, 17 Mzamo Majola, 18 Hencus van Wyk, 19 Mzwanele Zito, 20 Sibabalo Qoma, 21 Rewan Kruger, 22 Robert Ebersohn, 23 Cohen Jasper

Scarlets: 15 Johnny McNicholl, 14 Steff Evans, 13 Ioan Nicholas, 12 Scott Williams, 11 Ryan Conbeer, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Dane Blacker, 8  Vaea Fifita, 7 Joshua Macleod (captain), 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Sam Lousi,  4 Sione Kalamafoni, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Kemsley Mathias.
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Steff Thomas, 18 Javan Sebastian, 19 Tom Price, 20 Tomas Lezana, 21 Kieran Hardy, 22 Rhys Patchell, 23 Leigh Halfpenny.

Referee: Chris Busby (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Dan Carson (Ireland) & Padraic Reidy (Ireland)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)

Dragons v Section Paloise
(Rodney Parade, Newport – Kick-off: 17.30, 17.30 GMT; 18.30 France time)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Dragons by three points

Dragons: 15 Jordan Williams, 14 Rio Dyer, 13 Sio Tomkinson, 12 Jack Dixon, 11 Ashton Hewitt, 10 Sam Davies, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Harrison Keddie (captain), 6 Sean Lonsdale, 5 Matthew Screech, 4 Joe Davies, 3 Chris Coleman, 2 Bradley Roberts, 1 Rhodri Jones.
Replacements: 16 Brodie Coghlan, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Lloyd Fairbrother, 19 Ryan Woodman, 20 Ross Moriarty, 21 Lewis Jones, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Max Clark

Section Paloise: 15 Mathias Colombet, , 14 Thomas Carol, 13 Nathan Decron, 12 Jale Vatubua, 11 Eoghan Barrett, 10 Thibault Debaes, 9 Clovis Lebail, 8 Brent Liufau, 7 Thibaut Hamonou, 6 Martin Puech (captain), 5 Jimi Maximin, 4 Hugo Auradou, 3 Nicolas Corato, 2 Youri Delhommel, 1 Rémi Seneca.
Replacements: 16 Romain Ruffenach, 17 Siegfried Fisiihoi, 18 Nicolaas van Dyk, 19 Fabrice Metz, 20. Sacha Zegueur, 21 Dan Robson, 22 Elliot Roudil, 23 Grégoire Arfeuil

Referee: Jack Makepeace (England)
Assistant referees: Charlie Gayther (England) & Phil Watters (England)
TMO: Steve Leyshon (England)

Bayonnais v Benetton
(Stade Jean Dauger, Bayonne – Kick-off: 18.30; 17.30 GMT; 18.30 Italy time)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Benetton by five points

Bayonnais: 15 Tom Spring, 14 Bastien Pourailly, 13 Peyo Muscarditz (captain), 12 Guillaume Martocq, 11 Victor Hanoun, 10 Jason Robertson, 9 Michael Ruru, 8 Aïtor Hourcade, 7 Esteban Capilla, 6 Pierre Huguet, 5 Manuel Leindekar, 4 Geoffrey Cridge, 3 Chris Talakai, 2 Thomas Acquier, 1 Pieter Scholtz.
Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Tevita Tatafu, 18 Badri Tsikhistavi, 19 Thomas Ceyte, 20 Denis Marchois, 21 Maxime Machenaud, 22 Thomas Dolhagaray, 23 Eneriko Buliruarua.

Bennetton: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 Onisi Ratave, 13 Nacho Brex, 12 Joaquin Andres Riera, 11 Marcus Watson, 10 Tomas Albornoz, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (c), 6 Seb Negri Da Oleggio, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Marco Lazzaroni, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro.
Replacements: 16 Siua Maile, 17 Ivan Nemer, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Niccolò Cannone, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Jacob Umaga, 23 Marco Zanon.

Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Ian Kenny (Scotland) & Dave Sutherland (Scotland)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)

Newcastle Falcons v Cardiff
( Kingston Park, Newcastle – Kick-off: 17.30; 17.30 GMT)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Cardiff by five points

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 14 Nathan Earle, 13 Ben Stevenson, 12 Zach Kerr, 11 Mateo Carreras, 10 Josh Thomas, 9 Sam Stuart, 8 Tom Marshall, 7 Guy Pepper, 6 Sean Robinson, 5 Matty Dalton, 4 Sebastian De Chaves, 3 Mark Tampin, 2 Ollie Fletcher, 1 Trevor Davison, 2 Ollie Fletcher, 3 Mark Tampin, 4 Sebastian De Chaves
Replacements: 16 Conrad Cade, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Richard Palframan, 19 Josh Peters, 20 Marcus Tiffen, 21 Josh Barton, 22 Brett Connon, 23 Iwan Stephens.

Cardiff: 15 Ben Thomas, 14 Owen Lane , 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Max Llewellyn, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Ellis Jenkins, 6 Josh Turnbull (captain), 5 Rory Thornton, 4 Seb Davies, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Kirby Myhill, 1 Rhys Carre.
Replacements:16 Liam Belcher, 17 Brad Thyer, 18 Will Davies-King, 19 Teddy Williams, 20 James Ratti, 21 Ellis Bevan, 22 Mason Grady, 23 Theo Cabango.

Referee: Vivien Praderie (France)
Assistant referees: Thomas Chereque (France) & Thierry Mallet (France)
TMO: Cedric Marchat (France)

Sunday, December 18

Bristol Bears v Zebre
(Ashton Gate, Bristol – Kick-off: 13.00; 13.00 GMT; 14.00 Italy Time)

Prediction

@rugby365com: Zebre by six points

Bristol Bears: 15 Luke Morahan, 14 Deago Bailey, 13 Semi Radradra, 12 Ioan Lloyd, 11 Gabriel Ibitoye, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Will Porter, 8 Fitz Harding, 7 Jake Heenan, 6 Steven Luatua (captain), 5 Chris Vui, 4 Joe Batley, 3 Jay Tyack, 2 Harry Thacker, 1 Jake Woolmore.
Replacements: 16 Jake Kerr, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 Max Lahiff, 19 Elliott Stooke, 20 Daniel Thomas, 21 Andy Uren, 22 Callum Sheedy, 23 Piers O’Conor,

Zebre: 15 Richard Kriel, 14 Kobus van Wyk, 13 Erich Cronjé (captain), 12 Franco SMith, 11 Simone Gesi, , 10 Tiff Eden, 9 Ratko Jelic,, 8 Taina Fox-Matamua. 7 MJ Pelser, 6 Jacopo Bianchi, 5 Andrea Zambonin, 4 Jan Uys, 3 Ion Neculai, 2 Marco Manfredi, , 1 Juan Pitinari.
Replacements: 16 Jacques du Toit, 17 Luca Rizzoli, 18 Matteo Nocera, 19 Leonard Krumov, 20 Matt Kvesic, 21 Nicolò Casilio, 22 Geronimo Prisciantelli, 23 Matteo Moscardi.

Referee: Adrien Marbot (France)
Assitsant referees: Evan Urruzmendi (France) & Stéphane Crapoix (France)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)

Compiled by Leezil Hendricks
@Leezil07
@rugby365com

* Additional reporting by @ChallengeCup_