Challenge Cup, Round of 16 - teams and predictions
SATURDAY & SUNDAY PREVIEWS: South Africa faces another bleak weekend on the field, as their two top teams face French powerhouses in the Challenge Cup’s Round of 16.
Aviron Bayonnais hosts Bulls, who dropped down from the top tier Champions Cup after finishing fifth in their pool.
The hosts secured a home play-off after wins against Scarlets, Black Lion and Gloucester in the second-tier Challenge Cup, while the Bulls’ only win in the pool stage came against Stade Français Paris.
On Sunday the 2022 Challenge Cup winners Lyon welcome reigning champions Sharks, who qualified having finished fifth in their Champions Cup pool.
In other Tier Two action Montpellier hosts Gloucester, both two-time winners of the competition, Connacht take on Cardiff, Perpignan faces Racing 92 in an all-French affair and Ospreys take on Scarlets.
(Continue below …)
However, it is the two South African franchises that will have the spotlight firmly on them with their French raids.
If Jake White’s Bulls can beat Aviron Bayonnais on Saturday, they will have made the most emphatic statement in their quest for the Challenge Cup title.
Bayonne are among the favourites to have emerged from the Challenge Cup pool stages.
They have proved impossible to beat at home this season, in the Challenge Cup and in the French Top 14.
Bayonne is a form side, having won 12 in succession in all competitions at home, and are currently fourth in the Top 14, below Stade Toulousain (first), Union Bordeaux-Bègles (second) and Toulon (third).
However, such has been their form at home that their victories include beating all three teams above them in the league, plus emphatic wins against two-time Champions Cup winners Stade Rochelais (37-7) and Racing 92 (12-8).
Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White described his team as a ‘mix-and-match’ selection – through circumstances (players returning from long injury lay-offs) and by design.
“The team will be competitive,” White said, adding: “What South Africans don’t understand is just how good the Top 14 [French league] is.
“Given their home form, we have to finish strong and play well for 80 minutes.”
The Bulls boss said their French opponents are more than just a side with a gargantuan pack – a team with skill all over the park.
Added to that is the ability of French teams to ‘find another gear’ in their home fixtures.
“Home wins are a big motivating factor for the French teams – be that in the Top 14 of ProD2 [Second Division].
“I am under no illusions that it will be a tough game, but it will be a wonderful experience for these young players who are coming here [to Bayonnais] for the first time.
“We have to do it [the occasion] justice by playing as well as we can.”
The French teams also take the Challenge Cup, Europe’s second tier, a lot more seriously than what other countries do.
“It is important for these teams in the Challenge Cup and for some a way to get back into the [top tier] Champions Cup.
“Financially it is a massive boost as well if they can qualify for the Champions Cup.”
(Jake White previews Bayonnais versus Bulls…)
* The Sharks, as defending champions, will face an equally challenging ordeal against the 2022 Challenge Cup winner Lyon.
The French side won their opening two games against Cardiff and Zebre, before falling to Connacht, but then powering past Cheetahs in Round Four.
The Sharks will be hoping to repeat their charge to the trophy last season, eager to redeem themselves after just one win in the pool stage.
Defence coach Joey Mongalo said they have put last week’s disappointing loss, 7-10 to an under-strength Leinster, behind them and are now focussed on the next challenge on a road trip that could see them being away from home for more than a month.
“The team hasn’t lost any confidence from that performance [the loss against Leinster],” Mongalo said, adding: “We’re a group that takes things into context.
“The [Leinster] team we played – irrespective of the absence of internationals – was top quality.
“We all saw that at Loftus the previous week when the Bulls had to kick a penalty in the last minute to win, which says a lot about the quality of that outfit.
“Looking internally, I thought the way we operated showed enough encouraging signs that we can do a lot of good things going forward.
“So it wasn’t a confidence drop, but an opportunity to do some introspection and see where we can get better.”
He said they took a lot of positives out of the Leinster loss.
“On attack, we created a whole lot of opportunities which is something any attack coach takes pride in.
“We just didn’t execute some of them, so it’s probably more about finishing than the actual attack.
“Then defensively, I thought the boys put in some really good sets and that says a lot about this group, how they’re growing and the cohesion, how much care they’re building for each other as the season progresses.”
Although they come into this game off the back of a disappointingly narrow loss and against a partisan Irish crowd, winning is uppermost in their thoughts.
“We never run out onto the field without the intent of winning, that’s something we have to be super clear about,” he admitted.
The defence coach described Lyon as a ‘typical French team’ with flair and X-factor, with ‘large units’ among the forwards.
All the Saturday and Sunday teams and predictions follow below …
Saturday, April 5
Aviron Bayonnais v Bulls
(Stade Jean Dauger, Bayonne – Kick-off: 13.30; 12.30 GMT; 14.30 SA Time)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Bayonne by 12 points
Teams
Aviron Bayonnais: 15 Cheikh Tiberghien, 14 Nadir Megdoud, 13 Arnaud Erbinartegaray, 12 Federico Mori, 11 Xan Mousques, 10 Tom Spring, 9 Baptiste Germain, 8 Giovanni Habel-Kuffner (captain), 7 Rémi Bourdeau, 6 Noa Traversier, 5 Alex Moon, 4 Veikoso Poloniati, 3 Tevita Tatafu, 2 Lucas Martin, 1 Pierre Castillon.
Replacements: 16 Vincent Giudicelli, 17 Martin Villar, 18 Pieter Scholtz, 19 Denis Marchois, 20 Lucas Paulos, 21 Baptiste Chouzenoux, 22 Baptiste Tilloles, 23 Aurélien Callandret.
Bulls: 15 Devon Williams, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Stravino Jacobs, 10 Keagan Johannes, 9 Izak Burger, 8 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 7 Jannes Kirsten, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Reinhardt Ludwig, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Armand van der Merwe, 1 Simphiwe Matanzima.
Replacements: 16 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 17 Alulutho Tshakweni, 18 Mornay Smith, 19 Ruan Nortjé, 20 Cameron Hanekom, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Johan Goosen, 23 Stedman Gans.
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
Assistant referees: Sara Cox (England) & Jack Makepeace (England)
TMO: Stuart Terheege (England)
Montpellier v Gloucester
(Stade Yves-du-Manoir, Montpellier – Kick-off: 18.30; 16.30 GMT; 16.30 UK time)
Head-to-Head
Last 2 Meetings
Prediction
@rugby365com: Montpellier by 15 points
Teams
Montpellier Hérault: 15 Anthony Bouthier, 14 Pierre Lucas, 13 Thomas Darmon, 12 Arthur Vincent, 11 George Bridge, 10 Hugo Reus, 9 Leo Coly, 8 Billy Vunipola (captain), 7 Sam Simmonds, 6 Lenni Nouchi, 5 Mahonri Ngakuru, 4 Florian Verhaeghe, 3 Mohamed Haouas, 2 Christopher Tolofua, 1 Enzo Forletta.
Replacements: 16 Lyam Akrab, 17 Nika Abuladze, 18 Wilfrid Hounkpatin, 19 Nicolas Martins, 20 Alex Becognee, 21 Martin Doan, 22 Auguste Cadot, 23 Thomas Vincent.
Gloucester: 15 Santiago Carreras, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Seb Atkinson, 11 Jacob Morris, 10 Charlie Atkinson, 9 Caolan Englefield, 8 Ruan Ackermann, 7 Lewis Ludlow (captain), 6 Jack Clement, 5 Freddie Thomas, 4 Cameron Jordan, 3 Kirill Gotovtsev, 2 Jack Singleton, 1 Ciaran Knight.
Replacements: 16 Seb Blake, 17 Jamal Ford-Robinson, 18 Afolabi Fasogbon, 19 Freddie Clarke, 20 Harry Taylor, 21 Deian Gwynne, 22 Charlie Chapman, 23 Will Butler.
Referee: Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa) & Christopher Allison (South Africa)
TMO: Mark Patton (Ireland)
Perpignan v Racing 92
(Stade Aimé Giral, Perpignan – Kick-off: 21.00; 19.00 GMT)
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Prediction
@rugby365com: Perpignan by six points
Teams
Perpignan: 15 Tommaso Allan, 14 Tavite Veredamu, 13 Apisai Naqalevu, 12 Jeronimo de la Fuente (captain), 11 Freddy Duguivalu, 10 Jake McIntyre, 9 James Hall, 8 Lucas Velarte, 7 Max Hicks, 6 Patrick Sobela, 5 Mathieu Tanguy, 4 Tristan Labouteley, 3 Pietro Ceccarelli, 2 Seilala Lam, 1 Bruce Devaux.
Replacements: 16 Victor Montgaillard, 17 Giorgi Beria, 18 Akato Fakatika, 19 Adrien Warion, 20 Lucas Bachelier, 21 Gela Aprasidze, 22 Valentin Delpy, 23 Riko Buliruarua.
Racing 92: 15 Tristan Tedder, 14 Donovan Taofifenua, 13 Henry Chavancy, 12 Vinaya Habosi, 11 Gael Fickou, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Antoine Gibert, 8 Jordan Joseph, 7 Noa Zinzen (captain), 6 Maxime Baudonne, 5 Romain Taofifenua, 4 Junior Kpoku, 3 Demba Bamba, 2 Janick Tarrit, 1 Hassane Kolingar.
Replacements: 16 Diego Escobar, 17 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 18 Thomas Laclayat, 19 Boris Palu, 20 Shingi Manyarara, 21 Wame Naituvi, 22 Nolann le Garrec, 23 Sam James’.
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Assistant referee: Franco Rosella (Italy) & Lorenzo Pedezzi (Italy(
TMO: Stefano Roscini (Italy)
Connacht v Cardiff
(The Sportsground, Galway – Kick-off: 20.00; 20.00 GMT)
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Prediction
@rugby365com: Connacht by 15 points
Teams
Connacht: 15 Mack Hansen, 14 Shayne Bolton, 13 Hugh Gavin, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Finn Treacy, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Matthew Devine, 8 Sean Jansen, 7 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 6 Josh Murphy, 5 Darragh Murray, 4 Oisin Dowling, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dave Heffernan (captain), 1 Jordan Duggan.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Tierney-Martin, 17 Denis Buckley, 18 Jack Aungier, 19 Niall Murray, 20 Paul Boyle, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Piers O’Conor.
Cardiff: 15 Cam Winnett, 14 Josh Adams, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Harri Millard, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Johan Mulder, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 James Botham, 6 Alun Lawrence, 5 Teddy Williams, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Liam Belcher (captain), 1 Danny Southworth.
Replacements: 16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Corey Domachowski, 18 Rhys Litterick, 19 Rory Thornton, 20 Alex Mann, 21 Thomas Young, 22 Ellis Bevan, 23 Rory Jennings.
Referee: Luc Ramos (France)
Assistant referee: Jeremy Rozier (France) & Flavien Hourquet (France)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
Sunday, April 6
Lyon v Sharks
(Matmut Stadium de Gerland, Lyon – Kick-off: 18.30; 17.30 GMT, 18.30 SA Time)
Prediction
@rugby365com: Lyon by 10 points
Teams
Lyon Olympique Universitaire: 15 Alexandre Tchaptchet, 14 Vincent Rattez, 13 Josiah Maraku, 12 Theo Millet, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Léo Berdeu, 9 Baptiste Couilloud, 8 Arno Botha (captain), 7 Liam Allen, 6 Dylan Cretin, 5 Mickael Guillard, 4 Theo William, 3 Irakli Aptsiauri, 2 Yanis Charcosset, 1 Hamza Kaabeche.
Replacements: 16 Camille Chat, 17 Jérôme Rey, 18 Valentin Simutoga, 19 Killian Geraci, 20 Maxime Gouzou, 21 Charlie Cassang, 22 Martin Meliande, 23 Alfred Parisien.
Sharks: 15 Hakeem Kunene, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Litelihle Bester, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Bradley Davids, 8 Nick Hatton (captain), 7 Jannes Potgieter, 6 Tino Mavesere, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Corne Rahl, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Dian Bleuler, 18 Mwande Madande, 19 Emile van Heerden, 20 Bathobelo Hlakane, 21 Tiaan Fourie, 22 Jean Smith, 23 Jurenzo Julius.
Referee: Federico Vedovelli (Italy)
Assistant referees: Clara Munarini (Italy) & Luca Bisetto (Italy)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (Wales)
Ospreys v Scarlets
(Swansea – Kick-off: 16.30; 16.30 GMT)
Head-to-Head
Last 5 Meetings
Prediction
@rugby365com: Ospreys by nine points
Teams
Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Daniel Kasende, 13 Evardi Boshoff, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 8 Morgan Morris, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Jac Morgan (captain), 5 Adam Beard, 4 Rhys Davies, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Dewi Lake, 1 Gareth Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Sam Parry, 17 Garyn Phillips, 18 Ben Warren, 19 James Fender, 20 Morgan Morse, 21 Luke Davies, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Iestyn Hopkins.
Scarlets: 15 Ioan Lloyd, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Macs Page, 12 Eddie James, 11 Blair Murray, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Archie Hughes, 8 Vaea Fifita, 7 Josh Macleod (captain), 6 Taine Plumtree, 5 Max Douglas, 4 Alex Craig, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Kemsley Mathias.
Replacements: 16 Shaun Evans, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Gabe Hawley, 19 Sam Lousi, 20 Jarrod Taylor, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Joe Roberts, 23 Ioan Nicholas.
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)
Assistant referees: Anthony Woodthorpe (England) & Jamie Leahy (England)
TMO: David Rose (England)
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