Preview: European Cup, Round Three
On another weekend of mouth-watering line-ups, the issue of head knocks and concussion will also likely be raised after Northampton's Wales wing George North was stood down after a controversial incident in league action last weekend.
The Saints will take on Irish province Leinster in Friday's sole game without North, who was left looking to be unconscious when he lay prone with his head pressed into the turf after a tackle by Leicester's Adam Thompstone last weekend, but returned to the fray minutes after some treatment.
That left Northampton scrabbling to justify their medics' actions, before taking the decision to stand North down on Tuesday. The potential repercussions will be felt throughout Europe's leading clubs given the demands on players in an increasingly physical game.
In Pool Three, Sale captain Josh Beaumont was under no illusion of what to expect from Saracens, who beat them 28-13 in the Premiership last month.
"We've only just played them so we know what they're all about. But, they are champions of Europe so there's no bigger test," said Beaumont.
"The next two weeks gives us a chance to regain our form away from the Premiership. We just need to cut our silly errors out and then we can get some momentum going in to the next set of league fixtures."
Sale have drafted in Rugby League converts Josh Charnley and Denny Solomona, the latter at the centre of a legal fight with previous Super League club Castleford Tigers.
Saracens, just two wins away from equalling Munster's record of 13 successive tournament victories set between 2005 and 2007, this week announced the signing of giant Australia lock Will Skelton to make up for Alistair Hargreaves' retirement.
The Mark McCall-coached Saracens, who slipped to a 13-11 defeat by Bath in the Premiership last time around, have not lost in Europe since they were beaten 13-9 by Clermont in the 2015 semi-final and last season became the first side to win all nine matches to take the title.
The other game in Pool Three pitches Scarlets against Toulon.
Other great match-ups in Round Three see Leicester, in Pool One, put their two-game unbeaten record on the line at Thomond Park against Celtic League leaders Munster Rugby in a re-run of the 2002 Final.
Top 14 leaders Clermont head to Belfast to face Ulster as they attempt to maintain their unbeaten record in Pool Five.
Toulouse will be seeking their first victory in Pool Two, away at Italians Zebre, and backs coach Jean-Baptiste Elissalde knows his side has no room for mistake, with unbeaten Connacht playing Wasps.
Toulouse went down 23-21 to the Irish team before a dramatic 20-all draw with Wasps, "so we went from eight points to three," said Elissalde.
"As it's an open pool, we don't have the choice, we have to get the maximum points to be able to hope for qualification.
We look at all the Round Three action!
Friday, December 9
Northampton Saints v Leinster
(Franklin's Garden – Kick-off: 19.45; 19.45 GMT)
Northampton Saints will become the 13th club to reach 100 games in the European Cup when they host Leinster and fullback Ben Foden wants his side to turn Franklin's Gardens back into the fortress it once was.
Defeat at home in the Midlands derby against Leicester Tigers last weekend cut deep, but defeat to Leinster could be terminal. Their 41-7 battering at Castres Olympique in Round 2 meant they ended the first phase of the qualifying campaign bottom of the pile in Pool Four.
But these are early days, and Leinster are only two points clear at the top. That's what makes the first of their back-to-back clashes so vital.
"We've got a big week against Leinster coming up and we need to start thinking about making Franklin's Gardens a fortress again. It's been a place that teams have come to and got points too easily," admitted Foden.
"We've got to look at ourselves and try to take the positives from it. I do think we took a step forward against Leicester, but there's still plenty to build on.
"One area that we have been good at is defence. The area in which we've struggled is the attacking stuff, the green zone as we call it.
"Friday is a new competition, a new chapter and a new challenge. We're still in it – we've won one and lost one – and although we were disappointed with our last performance against Castres, we're at home against Leinster and that will help.
"Leinster are a good outfit, a quality side, especially in the Champions Cup. We will need to bring our A-game and, if we can get the result we're looking for, we can then hopefully get some momentum and confidence back in the boys."
Leinster moved level on points with Munster Rugby at the top of the PRO12 last weekend with a routine, bonus-point win over the Dragons. As with all the other teams in the pool, they have one win and a defeat to their name and will be looking for a priceless away win.
On their last visit to Franklin's Gardens they tore the home team to shreds in a 40-7 runaway victory. A week later, though, the Saints turned them over in Dublin in front of a packed house at the Aviva Stadium.
Teams:
Northampton Saints: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Ken Pisi, 13 Luther Burrell, 12 JJ Hanrahan, 11 Jamie Elliot, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Nic Groom, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Tom Wood (captain), 6 Jamie Gibson, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Michael Paterson, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Mikey Haywood, 1 Alex Waller.
Replacements: 16 Dylan Hartley, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Gareth Denman, 19 Api Ratuniyarawa, 20 Teimana Harrison, 21 Tom Kessel, 22 George Pisi, 23 Ahsee Tuala.
Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Adam Byrne, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Isa Nacewa (captain), 10 Joey Carbery, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Sean O'Brien, 5 Hayden Triggs, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Sean Cronin, 1 Jack McGrath.
Replacements: 16 James Tracy, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Michael Bent, 19 Rhys Ruddock, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Rory O'Loughlin.
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant referees: Adrien Descottes (France), Sebastian Cloute (France)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
Saturday, December 10
Ulster v Clermont Auvergne
(Kingspan Stadium – Kick-off: 13; 13.00 GMT; 14.00 French time)
Ulster will hope Ireland captain Rory Best can take the confidence from his country's successful autumn campaign into their vital European Champions Cup clash with ASM Clermont Auvergne.
Best led his country to historic wins over New Zealand and Australia in November, but returns to the Ulster side for this weekend's meeting with the French giants.
The hooker is joined by fly-half Paddy Jackson in returning to action for the Irish outfit but although they're on home turf, it's Clermont who will be firm favourites. The French giants will be looking to maintain their status as Pool Five table toppers, with Ulster boss Les Kiss admitting the Top 14 leaders are a side everyone else in Europe fears.
Clermont, so impressive this season, have won both of their European games so far this term to boot, and Kiss said: "You look at them and you can't help but be impressed by what they can offer. You admire them but it puts the fear of God in you really.
"I'm not telling anyone anything new here. We've had a reality check when we looked at the video this week. They are a team that can attack you from anywhere."
Clermont certainly have plenty of attacking weapons in their locker.
Chief among them is France centre Wesley Fofana, with the gifted playmaker showing his undoubted quality in Europe so far. Fofana tops the Champions Cup statistics in terms of defenders beaten (15) and is second on the list of clean breaks (seven), emphasising his danger to Ulster.
Kiss and his players will know full well they'll have to keep a firm eye on the likes of Fofana and half-backs Morgan Parra and Camille Lopez if they are to have any chance of success, while David Strettle and Nick Abendanon both have great try scoring records in Europe.
Despite boasting a large number of internationals in their ranks, Clermont are wary of the threat Ulster can pose too. The return of Best and Jackson makes them an even stronger proposition, but Andrew Trimble, Craig Gilroy and Stuart Olding are all out injured.
On Ulster's main dangers, Clermont's French full-back Scott Spedding said: "It's a team that has many Irish internationals, especially in the backs, who also have a lot of experience in the European Cup. We know this first game is going to be very important for them.
"They will want to put a lot of pressure on us, especially with their half-back partnership of Ruaan Pienaar and Jackson who kick a lot."
On the challenge of playing at the Kingspan Stadium, Spedding added: "I've never played in this stadium before, but I've heard about it. The atmosphere is quite hostile.
"It's up to us to play well in so Ulster can't gain confidence because otherwise we risk having a very long afternoon."
Teams:
Ulster: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Luke Marshall, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Louis Ludik, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Sean Reidy, 7 Chris Henry, 6 Iain Henderson, 5 Robbie Diack, 4 Peter Browne, 3 Wiehahn Herbst, 2 Rory Best (captain), 1 Kyle McCall.
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Andy Warwick, 18 Rodney Ah You, 19 Kieran Treadwell, 20 Clive Ross, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Darren Cave, 23 Jacob Stockdale.
Clermont: 15 Scott Spedding, 14 David Strettle, 13 Rémi Lamerat, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Nick Abendanon, 10 Camille Lopez, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Peceli Yato, 7 Alexandre Lapandry, 6 Damien Chouly (captain), 5 Sébastien Vahaamahina, 4 Flip van der Merwe, 3 Davit Zirakashvili, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Raphaël Chaume.
Replacements: 16 Yohan Beheregaray, 17 Etienne Falgoux, 18 Clément Ric, 19 Sitaleki Timani, 20 Camille Gerondeau, 21 Ludovic Radosavljevic, 22 Benson Stanley, 23 Alivereti Raka.
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Peter Allan (England), Paul Dix (England)
TMO: Sean Davey (England)
Munster v Leicester Tigers
(Thomond Park – Kick-off: 15.15; 15.15 GMT)
Two trips to Thomond Park have yielded two wins for Leicester Tigers in Europe. Dare they dream of adding a third?
Whatever their record in the past, that is exactly where it will stay as far as director of rugby Richard Cockerill is concerned. Round Three of the Champions Cup is a new challenge and one his Tigers team is ready to meet.
They will be facing a Munster side that has risen to the top of the PRO12 and who put on a magnificent display in trying circumstances in their only game to date in the Champions Cup. That stunning 38-17 win over Glasgow Warriors at an emotionally charged Thomond Park set the pulse racing.
"There is still a lot of emotion around Munster rugby at the moment because of the tragic passing of Anthony Foley and that has galvanised them and re-ignited the old Munster. We expect a huge battle between two great clubs who will really be going at it," said Cockerill.
"Their performance against Glasgow Warriors was right out of the top draw. Given the circumstances, I would have put any amount of money on them to win that game.
"Whichever team you were you would not have wanted to go there on that day. They have got a good side and they seem to have found some energy and form.
"There seems to be a big buzz around the place at the moment and they are getting full crowds, which they weren't last season. There are a few unique clubs around the European circuit and Munster are certainly one of them."
Cockerill is well versed in what it takes to succeed in Europe and led his team into the semi-finals last season. Although they got off to a bad start in Glasgow, they picked up the pieces at home against Racing 92 to thrust themselves right back into the equation.
"These two games are critical and we know that we will probably have to get an away win to get out of this group. It's going to be tough," added Cockerill.
"We lost heavily in Glasgow, we got a good win at home against Racing 92, but we know we are probably going to have to get points out of our trips to Limerick and Paris. Thomond Park is a special place, just as we feel Welford Road is, but we have a very good record there.
"We were the first side to win there and the only team who have won twice at Thomond Park. Both teams have huge heritage in Europe. The special thing about the Champions Cup is that even in the pool stages you get some big games and this is going to be a huge, stand-alone occasion."
Teams:
Munster: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Darren Sweetnam, 13 Jaco Taute, 12 Rory Scannell, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Tyler Bleyendaal, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Robin Copeland, 7 Tommy O'Donnell, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Billy Holland, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 3 John Ryan, 2 Niall Scannell, 1 Dave Kilcoyne.
Replacements: 16 Rhys Marshall, 17 Thomas Du Toit, 18 Stephen Archer, 19 Jean Kleyn, 20 Jack O'Donoghue, 21 Duncan Williams, 22 Ian Keatley, 23 Andrew Conway.
Leicester Tigers: 15 George Worth, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Owen Williams, 11 Peter Betham, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Lachlan McCaffrey, 7 Brendon O'Connor, 6 Michael Fitzgerald, 5 Graham Kitchener, 4 Ed Slater, 3 Greg Bateman, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Logovii Mulipola.
Replacements: 16 George McGuigan, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Pat Cilliers, 19 Luke Hamilton, 20 William Evans, 21 Sam Harrison, 22 Jack Roberts, 23 Tom Brady.
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees: Tual Trainini (France), Stephane Boyer (France)
TMO: Arnaud Blondel (France)
Racing 92 v Glasgow Warriors
(Stade Yves-Du-Manoirbe – Kick-off: 16.15; 15.15 GMT)
Glasgow Warriors face a second tough trip in a row in Pool 1 as they head to Paris to face a Racing 92 side that beat them 34-10 at Stade Yves du Manoir last season.
Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend wants to see an improvement on the accuracy of his side following their last gaps home defeat in the Pro12 to Munster last weekend and knows that a second successive defeat could be terminal for their qualification hopes.
"We know we have to be better than we were against Munster when we face Racing. They're one of the top teams in Europe, and will pose a different challenge than we're used to," said Townsend.
"We need to get our preparation right, as well as transfer over what we've been doing in training onto the pitch. The players have trained really well recently, so we just need to make sure we set up the right circumstances to allow them to play with aggression and ambition."
Racing went on to reach the Champions Cup final last season after beating Glasgow, but forwards coach Laurent Travers is expecting another tough test against what he describes as "almost the whole of the Scottish Team!"
"It's very simple, we cannot afford to be off our game. We know that we will play a near international strength team and, when we you look at the performances of the Scottish XV in November, we know very well that they are a dangerous team," said Travers.
"If Glasgow want to qualify, they have to make an outcome. And if we want to continue to hope to qualify, a home victory at home is imperative."
Teams:
Racing 92: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Joe Rokocoko, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Anthony Tuitavke, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Antonie Claassen, 7 Yannick Nyanga, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Leone Nakarawa, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Cedate Gomes Sa, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Eddy Ben Arous.
Replacements: 16 Camille Chat, 17 Viliamu Afatia, 18 Luc Ducalcon, 19 Gerbrandt Grobler, 20 Chris Masoe, 21 Xavier Chauveau, 22 Benjamin Dambielle, 23 Albert Vulivuli.
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Alex Dunbar, 12 Samuel Johnson, 11 Lee Jones, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ali Price, 8 Ryan Wilson, 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Robert Harley, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Gordon Reid.
Replacements: 16 Corey Flynn, 17 Alex Allan, 18 Sila Puafisi, 19 Brian Alainu'uese, 20 Josh Strauss, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Mark Bennett, 23 Sean Lamont.
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant referee: John Meredith (England), Wayne Falla (England)
TMO: Trevor Fisher (England)
Saracens v Sale Sharks
(Allianz Park – Kick-off: 17.30; 17.30 GMT)
European Champions Cup holders Saracens are out to blunt the bite of domestic rivals Sale Sharks and continue their perfect start to the defence of their title.
Mark McCall's side top Pool 3 after hard-fought victories over RC Toulon and Scarlets in rounds one and two. In contrast, Sale have suffered a nightmare start to their European campaign with a pair of defeats to the same opposition.
And it does not get any easier as they prepare to travel to the home of the reigning champions, bolstered by the return of their England stars.
It was first-blood to Saracens last month when they claimed a 28-13 Premiership triumph at the AJ Bell Stadium. European Player of the Year Maro Itoje is set to return for the London club alongside second-row partner George Kruis, while Mako Vunipola and Jamie George could also return to beef up the pack.
Owen Farrell leads the way in points scored with a haul of 35, and looks set to add to that tally this weekend from flyhalf. Itoje, who returned to action against Bath last week, cannot wait to return to the top-flight of European rugby.
He said: "When it comes to European rugby, you get to play the best of the best, it's a higher quality and a higher standard. The lure of progressing further in this competition is a big one for a lot of clubs and it certainly is for us.
"The crowd are getting noisier and noisier this season and hopefully we can give them something to shout about. The crowd really get up for these European games so hopefully it should be a great encounter."
Sale are yet to get off the mark in this season's tournament and are coming off the back of three consecutive Aviva Premiership defeats. But head coach Steve Diamond shopping to inject confidence back into his men by dethroning the continental kings.
He said: "Under the previous regime, we always set a target to qualify for the elite European Competition. But when the draw was made and you find yourselves pitched up against sides like Saracens and Toulon; you realise what a task you have in front of you.
"We are not playing well as a team at the moment and we need to get some confidence back into the players and the squad. We will use the game on Saturday to do just that.
"We are up against probably the best club side in the world that have massive strength in depth – we don't have that luxury yet!"
Teams:
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Chris Wyles, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Schalk Burger 7 Kelly Brown, 6 Michael Rhodes, 5 George Kruis, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Petrus du Plessis, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Schalk Brits, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Jim Hamilton, 20 Will Skelton, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Alex Lozowski, 23 Nathan Earle.
Sale Sharks: 15 Tom Arscott, 14 Paolo Odogwu, 13 Sam James, 12 Johnny Leota, 11 Josh Charnley, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 James Mitchell, 8 Laurence Pearce, 7 David Seymour, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Jonathan Mills, 4 Josh Beaumont, 3 Brian Mujati, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison.
Replacements: 16 Cameron Neild, 17 James Flynn, 18 Ciaran Parker, 19 George Nott, 20 Ben Curry, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Dan Mugford, 23 Mark Jennings.
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
Assistant referees: Maxime Chalon (France), Thomas Dejean (France)
TMO: Eric Briquet-Campin (France)
Zebre v Toulouse
(Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi – Kick-off: 20.45; 19.45 GMT)
These are unprecedented times for Toulouse in European competition with no wins in their last six games – hardly the kind of return to expect for a team that has won the European Cup a record four times and been in two other finals.
They lost the last four games of last season, were beaten in Connacht in Round One and then held to a draw by Wasps at home in Round 2. But the thought of Ugo Mola's side going a seventh game without picking up some meaningful points is hard to imagine given them will be playing a team that has yet to post a victory in 14 games in the Champions Cup.
Zebre are in their third season in the top-flight tournament and have yet to taste victory. But that was just how the Italian national side felt last month when they lined-up against the Springboks.
So don't rule out the seemingly impossible being possible on home soil for the passion-packed Italian side. They have already won on the road in Edinburgh in the PRO12 this season and are always a handful on their own patch, where they have picked up three losing bonus points so far this season..
With unbeaten Connacht seven points clear of Toulouse in third place, and their rivals over the next two rounds, Wasps, five points ahead, it means Mola's men will have to target maximum points from their two games against the Italians if they are to stand any chance of making up ground o the top two.
Anything less than two bonus-point wins could condemn the TOP 14 outfit to another season without qualifying for the knock-out stages for the fourth time in five years – not what the club is used to. The two teams were in the same pool in 2013/14, when Toulouse ran out comfortable winners at home, 38-5, but could only manage a 16-6 win at Stadio Lanfranchi.
Teams:
Zebre: 15 Edoardo Padovani, 14 Mattia Bellini, 13 Tommaso Boni, 12 Tommy Castello, 11 Dion Berryman, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Guglielmo Palazzani, 8 Federico Ruzza, 7 Johan Meyer, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 Gideon Koegelenberg, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Tommaso D'Apice, 1 Bruno Postiglioni.
Replacements: 16 Carlo Festuccia, 17 Guillermo Roan, 18 Pietro Ceccarelli, 19 Valerio Bernabo, 20 Josh Furno, 21 Carlo Engelbrecht, 22 Matteo Pratichetti, 23 Giambattista Venditti.
Toulouse: 15 Alexis Palisson, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Gaël Fickou, 11 Arthur Bonneval, 10 Jean-Marc Doussain, 9 Sébastien Bezy, 8 Gillian Galan, 7 Francois Cros, 6 Joe Tekori, 5 Edwin Maka, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Dorian Aldegheri, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille.
Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Gurthrö Steenkamp, 18 Census Johnston, 19 Thierry Dusautoir, 20 Gregory Lamboley, 21 Luke McAlister, 22 Toby Flood, 23 Paul Perez.
Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant referees: Simon Rees (Wales), Jon Hardy (Wales)
TMO: Neil Hennessy (Wales)
Sunday, December 11
Wasps v Connacht
(Ricoh Arena – Kick-off: 13.00; 13.00 GMT)
Wasps have been boosted in their hopes for European Rugby Champions Cup success by the news star signing Kurtley Beale is likely to make his debut in their clash with Connacht on Sunday.
Australia back Beale, who joined the Ricoh Arena outfit from New South Wales Waratahs in the summer, has been out for seven months with a serious knee injury but has returned to training ahead of his team's Pool 2 encounter with the Irish outfit.
The English Premiership's best-paid player has had a long road to recovery, but is set to play some part against Connacht in news which will excite the club's supporters. Even without Beale, Wasps have been playing some of the best attacking rugby around in the English Premiership.
"Kurtley is really excited. It has been difficult for him as you can imagine,' Wasps boss Dai Young said. "There was a lot of fanfare about us signing him and then unfortunately he got injured, which was then surrounded by questions of was it going to be a three-month, six-month or nine-month injury?
"Coming to a new club on the other side of the world injured has been difficult for Kurtley, and it is a long rehab process. In fairness to him, he has got his head down and worked his socks off."
Whether Beale starts or not against Connacht remains to be seen, with Young stressing the mercurial back still needs to come through a few more training sessions.
"Kurtley has been so focused on getting fit and is desperate to be out there playing for us. He has been fantastic around the training ground since he arrived," he added.
"Kurtley is really excited about being back in full training and about getting involved. He has got a couple of sessions to get through yet, but we are pretty confident that he will have some involvement on the weekend.
"If he is looking extremely confident with everything, then we will probably start him, otherwise we will put him on the bench. That is hoping he does not get any reaction through training, but at the moment, he is not having any of that so fingers crossed he will be available."
"It will probably take him a little bit of time to settle into our patterns and get his sharpness back, but some of the touches he has done in training already, there is no denying the quality he possesses. He is a world-class player, without a shadow of a doubt."
While Wasps are close to adding Beale to a backline that already includes Danny Cipriani and Willie le Roux, Connacht have been hit by the news they'll lose their inspirational coach Pat Lam to Bristol for the start of next season.
That said, they're top of Pool 2 with two wins from two so far with Wasps two points and a place behind.
Craig Ronaldson (thigh) and Marnitz Boshoff (shoulder) have added to Connacht's injury woes with Ronaldson unlikely to be seen in action until the middle of January.
Teams:
Wasps: 15 Rob Miller, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Alapati Leiua, 12 Kurtley Beale, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Jimmy Gopperth, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Ashley Johnson, 5 Kearnan Myall, 4 Joe Launchbury (captain), 3 Marty Moore, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Matt Mullan.
Replacements: 16 Alex Rieder, 17 Tom Bristow, 18 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 19 James Gaskell, 20 Guy Thompson, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Brendan Macken, 23 Frank Halai.
Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Niyi Adeolokun, 13 Stacey Ili, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Cian Kelleher, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 John Muldoon (captain), 7 Jake Heenan, 6 Nepia Fox-Matamua, 5 Quinn Roux, 4 Ultan Dillane, 3 Conor Carey, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Denis Buckley.
Replacements: 16 Dave Heffernan, 17 JP Cooney, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Sean O’Brien, 20 Eoin McKeon, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Rory Parata, 23 Peter Robb.
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (France)
Assistant referees: Cedric Marchat (France), Cedric Clave (France)
TMO: Philippe Bonhoure (France)
Montpellier v Castres Olympique
(Altrad Stadium – Kick-off: 14.00; 13.00 GMT)
Montpellier scrum-half Nic White believes his men can dare to dream of European Champions Cup glory if they overcome domestic rivals Castres Olympique.
The Challenge Cup holders lost out to a last minute penalty at Northampton Saints in round one before recovering with a 22-16 triumph over former European champions Leinster. Only two points separate all four teams in Pool 4 ahead of the December double-headers, and White is determined to take a giant step towards the quarterfinals.
But that will be no easy feat against a Castres side who hammered the Saints 41-7 in round two to move second in Pool Four.
One man who will be key to Castres' quarter-final bid is wing David Smith. The Kiwi star has made the most clean breaks in the competition (eight), and bagged a brace against Northampton.
The Altrad Stadium hosts the round three contest, and Australia international White reckons a victory this weekend will put them on the path to the knock-out rounds.
He said: "I think there is a little more pressure in the Champions Cup. It is not really different, since it is a match between two Top 14 teams, but we arrive at an important moment of the season with these European matches.
"The winner of the double-header will have the right to dream about the quarter-finals, the loser will be playing catch up. Sunday is like a final for us, while in Top 14, there is always the following week for to catch up.
"We sincerely believe we can go all the way. It is true that we are in a difficult pool, but it is an exciting challenge, and we are well prepared. We have the final in line of sight, so the match that arrives is a new stage to cross."
Teams:
Montpellier: 15 Jesse Mogg, 14 Timoci Nagusa, 13 Vincent Martin, 12 Alexandre Dumoulin, 11 Nemani Nadolo, 10 Frans Steyn, 9 Nic White, 8 Akapusi Qera (captain), 7 Kélian Galletier, 6 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 5 Nicholaas Van Rensburg, 4 Konstantine Mikautadze, 3 Davit Kubriashvili, 2 Shalva Mamukashvili, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili.
Replacements: 16 Charles Géli, 17 Yvan Watremez, 18 Jannie Du Plessis, 19 Antoine Battut, 20 Wiaan Liebenberg, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Benjamin Fall, 23 Demetri Catrakilis.
Castres: 15 Pierre Berard, 14 Rémi Grosso, 13 Thomas Combezou, 12 Afusipa Taumoepeau, 11 David Smith, 10 Julien Dumora, 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Alex Tulou, 7 Anthony Jelonch, 6 Mathieu Babillot, 5 Rodrigo Capo Ortega, 4 Thibault Lassale, 3 Daniel Kotze, 2 Brice Mach, 1 Antoine Tichit.
Replacements: 16 Marc-Antoine Rallier, 17 Tudor Stroe, 18 Damien Tussac, 19 Victor Moreaux, 20 Benjamin Urdapilleta, 21 Alexandre Bias, 22 Antoine Dupont, 23 Florian Vialelle.
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Sean Brickell (Wales), Wayne Davies (Wales)
TMO: Jon Mason (Wales)
Toulon v Scarlets
(Stade Félix Mayol – Kick-off: 16.15; 15.15 GMT)
The Scarlets face the ultimate test when they visit Toulon in the European Champions Cup.
Wayne Pivac's men travel to the south of France on Sunday before welcoming the TOP14 giants to Llanelli a week later in back-to-back clashes which will show the Welsh region exactly where they are.
While Toulon's power, prestige and world-class ability makes them a force to be reckoned with, the Scarlets have been on a decent run of form themselves following a disappointing start to the league campaign.
They make the trip to the Stade Mayol still in with a chance of qualification for the latter stages with one win and a defeat so far in Europe this term.
"We're still in the group. This weekend will be a huge challenge but it's one we're looking forward to and it's definitely one that whets the appetite," said set-piece coach Ioan Cunningham.
"There's always a fantastic atmosphere in Toulon, it's an opportunity for players to go out there to play against international and very experienced players. It's something we're looking forward to. We will go out there with confidence, throw everything at it and hopefully return with something from the challenge."
In a group that contains not only Toulon but defending champions Saracens, Pool 3 shows off the quality of Europe's premier club competition.
The Scarlets and Sale complete the teams, but with the former much improved in the PRO12 in recent times, they can take confidence from their domestic form.
Pivac's men have won their last seven games to move up to fourth in the league.
"We've spoken as a squad about keeping the momentum from the PRO12 going," Cunningham added.
"Whoever wears the shirt this weekend has the responsibility of keeping the form going, that's the pressure we put on each other.
"We have enough experience in the squad with experienced players returning. The atmosphere won't overawe them; we have to concentrate on the task ahead of us."
Teams:
Toulon: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Pierre Bernard, 9 Jonathan Pelissie, 8 Samu Manoa, 7 Mamuka Gorgodze, 6 Charles Ollivon, 5 Romain Taofifenua, 4 Jocelino Suta, 3 Marcel van der Merwe, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Xavier Chiocci.
Replacements: 16 Jean-Charles Orioli, 17 Laurent Delboulbès, 18 Levan Chilachava, 19 Juandre Kruger, 20 Maxime Mermoz, 21 Jimmy Yobo, 22 Eric Escande, 23 Duane Vermeulen.
Scarlets: 15 Liam Williams, 14 DTH van der Merwe, 13 Hadleigh Parkes, 12 Scott Williams, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Rhys Patchell, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 John Barclay, 7 James Davies, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Tom Price, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Ken Owens (captain), 1 Wyn Jones.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Samson Lee, 19 Tadhg Beirne, 20 Will Boyde, 21 Jonathan Evans, 22 Aled Thomas, 23 Gareth Owen.
Referee: Greg Garner (England)
Assistant referees: Luke Pearce (England), Nigel Carrick (England)
TMO: Rowan Kitt (England)
Exeter Chiefs v Bordeaux-Begles
(Sandy Park Stadium – Kick-off: 17.30; 17.30 GMT; 18.30 French time)
Exeter Chiefs star Jack Nowell is hoping to continue his comeback from injury against Bordeaux-Begles in the European Champions Cup.
The wing featured for Exeter Braves in an Aviva A League tie against Bath United on Monday after recovering from a quad tear. It was a long-awaited return for Nowell, who had been injured since October and was forced to miss the autumn internationals.
"It's been a long time in the gym, not really seeing much daylight. My aim now is just trying to get back in the first-team here at Exeter," said the 2016 Grand Slam England wing.
"We've had three awesome performances in the Premiership, so I know it's not going to be easy."
The Chiefs met Bordeaux in the Pool stages last season, winning at home and losing away, and went on to reach the quarter-finals for the first time. They are currently bottom of Pool 5 after defeats to ASM Clermont Auvergne and Ulster.
Bordeaux are seeking to close the gap on unbeaten leaders Clermont. They beat Ulster at home and scored five tries in a 49-33 defeat in Clermont to put them second in the pool table.
Nowell is looking to play a big a part in the back-to-back challenges against the free-flowing TOP 14 as he attempts to get both his club and international career back on track.
"We're now coming into this next block of European games, so the first thing I am thinking about this week is training well and seeing if I can get myself in the mix for the weekend. The body feels good, but I'm not sure my lungs feel the same," added Nowell.
"That said, there is no such thing as getting match-fit when you're in the gym. You can do as much Wattbike and running on the field as you like, but it doesn't compare to 80 minutes out on the pitch and that's where I need to get to."
Teams:
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Lachie Turner, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Ollie Devoto, 12 Henry Slade, 11 James Short, 10 Gareth Steenson (captain), 9 Jack Maunder, 8 Dave Dennis, 7 Don Armand, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Geoff Parling, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Jack Yeandle, 1 Ben Moon.
Replacements: 16 Shaun Malton, 17 Carl Rimmer, 18 Greg Holmes, 19 Ollie Atkins, 20 Kai Horstmann, 21 Will Chudley, 22 Sam Hill, 23 Michele Campagnaro.
Bordeaux-Bègles: 15 Jean-Marcellin Buttin, 14 Nans Ducuing, 13 Romain Lonca, 12 Julien Rey, 11 Blair Connor, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Baptiste Serin, 8 Marco Tauleigne, 7 Joe Edwards, 6 Loann Goujon, 5 Berend Botha, 4 Tom Palmer, 3 Marc Clerc, 2 Ole Avei, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Clement Maynadier, 17 Sébastien Taofifenua, 18 Jean-Baptiste Poux, 19 Luke Jones, 20 Hugh Chalmers, 21 Yann Lesgourgues, 22 Lionel Beauxis, 23 Jean-Baptiste Dubié.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Gwyn Morris (Wales), Robert Price (Wales)
TMO: Tim Hayes (Wales)
Sources: @ChampionsCup & Agence France-Presse
