Preview: European Cup, Round Two
The second round of the European Cup will kick off in style in front of a massive crowd at Wembley Stadium on Friday.
An estimated 60,000 fans are expected to turn up at the iconic venue for the Pool Three clash between Saracens and four-time champions Toulouse for what is already guaranteed to be the biggest UK crowd for a pool match.
That will surpass the previous British record attendance set at the same stadium three years ago when 45,892 watched Saracens narrowly beaten by Leinster.
Then the English club had just returned to the European Cup but this year they are looking to go all the way and victory over the European giants would provide a major statement of intent.
Steve Borthwick's side are unbeaten this season after six games but were pushed all the way in Round One by Connacht at Galway where the boot of Owen Farrell was all that divided the teams in the 23-17 win.
Toulouse picked up maximum points against Zebre last week thanks to two tries apiece for wings Maxime Medard and Yoann Huget, however history is against them this weekend.
The 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010 continental champions may have lifted this trophy more than any other club but have never beaten Saracens, having lost both their previous meetings in the 2000/2001 campaign.
Form is also against them given they have yet to win on the road this season, following defeats to Bordeaux-Begles, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Montpellier and Perpignan in the Top 14, and have won just one of their last five away games in the European Cup.
Springbok hooker Chilliboy Ralepelle, who was a replacement in the win over Zebre, could make his first European Cup start since his recent arrival from the Bulls, coincidentally against a team that could field up to nine South African-born players.
In the other game on Friday Leicester Tigers and Treviso meet at Welford Road knowing that defeat for either team would make qualification for the knockout stages a distant dream.
Visitors Treviso are in the more perilous position having lost at home to Montpellier in Round One as their inconsistent start to the season continued.
Leicester weren't at their best last week, either, as they slipped to a 22-16 defeat to Ulster in Belfast.
On Saturday Leinster will be aiming to maintain their winning start to the European Cup when they welcome Castres to the RDS.
The three-time former kings of Europe and reigning Challenge Cup champions began their campaign with a hard-fought victory over the Ospreys last week.
The Liberty Stadium win puts the Dubliners in an advantageous position in Pool One but they will be determined to continue their impressive start against the Top 14 champions.
Munster and Gloucester meet at Thomond Park on Saturday having experienced contrasting emotions in Round One.
Gloucester travel to Ireland on the back of a morale-boosting win over Perpignan at Kingsholm as they marked their step up from the Challenge Cup in impressive style.
The Cherry and Whites left it late against the Catalans giants, though, with a 74th minute try from Jonny May eventually seeing them home after James Hook had contributed 22 points for the visitors.
For Munster, the boot was on the other foot as they let a lead slip late on against Edinburgh.
Round Two fixtures and teams:
Friday, October 18
Saracens v Toulouse
(Wembley Stadium – Kick-off: 19.45; 19.45 GMT)
Teams:
Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Chris Ashton, 13 Chris Wyles, 12 Duncan Taylor, 11 David Strettle, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Ernst Joubert, 7 Will Fraser, 6 Billy Vunipola, 5 Alistair Hargreaves, 4 Steve Borthwick (captain), 3 Matt Stevens, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Mako Vunipola.
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Rhys Gill, 18 James Johnston, 19 George Kruis, 20 Kelly Brown, 21 Neil de Kock, 22 Marcelo Bosch, 23 Joel Tomkins.
Toulouse: 15 Maxime Medard, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Florian Fritz (captain), 12 Clement Poitrenaud, 11 Hosea Gear, 10 Luke McAlister, 9 Jean-Marc Doussain, 8 Gillian Galan, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 6 Yannick Nyanga, 5 Joe Tekori, 4 Yoann Maestri, 3 Census Johnston, 2 Christopher Tolofua, 1 Schalk Ferreira.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 Gurthro Steenkamp, 18 Yohan Montes, 19 Gregory Lamboley, 20 Romain Millo-Chluski, 21 Jano Vermaak, 22 Gael Fickou, 23 Louis Picamoles.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Sean Brickell (Wales), Wayne Davies (Wales)
TMO: Derek Bevan (Wales)
Leicester Tigers v Treviso
(Welford Road – Kick-off: 20.00; 20.00 GMT)
Teams:
Leicester Tigers: 15 Niall Morris, 14 Blaine Scully, 13 Vereniki Goneva, 12 Dan Bowden, 11 Adam Thompstone, 10 Toby Flood (captain), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Thomas Waldrom, 7 Julian Salvi, 6 Ed Slater, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Graham Kitchener, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Logovi'i Mulipola.
Replacements: 16 Neil Briggs, 17 Boris Stankovich, 18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Louis Deacon, 20 Jordan Crane, 21 David Mele, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Terrence Hepetema.
Treviso: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Andrea Pratichetti, 13 Luca Morisi, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Christian Loamanu, 10 Mat Berquist, 9 Tobias Botes, 8 Robert Barbieri, 7 Alessandro Zanni, 6 Manoa Vosawai, 5 Valerio Bernabo, 4 Antonio Pavanello (captain), 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Enrico Ceccato, 1 Michele Rizzo.
Replacements: 16 Franco Sbaraglini, 17 Ignacio Fernandez Rouyet, 18 Pedro di Santo, 19 Marco Fuser, 20 Dean Budd, 21 Marco Filippucci, 22 Fabio Semenzato, 23 James Ambrosini.
Referee: Pascal Gauzère (France)
Assistant referees: Laurent Cardona (France), Patrick Pechambert (France)
TMO: Philippe Bonhoure (France)
Saturday, October 19
Zebre v Connacht
(Stadio XXV Aprile – Kick-off: 14.45; 13.45 GMT)
Teams:
Zebre: 15 Ruggero Trevisan, 14 Dion Berryman, 13 Tommaso Iannone, 12 Gonzalo Garcia, 11 David Odiete, 10 Luciano Orquera, 9 Brendon Leonard, 8 Samu Vunisa, 7 Dries van Schalkwyk, 6 Mauro Bergamasco, 5 Marco Bortolami (captain), 4 Mike Van Vuren, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Tommaso D'Apice, 1 Matias Aguero.
Replacements: 16 Davide Giazzon, 17 Andrea de Marchi, 18 Luciano Leibson, 19 Emiliano Caffini, 20 Filippo Cristiano, 21 Alberto Chillon, 22 Kameli Ratuvou, 23 Leonardo Sarto.
Connacht: 15 James So'oialo, 14 Danie Poolman, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Craig Ronaldson, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 George Naoupu. 7 Jake Heenan, 6 Andrew Browne, 5 Craig Clarke, 4 Michael Swift (captain), 3 Rodney Ah You, 2 Sean Henry, 1 Brett Wilkinson.
Replacements: 16 Jason Harris Wright, 17 JP Cooney, 18 Ronan Loughney, 19 Ally Muldowney, 20 Mata Fifita, 21 Paul O'Donohoe, 22 Dave McSharry, 23 Gavin Duffy.
Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant referees: Gwyn Morris (Wales), Martyn Lewis (Wales)
TMO: Paul Adams (Wales)
Cardiff Blues v Toulon
(Cardiff Arms Park – Kick-off: 13.45; 13.45 GMT)
Teams:
Cardiff Blues: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Owen Williams, 12 Cory Allen, 11 Harry Robinson, 10 Rhys Patchell, 9 Lloyd Williams, 8 Robin Copeland, 7 Sam Warburton, 6 Josh Navidi, 5 Filo Paulo, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Scott Andrews, 2 Matthew Rees (captain), 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 Marc Breeze, 17 Sam Hobbs, 18 Benoit Bourrust, 19 Lou Reed, 20 Rory Watts-Jones, 21 Lewis Jones, 22 Gareth Davies, 23 Richard Smith.
Toulon: 15 Delon Armitage, 14 Josua Tuisova, 13 Maxime Mermoz, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Rudi Wulf, 10 Jonny Wilkinson (captain), 9 Frederic Michalak, 8 Chris Masoe, 7 Steffon Armitage, 6 Juan Fernandez Lobbe, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Jean-Charles Orioli, 1 Xavier Chiocci.
Replacements: 16 Benjamin Noirot, 17 Emmanuel Felsina, 18 Carl Hayman, 19 Juan Smith, 20 Virgile Bruni, 21 Drew Mitchell, 22 Alexis Palisson, 23 Jocelino Suta.
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant referees: Andrew Small (England), Roy Maybank (England)
TMO: Trevor Fisher (England)
Montpellier v Ulster
(Stade Yves du Manoir – Kick-off: 16.40; 15.40 GMT)
Teams:
Montpellier: 15 Anthony Floch, 14 Timoci Nagusa, 13 Anthony Tuitavaké, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Yoan Audrin, 10 François Trinh-Duc, 9 Jonathan Pélissié, 8 Kélian Galletier, 7 Mamuka Gorgodze, 6 Fulgence Ouedraogo (captain), 5 Thibaut Privat, 4 Jim Hamilton, 3 Maximiliano Bustos, 2 Mickaël Ivaldi, 1 Yvan Watremez.
Replacements: 16 Thomas Bianchin, 17 Misha Nariashvili, 18 Nicolas Mas, 19 Fred Quercy, 20 Robins Tchalé-Watchou, 21 Benoit Paillaugue, 22 Thomas Combezou, 23 Benoit Sicart.
Ulster: 15 Jared Payne, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Luke Marshall, 11 Tommy Bowe, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Roger Wilson, 7 Chris Henry, 6 Robbie Diack, 5 Dan Tuohy, 4 Johann Muller (captain), 3 Declan Fitzpatrick, 2 Rory Best, 1 Tom Court.
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Callum Black, 18 John Afoa, 19 Lewis Stevenson, 20 Iain Henderson, 21 Paul Marshall, 22 Stuart Olding, 23 Michael Allen.
Referee: Leighton Hodges (Wales)
Assistant referees: Jonathan Mason (Wales), Chris Williams (Wales)
TMO: Gareth Simmonds (Wales)
Leinster v Castres
(RDS – Kick-off: 15.40; 15.40 GMT)
Teams:
Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Brendan Macken, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Jimmy Gopperth, 9 Isaac Boss, 8 Jamie Heaslip (captain), 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Kevin McLaughlin, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Martin Moore, 2 Sean Cronin, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Aaron Dundon, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Michael Bent, 19 Quinn Roux, 20 Rhys Ruddock, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Luke Fitzgerald.
Castres Olympique: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Romain Martial, 13 Romain Cabannes, 12 Remi Lamerat, 11 Maxwell Evans, 10 Remi Tales (captain), 9 Rory Kockott, 8 Antonie Claassen, 7 Pedrie Wannenburg, 6 Jannie Bornman, 5 Rodrigo Capo Ortega, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Anton Peikrishvili, 2 Brice Mach, 1 Mihaita Lazar.
Replacements: 16 Marc-Antoine Rallier, 17 Karena Wihongi, 18 Saimone Taumoepeau, 19 Christophe Samson, 20 Ibrahim Diarra, 21 Julien Tomas, 22 Geoffrey Palis, 23 Daniel Kirkpatrick.
Referee: Greg Garner (England)
Assistant referees: Martin Fox (England), Robin Goodliffe (England)
TMO: Graham Hughes (England)
Scarlets v Racing Metro
(Parc y Scarlets – Kick-off: 18.00; 18.00 GMT)
Teams:
Scarlets: 15 Liam Williams, 14 Nick Reynolds, 13 Jonathan Davies (captain), 12 Scott Williams, 11 Jordan Williams, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Josh Turnbull, 7 John Barclay, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 George Earle, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Emyr Phillips, 1 Phil John.
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Rob Evans, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Joe Snyman, 20 Craig Price, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Steven Shingler, 23 Gareth Maule.
Racing Métro: 15 Benjamin Lapeyre, 14 Adrien Plante, 13 Henry Chavancy, 12 Alexandre Dumoulin, 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Jonny Sexton, 9 Laurent Magnaval, 8 Masi Matadigo, 7 Dan Lydiate, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Francois van der Merwe, 4 Juandre Kruger, 3 Luc Ducalcon, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski (captain), 1 Soane Tonga'uiha.
Replacements:16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Eddy Ben Arous, 18 Julien Brugnaut, 19 Fabrice Metz, 20 Camille Gerondeau, 21 Ruan Snyman, 22 Fabrice Estebanez, 23 Benjamin Dambielle.
Referee: Neil Paterson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: David Changleng (Scotland), Adrian Graves (Scotland)
TMO: Iain Ramage (Scotland)
Munster v Gloucester
(Thomond Park – Kick-off: 18.00; 18.00 GMT)
Teams:
Munster: 15 Felix Jones, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 James Downey, 11 Johne Murphy, 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Peter O'Mahony (captain), 7 Niall Ronan, 6 Donnacha Ryan, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 BJ Botha, 2 Damien Varley, 1 Dave Kilcoyne.
Replacements: 16 Mike Sherry, 17 James Cronin, 18 Stephen Archer, 19 James Coughlan, 20 CJ Stander, 21 Cathal Sheridan, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Denis Hurley.
Gloucester: 15 Martyn Thomas, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Mike Tindall, 12 Ryan Mills, 11 Jonny May, 10 Jonny Bentley, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Akapusi Qera, 6 Matt Cox, 5 Will James (captain), 4 Lua Lokotui, 3 Rupert Harden, 2 Darren Dawiduik, 1 Dan Murphy.
Replacements: 16 Daniel George, 17 James Gibbons, 18 Yann Thomas, 19 James Hudson, 20 Gareth Evans, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Rob Cook.
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant referees: Alexandre Ruiz (France), Sébastien Clouté (France)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
Sunday, October 20
Perpignan v Edinburgh
(Stade Aime Giral – Kick-off: 13.45; 12.45 GMT)
Teams:
Perpignan: 15 Joffrey Michel, 14 Watisoni Votu, 13 David Marty, 12 Sione Piukala, 11 Richard Haughton, 10 James Hook, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Luke Narraway, 7 Jean-Pierre Perez, 6 Justin Purll, 5 Romain Taofifenua, 4 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 3 George Jgenti, 2 Guilhem Guirado (captain), 1 Sona Taumalolo.
Replacements: 16 Romain Terrain, 17 Sebastien Taofifenua, 18 Kisi Pulu, 19 Karl Chateau, 20 Nicolas Durand, 21 Tommy Allan, 22 Wandile Mjekevu, 23 Luke Charteris.
Edinburgh: 15 Jack Cuthbert, 14 Douglas Fife, 13 Nick De Luca, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Harry Leonard, 9 Greig Laidlaw (captain), 8 David Denton, 7 Roddy Grant, 6 Cornell Du Preez, 5 Sean Cox, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 2 Ross Ford, 3 WP Nel, 1 Alasdair Dickinson.
Replacements: 16 Aleki Lutui, 17 Lodewicus Blaauw, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 Izak Van Der Westhuizen, 20 Tomas Leonardi, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Joaquin Dominguez, 23 Greig Tonks.
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant referees: Stefano Pennè (Italy), Stefano Traversi (Italy)
TMO: Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Northampton Saints v Ospreys
(Franklin's Gardens – Kick-off: 12.45;12.45 GMT)
Teams:
Northampton Saints: 15 Ben Foden, 14 Jamie Elliott, 13 George Pisi, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 George North, 10 Steve Myler, 9 Lee Dickson, 8 Samu Manoa, 7 Phil Dowson, 6 Tom Wood, 5 Christian Day, 4 Courtney Lawes, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Dylan Hartley (captain), 1 Alex Waller.
Replacements: 16 Mikey Haywood, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Gareth Denman, 19 Gerrit-Jan van Velze, 20 Calum Clark, 21 Kahn Fotuali'i, 22 James Wilson, 23 Ken Pisi.
Ospreys: 15 Richard Fussell, 14 Jeff Hassler, 13 Andrew Bishop, 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Eli Walker, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Tom Habberfield, 8 Joe Bearman, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Ryan Jones, 5 James King, 4 Alun Wyn Jones (captain), 3 Adam Jones, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Ryan Bevington.
Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Tyler Ardron, 20 Morgan Allen, 21 Sam Lewis, 22 Tito Tebaldi, 23 Matthew Morgan.
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland), Jonathan Peak (Ireland)
TMO: Simon McDowell (Ireland)
Glasgow Warriors v Exeter Chiefs
(Scotstoun Stadium – Kick-off: 14.00; 14.00 GMT)
Teams:
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Sean Maitland, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Byron McGuigan, 12 Gabriel Ascarate, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Ruaridh Jackson, 9 Niko Matawalu, 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Tyrone Holmes, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Al Kellock (captain), 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Ed Kalman, 2 Pat MacArthur, 1 Ryan Grant.
Replacements: 16 Dougie Hall, 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 18 Moray Low, 19 Jonny Gray, 20 Richie Vernon, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Mark Bennett.
Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Ian Whitten, 13 Jason Shoemark, 12 Sam Hill, 11 Matt Jess, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Dave Lewis, 8 Dave Ewers, 7 Ben White, 6 Tom Johnson, 5 Damian Welch, 4 Dean Mumm (captain), 3 Hoani Tui, 2 Chris Whitehead, 1 Ben Moon.
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Brett Sturgess, 18 Alex Brown, 19 Don Armand, 20 Kai Horstmann, 21 Haydn Thomas, 22 Henry Slade, 23 Fetu'u Vainikolo.
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees: Christophe Berdos (France), Tual Trainini (France)
Clermont Auvergne v Harlequins
(Stade Marcel Michelin – Kick-off: 16.00; 15.00 GMT)
Teams:
ASM Clermont Auvergne: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 Aurélien Rougerie (captain), 13 Regan King, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Brock James, 9 Thierry Lacrampe, 8 Damien Chouly, 7 Alexandre Lapandry, 6 Julien Bonnaire, 5 Nathan Hines, 4 Julien Pierre, 3 Daniel Kotze, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Vincent Debaty.
Replacements: 16 Ti'i Paulo, 17 Raphael Chaume, 18 Clément Ric, 19 Loic Jacquet, 20 Gerhard Vosloo, 21 Ludovic Radoslavjevic , 22 Mike Delany, 23 Naipolioni Nalaga.
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Paul Sackey, 13 Matt Hopper, 12 Ben Botica, 11 Tom Williams, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Danny Care, 8 Tom Guest, 7 Chris Robshaw (captain), 6 Luke Wallace, 5 George Robson, 4 Nick Easter, 3 Will Collier, 2 Rob Buchanan, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Dave Ward, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 George Merrick, 20 Joe Trayfoot, 21 Karl Dickson, 22 Sam Smith, 23 Charlie Walker.
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Nigel Correll (Ireland), Barrie O'Connell (Ireland)
TMO: Marshall Kilgore (Ireland)
