The sharp end of the European season has arrived, with the defending champion Hollywoodbets Sharks, Bulls and Lions all in action in the EPCR Challenge Cup round of 16 this weekend.
Friday 4 April
Edinburgh | Draw | Lions
Considering the quality of their squad, many believe Edinburgh are continuing to underperform this season. They’re currently eighth in the URC with six wins and eight losses to their name, making it very difficult to know exactly what kind of performance to expect of them in this round of 16 encounter.
The Lions were smacked 42-0 at another Scottish club in Glasgow last week, and they’ll still be hurting heading into Friday’s affair at the DAM Health Stadium. Cash van Rooyen’s boys claimed a resounding 55-21 victory when they hosted Edinburgh in the URC in October, but plenty of water has passed under the bridge since then. And, without their home support to galvanise them, they could find themselves running out of gas in what will be their fourth successive away game.
Verdict: Edinburgh on the board
Sean Everitt’s side to take the win in the Scottish capital.
Saturday 5 April
Bayonne | Draw | Bulls
Bayonne are fourth on the Top 14 standings and will be tricky customers for a confident Bulls team to handle at the Stade Jean-Dauger. Les Ciel et Blanc have won all 12 of their home matches in all competitions this season, a frightening statistic for Jake White and his men to come to terms with.
The Bulls pummeled Zebre into submission at Loftus last week and, depending on the strength of the side White decides to send to the south of France, should be competitive come Saturday. However, given Bayonne’s perfect record at home this campaign, it would be a shock to see a URC-invested Bulls team do the business.
Verdict: Bayonne on the board
The hosts to make it 13 in a row at the Stade Jean-Dauger.
Sunday 6 April
Lyon | Draw | Hollywoodbets Sharks
Lyon are seventh in the Top 14 after falling at Bayonne on the weekend. They welcome the Sharks to the Stade Gerland unbeaten in their last seven games at the ground and looking to win back the title they last claimed back in 2022.
The Jekyll and Hyde nature of this current Sharks lineup was exposed again by an under-strength Leinster team in Durban last week. In spite of the wealth of talent at the Shark Tank, the side is yet to truly find any real consistency this season or lock in an effective game plan. As current defending champions of the competition though, John Plumtree’s men should bounce back from their latest setback with victory in France.
Verdict: Sharks on the board
The experienced Durbanites to find a way to get the job done on Saturday.
Ospreys | Draw | Scarlets
The Welsh rivals clash for the second time in as many weeks following Scarlets’ comprehensive 38-22 URC win at Parc y Scarlets last Saturday. Ospreys claimed a 23-22 result in Swansea in the December meeting between the sides, though Sunday’s clash marks potentially the clubs’ most important derby matchup of the season.
Ospreys had hit an impressive run of form before that most recent URC loss, winning five of their six games leading up to that contest. While they were thoroughly outplayed in the second-half, home ground advantage could be telling as they look to hit back hard against Dwayne Peel’s men here.
Verdict: Ospreys on the board
Ospreys to avenge their defeat a week ago and set up a quarterfinal date.
Quickfire picks:
· Pau v Bath = Bath on the minus
· Montpellier v Gloucester = Montpellier on the board
· Connacht v Cardiff = Connacht on the board
· Perpignan v Racing 92 = Racing on the board
