Tag: Rugby

Round One of the Challenge Cup kicks off on Friday with an intriguing fixture at Stade Aime Giral between Perpignan and Sale Sharks.

Perpignan v Sale Sharks

Perpignan: 15 Julien Farnoux, 14 Jonathan Bousquet, 13 Pierre Lucas, 12 Paul Marty, 11 Eroni Sau, 10 Enzo Selponi, 9 Sadek Degmache, 8 Genesis Mamea, 7 Alan Brazo (c), 6 Pierre Reynaud, 5 Yoann Vivalda, 4 Johan Van Heerden, 3 Sylvain Charlet, 2 Manu Leiataua, 1 Yassin Boutemmani
Replacements: 16 Cyril Deligny, 17 Kevin Tougne, 18 Gert Muller, 19 Alban Roussel, 20 Edoardo Iachizzi, 21 David Mele, 22 Romuald Seguy, 23 Afusipa Taumoepeau

Sale Sharks: 15 Sam James, 14 Byron McGuigan, 13 James O’Connor, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Paolo Odogwu, 10 Kieran Wilkinson, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Ben Curry, 6 Jono Ross (c), 5 James Phillips, 4 Josh Beaumont, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Curtis Langdon, 17 Tom Bristow, 18 Joe Jones, 19 George Nott, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Will Cliff, 22 Connor Doherty, 23 Luke James

Date: Friday, October 12
Venue: Stade Aimé Giral
Kick-off: 20:45 local (19:45 BST, 18:45 GMT)
Referee: Joy Neville (Ireland)
Assistant referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Mark Patton (Ireland)

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Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has named a strong starting XV to face Wasps at the RDS Arena on Friday in the opening round of the Champions Cup.

Fly-half Johnny Sexton will captain Leinster as they start the defence of their title and he will form a half-back partnership with Luke McGrath.

Garry Ringrose comes in to start at outside centre while Robbie Henshaw is retained in the number 12 shirt from last weekend’s PRO14 derby win over Munster at Aviva Stadium.

Jordan Larmour comes in to start on the right wing in the only change to the back three from last week.

A new front-row of Cian Healy, Seán Cronin and Tadhg Furlong will start Friday’s European opener. Devin Toner and James Ryan will once again start in the second-row for the champions.

In the back-row, Dan Leavy moves from openside to blindside, Josh van der Flier comes in to start, and Jack Conan is named at number eight.

Joe Tomane is named among the replacements and could make his European debut for the province if called upon.

Meanwhile, Brad Shields, Lima Sopoaga and Willie le Roux are restored to the Wasps starting line-up for this encounter.

Shields recovers from a cheekbone injury to start in the back-row alongside Nizaam Carr and Thomas Young – the latter of whom makes his first start of the 2018/19 campaign after returning from injury last weekend. Nathan Hughes misses out through suspension.

Sopoaga is fit to play after a neck spasm while Le Roux returns from Rugby Championship duty despite going off with an HIA assessment last weekend – but has passed the return-to-play protocol to be fit for Friday’s clash.

Joe Simpson is recalled at scrum-half to start in place of Dan Robson, who is out for approximately three months with an ankle injury, while Michael Le Bourgeois is added to the centres to partner Juan de Jongh.

Skipper Elliot Daly moves to the wing in place of Christian Wade (illness) and joins Josh Bassett and Le Roux in the back three.

Georgian prop Zurabi Zhvania is handed a starting spot in the front-row next to Tommy Taylor and Kieran Brookes while Will Rowlands and James Gaskell get the nod in the second-row.

The teams:

Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Jordan Larmour, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton (c), 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Dan Leavy, 5 James Ryan, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Seán Cronin, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements: 16 James Tracy, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Scott Fardy, 20 Seán O’Brien, 21 Nick McCarthy, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Joe Tomane

Wasps: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Josh Bassett, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Michael Le Bourgeois, 11 Elliot Daly (c), 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Brad Shields, 5 James Gaskell, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Zurabi Zhvania
Replacements: 16 Tom Cruse, 17 Ben Harris, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Kearnan Myall, 20 Ashley Johnson, 21 Craig Hampson, 22 Billy Searle, 23 Rob Miller

Date: Friday, October 12
Venue: RDS Arena, Dublin
Kick-off: 19:45 BST (18:45 GMT)
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees: Cyril Lafon (France), Stéphane Boyer (France)
Television match official: Denis Grenouillet (France)

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Wasps back-row Nathan Hughes is still awaiting his fate after his disciplinary hearing for punching an opponent was postponed on Wednesday.

Hughes was cited by independent citing commissioner Andy Blyth following the Wasps v Gloucester Premiership game last Saturday, for punching or striking Gloucester’s Lewis Ludlow contrary to Law 9.12.

The independent disciplinary panel comprised Gareth Graham with Matthew Weaver and Martyn Wood.

Independent panel chair Graham said: “The independent panel appointed to deal with this case will reconvene in not less than seven days in order to deal with an issue that arose during the evening.

“No judgment will be issued by the panel in this period and the panel direct that the player, Wasps Rugby and the RFU are to make no further comment until the case has concluded.

“The player remains suspended until the conclusion of the matter.”

Meanwhile, Ludlow was suspended for four weeks for stamping or trampling Elliot Daly contrary to Law 9.12.

Ludlow contested the charge but was found guilty by the independent disciplinary panel comprising Graham (chair) with Weaver and Wood. Ludlow’s suspension means he is free to play again on Tuesday, 6 November.

Graham said: “The panel accepted that this was a dynamic situation; the incident occurred over a very short period. The player knew that there were bodies on the floor and, in counter-rucking, attempted to step over them.

“In so doing, he ran the risk that he may commit an act of foul play by making contact with the head or body of an opposition player. By stepping on the opposition player, his actions fell squarely within the definition of a reckless act under the RFU Regulations. The panel found that this act of foul play passed the red card threshold.

“The mandatory entry point for contact to the head is mid-range under the sanction table; a ban of six weeks. The player did not accept the charge. He expressed remorse for his actions and had positive character references.

“While he has one previous matter on his record, it was four years old. The panel felt that on balance, taking into account all factors, they could reduce the overall sanction by two weeks to take account of his mitigation. He is free to play again on the 6 November.”

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Wasps number eight Nathan Hughes has landed himself in more trouble due to a tweet he sent during his hearing for alleged foul play.

Hughes appeared before an independent disciplinary panel on Wednesday, after he was cited by independent citing commissioner Andy Blyth after his side’s Premiership encounter with Gloucester at the Ricoh Arena last weekend.

It is alleged he punched Gloucester’s Lewis Ludlow contrary to Law 9.12.

The hearing was subsequently postponed and independent panel chair Gareth Graham said: “The independent panel appointed to deal with this case will reconvene in not less than seven days in order to deal with an issue that arose during the evening.”

“No judgment will be issued by the panel in this period and the panel direct that the player, Wasps Rugby and the RFU are to make no further comment until the case has concluded. The player remains suspended until the conclusion of the matter.”

But the issue in question is understood to be a tweet sent by Hughes during the hearing which said: “What a joke”.

Although Hughes deleted the tweet, it is seen as a criticism of the disciplinary proceedings. That resulted in the postponement of the hearing.

Hughes was initially facing the prospect of a six-week ban for punching Ludlow but may face an additional charge for his tweet.

As he is suspended until the disciplinary process runs its course, Hughes is unavailable for Wasps’ Champions Cup opener against Leinster at the RDS Arena in Dublin on Friday.

The 27-year-old could now be facing another charge because of his tweet and his availability for England‘s end-of-year Tests is also greater jeopardy.

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The Wallabies are set to play the All Blacks at Allianz Stadium for the first time in 24 years when the upgraded venue is re-opened in 2022.

Rugby Australia boss Raelene Castle revealed the likely staging of the Bledisloe Cup clash at the unveiling of the design plans for the new stadium on Friday.

After much debate and political warfare, the New South Wales (NSW) government committed to a AUS$729 million rebuild of Allianz Stadium, as part of a stadiums strategy that has also seen a new Parramatta Stadium being built, and plans for a AUS$700-plus million refurbishment of ANZ Stadium as well.

Wrapped in a bronze facade and with a hi-tech roof that can be lit in a home team’s colours, the new Allianz Stadium will hold 45,000 spectators and will boast far better game-day facilities for fans than the run-down old version.

The stadium – designed by the same architects who created the original in 1988 – will also have upgraded change room capacity, with facilities that are specifically tailored to be female-friendly.

With the old Allianz Stadium not meeting building code and safety standards, Rugby Australia put their support behind the proposal to knock down and re-build; which NSW Sports Minister Stuart Ayres said came in at almost the same price as a re-furbishment.

Castle said there would be a large number of benefits for rugby in the impressive new stadium.

“From a fan experience point of view, the Waratahs will have a world-class stadium to play in, which is important,” Castle told Rugby Australia’s official website.

“Our Sydney Sevens event, which we have here in NSW, it’s a great location for us, in the future for our Sydney sevens. And also for us, that high tier Wallaby content, for a fan experience to have a great world-class stadium to experience that in is really important.

“But equally we now have a stadium that allows our back of house operations and our athletes to have a great experience, and dress in changing rooms that are appropriate for high performance athletes.”

It is expected demolition will begin on Allianz Stadium in December and the new stadium will be opened in early 2022.

Having a brand new stadium in Moore Park will no doubt raise questions about whether Rugby Australia would think about taking Bledisloe Cup games back to the east, as was once customary.

Castle said the answer is yes, but only temporarily.

Bigger venues bring bigger revenues but with ANZ Stadium not likely to be available in 2022, the Wallabies look likely to play an inbound July Test at the new Allianz Stadium and then host the All Blacks in Moore Park for the first time since 1998.

“That’s the plan, at this stage,” said Castle.

“Certainly the indications we have had from the stadia around availability and when they’re going to come back online, the plan is for this to be (the venue) in mid-2022.

“Our aspiration will always be to get a (Bledisloe) crowd that gets to 80,000 and where we can host that is ANZ Stadium.

“But the reality is because of the transition of ANZ Stadium into Allianz Stadium as far as construction goes, we will probably have to have a Bledisloe Cup Test match here at the new stadium, which will be fantastic and be a great experience.”

Castle said the new Allianz Stadium would also allow the Sydney Sevens to have another “re-birth”, after the tournament spends a few years in Sydney’s west.

It will be held at Olympic Park next February and there is some potential for Parramatta Stadium to host it in future years, too.

Castle welcomed the changes in dressing room facilities to cater for female teams but also the fact that Allianz Stadium will now have four change rooms, instead of two, and open up the potential for double and triple-headers.

“It’s just the way it should be, in modern stadia. And that’s really important. But it’s not just about female athletes, it’s about the ability to run multiple games,” she added.

“In the configuration, you could run an under 16s, under 18s, under 20s, Wallaroos into Wallabies and because there are enough rooms to accommodate them, you are not having athletes running down hallways with bags under their arms or getting changed in bathrooms and that sort of thing.”

A pre-sale in Western Australia for tickets to the Bledisloe Cup at Perth’s new Optus Stadium was swamped this week, and corporate hospitality is all-but sold out as well.

Castle said that was evidence that new stadia are vital.

“We are very happy with that and that’s a combination of people wanting to see the content but it also very much wanting to have an experience in the new Perth stadium, and that’s the proof point why this new stadium is important,” she said.

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Montpellier have suffered a blow ahead of their Champions Cup clash with Edinburgh after wing Nemani Nadolo was ruled out for four months.

The powerful Fijian finisher is expected to have surgery on his knee next week, with a cartilage problem forcing him to go under the knife.

Nadolo’s absence for such a large chunk of the European and Top 14 campaign is a major setback for Vern Cotter, who has had several injury problems to cope with in his squad recently. Among those currently out are Timoci Nagusa, Aaron Cruden, Francois Steyn and Johan Goosen.

Montpellier are in the same pool as Toulon, Newcastle and the aforementioned Edinburgh and begin their Champions Cup charge on Saturday.

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Ahead of the opening round of this season’s European Champions Cup, we take a look at the best bets for the tournament winner and top try-scorer.

Holders Leinster begin the competition at home to Wasps on Friday before mouth-watering games take place between Exeter Chiefs and Munster and Scarlets and Racing 92 on Saturday. Sunday’s stand-out match comes from Scotstoun Stadium where Glasgow Warriors take on Saracens, who are once again title contenders.

Speaking of which, let’s go through the runners and riders for 2018/19…

Champions Cup winner

It’s unsurprising that last season’s champions Leinster have been installed as the bookmakers’ favourites at a best price of 9/4 with Betway. Next up in the list is Saracens (10/3 with Sportingbet and BetBright), Montpellier (9/1 with Unibet and 888sport), Exeter Chiefs (11/1 with Boyle Sports and SpreadEx), Racing 92 (14/1 with Betstars and BetBright) before Munster (14/1) and Scarlets (20/1) follow up.

On paper it’s tough to look past Leinster and Saracens in terms of on-field quality and experience in the knockout stage but Exeter Chiefs and Racing 92 look decent outside bets for glory. The Parisians are oozing talent while the Chiefs continue to impress in the Premiership under Rob Baxter.

One leftfield pick which might raise an eyebrow would be Castres, due in part to a whopping 250/1 price with SpreadEx, which is incredibly generous as Christophe Urios’ men have shown that when it comes to knockout rugby, they are horrible to face. Should they progress, watch out for them.

Champions Cup top try-scorer

Now this is a punt that comes with complications as one must factor in how much James Lowe will play for Leinster due to the Champions Cup rule that allows only two ‘non-Europeans’ in a 23. Remember last season they had to decide on two of Jamison Gibson-Park, Scott Fardy and Lowe? He is best priced at 11/1 with Betway in a decent bet but should injury hit at scrum-half or back-row he may be sacrificed.

The market leader here is Montpellier wing Nemani Nadolo at 9/1 with various bookies but he should be avoided due to a knee injury. After Lowe we have David Strettle (12/1 with Betfair), in-form Saracens team-mate Liam Williams (12/1 with several) and another Leinster wing, improving youngster Jordan Larmour (18/1 with Boyle Sports).

One outside bet we like here is current Top 14 pace-setter Simon Zebo (40/1 with Betfair). He has already crossed six times in that competition and his team-mate, Teddy Thomas, is also tempting at 33/1 with Boyle Sports.

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Tighthead prop Wilco Louw will play his 50th match for Western Province in their Currie Cup derby against the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.

Louw is one of four players who have returned from the Springbok squad to take their place in the starting XV for the final league fixture.

He is joined in the Western Province team by flank Sikhumbuzo Notshe, fly-half Damian Willemse and centre Ruhan Nel.

Having already secured a home semi-final at Newlands next week, Western Province will be looking to seal top spot on the standings by continuing their unbeaten run in the Currie Cup this season.

In the front-row Louw starts alongside hooker Scarra Ntubeni and prop Ali Vermaak, with skipper Chris van Zyl and JD Schickerling the lock pairing.

Notshe is at number eight and will be flanked by Kobus van Dyk and Ernst van Rhyn in the loose trio.

Scrum-half Herschel Jantjies will form an all-new half-back pairing with Willemse, while Dan du Plessis makes his first start of the season in midfield alongside Nel.

The outside back combination of Dillyn Leyds at full-back and wings Sergeal Petersen and SP Marais remains unchanged.

Western Province: 15 Dillyn Leyds, 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 SP Marais, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Herschel Jantjies, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Ernst van Rhyn, 6 Kobus van Dyk, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Chris van Zyl (c), 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Ali Vermaak
Replacements: 16 Chad Solomon, 17 Caylib Oosthuizen, 18 Neethling Fouche, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Jaco Coetzee, 21 Paul de Wet, 22 Josh Stander

Date: Saturday, October 13
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 17:15 local (16:15 BST, 15:15 GMT)
Referee: Egon Seconds
Assistant referees: Jaco Pretorius, Eduan Nel
Television match official: Lesego Legoete

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Sale Sharks enjoyed a bonus-point victory to start their Challenge Cup campaign on Friday, defeating Perpignan 41-24 at Stade Aime Giral.

Tries from Byron McGuigan (3), Rob Webber, Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Luke James saw the Premiership outfit to the five points on Friday.

In reply, Perpignan, who had Manu Leiataua red carded early on, crossed through Pierre Lucas and Genesis Mamea on a tough evening at home.

Sale got off to the ideal start when wing McGuigan crossed in style in the seventh minute and with Faf de Klerk’s conversion they were 7-0 up.

Perpignan responded admirably as outside centre Lucas scored nine minutes later, but opposing hooker Webber’s crossing then made it 12-7. What compounded the Sale try was that Perpignan lost hooker Leiataua due to leading with the arm to the neck of Webber prior to the try.

Jonathan Bousquet reduced the scores to 12-10 and then a further penalty nudged USAP in front, before Van Rensburg’s try made it 17-13. His fellow South African, De Klerk, was successful off the tee as the Sharks moved six points ahead before Bousquet struck for 19-16.

Bousquet levelled matters shortly after the resumption but when centre James got over after De Klerk’s kick ahead, Sale had moved 24-19 up.

De Klerk would add a penalty with 17 minutes to play to extend the lead to eight points before McGuigan grabbed his second try of the night.

The Scottish international wasn’t done there and secured his hat-trick before USAP number eight Mamea would add a consolation score late on.

The scorers:

For Perpignan:
Tries: Lucas, Mamea
Con: Bousquet
Pens: Bousquet 4
Red Card: Leiataua

For Sale Sharks:
Tries: McGuigan 3, Webber, Van Rensburg, L James
Cons: De Klerk 3, Cliff
Pen: De Klerk

Perpignan: 15 Julien Farnoux, 14 Jonathan Bousquet, 13 Pierre Lucas, 12 Paul Marty, 11 Eroni Sau, 10 Enzo Selponi, 9 Sadek Degmache, 8 Genesis Mamea, 7 Alan Brazo (c), 6 Pierre Reynaud, 5 Yoann Vivalda, 4 Johan Van Heerden, 3 Sylvain Charlet, 2 Manu Leiataua, 1 Yassin Boutemmani
Replacements: 16 Cyril Deligny, 17 Kevin Tougne, 18 Gert Muller, 19 Alban Roussel, 20 Edoardo Iachizzi, 21 David Mele, 22 Romuald Seguy, 23 Afusipa Taumoepeau

Sale Sharks: 15 Sam James, 14 Byron McGuigan, 13 Luke James, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Paolo Odogwu, 10 Kieran Wilkinson, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Ben Curry, 6 Jono Ross (c), 5 James Phillips, 4 Josh Beaumont, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Curtis Langdon, 17 Tom Bristow, 18 Joe Jones, 19 George Nott, 20 Tom Curry, 21 Will Cliff, 22 Connor Doherty, 23 Arron Reed

Referee: Joy Neville (Ireland)
Assistant referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Mark Patton (Ireland)

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The Challenge Cup first round continues this Saturday and there are nine games scheduled with Northampton against Clermont the standout match.

Enisei-STM vs La Rochelle

Enisei-STM: 15 Ramil Gaisin, 14 Victor Kononov, 13 Jurijs Baranovs, 12 Nazir Gasanov, 11 Denis Simplikevich, 10 Iurii Kushnarev, 9 Alexey Shcherban, 8 Maxim Gargalic, 7 Vitalii Orlov, 6 Mikheil Gachechiladze, 5 Evgeny Elgin, 4 Uldis Saulite (c), 3 Innokentiy Zykov, 2 Stanislav Selskii, 1 Valery Morozov
Replacements: 16 Shamil Magomedov, 17 Andrei Polivalov, 18 Evgenii Pronenko, 19 Anton Rudoi, 20 Aleksandr Budychenko, 21 Konstantin Uzunov, 22 Aleksei Mikhaltsov, 23 Viacheslav Krasylnyk

La Rochelle: 15 Romaric Camou, 14 Vincent Rattez, 13 Paul Jordaan, 12 Jules Favre, 11 Marc Andreu, 10 Maxime Lafage, 9 Jean-Victor Goillot, 8 Grégory Alldritt, 7 Kevin Gourdon, 6 Zeno Kieft, 5 Lopeti Timani, 4 Romain Sazy (c), 3 Arthur Joly, 2 Hikairo Forbes, 1 Vincent Pelo
Replacements: 16 Pierre Bourgarit, 17 Dany Priso, 18 Sila Puafisi, 19 Thomas Jolmes, 20 Victor Vito, 21 Alexi Bales, 22 Ihaia West, 23 Pierre Aguillon

Venue: Central Stadium
Kick-off: 15:00 local (09:00 BST, 08:00 GMT)
Referee: Christopher Ridley (England)
Assistant referees: Anthony Woodthorpe (England), Simon McConnell (England)

Timisoara Saracens v Dragons

Timisoara Saracens: 15 Luke Samoa, 14 Daniel Vladut Zaharia, 13 Florin Popa, 12 Jack Umaga, 11 Catalin Fercu, 10 Jody Rose, 9 Gabriel Conache, 8 Randall Morrison, 7 Vasile Rus (c), 6 Vlad Neculau, 5 Ionut Muresan, 4 Michael Stewart, 3 Mesake Doge, 2 Eugen Capatina, 1 Sione Taupaki
Replacements: 16 Andrei Radoi, 17 Sione Halalilo, 18 Samuel Maris, 19 Marius Iftimiciuc, 20 George Tatarus, 21 Valentin Poparlan, 22 Stephen Shennan, 23 Marius Simionescu

Dragons: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Dafydd Howells, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 Jarryd Sage, 11 Adam Warren, 10 Josh Lewis, 9 Tavis Knoyle, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Nic Cudd, 6 Ollie Griffiths, 5 Lewis Evans, 4 Matthew Screech, 3 Leon Brown, 2 Elliot Dee (c), 1 Brok Harris
Replacements: 16 Rhys Lawrence, 17 Aaron Jarvis, 18 Lewis Fairbrother, 19 Cory Hill, 20 Huw Taylor, 21 Rhodri Davies, 22 Jordan Williams, 23 Will Talbot-Davies

Venue: Dan Paltinisanu Stadium
Kick-off: 14:30 local (12:30 BST, 11:30 GMT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset (France)
Assistant referees: Adrien Descottes (France), Éric Soulan (France)

Benetton Rugby v Grenoble

Benetton Rugby: 15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Iliesa Ratuva Tavuyara, 13 Nacho Brex, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Tommaso Benvenuti, 10 Tommy Allan, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Robert Barbieri (c), 7 Marco Lazzaroni, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Alessandro Zanni, 3 Marco Riccioni, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Nicola Quaglio
Replacements: 16 Hame Faiva, 17 Cherif Traore, 18 Tiziano Pasquali, 19 Irne Herbst, 20 Marco Barbini, 21 Edoardo Gori, 22 Antonio Rizzi, 23 Alberto Sgarbi

Grenoble: 15 Bastien Guillemin, 14 Lucas Dupont, 13 Pablo Uberti, 12 Junior Rasolea, 11 Teiva Jacquelain, 10 Ben Lucas, 9 Jeremy Valencot, 8 Tai Tuifua, 7 Dorian Bonnin, 6 Loic Baradel, 5 Killian Geraci, 4 François Uys, 3 Ali Oz, 2 Duncan Casey (c), 1 Dylan Jacquot
Replacements: 16 Lilian Rossi, 17 Alexandre Dardet, 18 Halani Aulika, 19 Fabien Alexandre, 20 Morgan Vacchino, 21 Theo Nanette, 22 Taleta Tupuola, 23 Lolagi Visinia

Venue: Stadio Comunale di Monigo
Kick-off: 15:00 local (14:00 BST, 13:00 GMT)
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys (England)
Assistant referees: Andrew Jackson, Phil Watters (England)

Ospreys v Pau

Ospreys: 15 James Hook, 14 George North, 13 Cory Allen, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Luke Morgan, 10 Sam Davies, 9 Aled Davies, 8 James King, 7 Justin Tipuric (c), 6 Olly Cracknell, 5 Bradley Davies, 4 Adam Beard, 3 Ma’afu Fia, 2 Scott Otten, 1 Rhodri Jones
Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Tom Botha, 19 Rob McCusker, 20 Guido Volpi, 21 Harri Morgan, 22 Joe Thomas, 23 Keelan Giles

Pau: 15 Mathias Colombet, 14 Marvin Lestremeau, 13 Benson Stanley, 12 Atila Septar, 11 Frank Halai, 10 Antoine Hastoy, 9 Julien Blanc, 8 Antoine Erbani, 7 Sean Dougall, 6 Baptiste Pesenti, 5 Dan Malafosse, 4 Julien Delannoy, 3 Nicolas Corato, 2 Laurent Bouchet, 1 Thomas Domingo (c)
Replacements: 16 Lucas Rey, 17 Geoffrey Moise, 18 Matthew Tierney, 19 Fabrice Metz, 20 Lekima Tagitagivalu, 21 Matthieu Ugena, 22 Clovis Lebail, 23 Pierre Nueno

Venue: Liberty Stadium
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Tom Foley (England)
Assistant referees: Karl Dickson (England), Roy Maybank (England)

Northampton Saints v Clermont

Northampton: 15 Harry Mallinder, 14 Ahsee Tuala, 13 Andrew Kellaway, 12 Piers Francis, 11 Tom Collins, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Teimana Harrison, 7 Lewis Ludlam, 6 James Haskell, 5 Dom Barrow, 4 David Ribbans, 3 Ehren Painter, 2 Dylan Hartley, 1 Alex Waller (c)
Replacements: 16 Mikey Haywood, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Ben Franks, 19 Alex Moon, 20 Jamie Gibson, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 James Grayson, 23 Luther Burrell

Clermont: 15 Isaia Toeava, 14 Tim Nanai-Williams, 13 Damian Penaud, 12 Rémi Lamerat, 11 Peter Betham, 10 Pato Fernandez, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 8 Fritz Lee (c), 7 Judicaël Cancoriet, 6 Arthur Iturria, 5 Sébastien Vahaamahina, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Benjamin Kayser, 1 Etienne Falgoux
Replacements: 16 John Ulugia, 17 Beka Kakabadze, 18 Davit Zirakashvili, 19 Flip van der Merwe, 20 Peceli Yato, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Camille Lopez, 23 Apisai Naqalevu

Venue: Franklin’s Gardens
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Adam Jones (Wales), Simon Rees (Wales)

Harlequins v Agen

Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Gabriel Ibitoye, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Nathan Earle, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Charlie Mulchrone, 8 James Chisholm (c), 7 Semi Kunatani, 6 Renaldo Bothma, 5 Matt Symons, 4 George Merrick, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Max Crumpton, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Elia Elia, 17 Lewis Boyce, 18 Will Collier, 19 Stan South, 20 Alex Dombrandt, 21 Dave Lewis, 22 Demetri Catrakilis, 23 Francis Saili

Agen: 15 Loris Tolot, 14 Nicolas Metge, 13 Alban Conduche, 12 Julien Heriteau, 11 Fouad Yaha, 10 Leo Berdeu, 9 Lucas Rubio, 8 Opeti Fonua 7 Antoine Miquel (c), 6 Jessy Jegerlhener, 5 Mickael De Marco, 4 Adrian Motoc, 3 Yohan Montes, 2 Marc Barthomeuf, 1 Morgan Phelipponneau
Replacements: 16 Facundo Bosch, 17 Giorgi Tetrashvili, 18 Xerom Civil, 19 Christiaan van der Merwe, 20 Loic Hocquet, 21 Hugo Verdu, 22 Thomas Vincent, 23 Tamaz Mchedlidze

Venue: Twickenham Stoop
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant referees: Mike English (Wales), Gareth John (Wales)

Bristol Bears v Zebre

Bristol Bears: 15 Tom Pincus, 14 Ryan Edwards, 13 Will Hurrell, 12 Siale Piutau (c), 11 Alapati Leiua, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Nick Stirzaker, 8 Nick Haining, 7 Daniel Thomas, 6 Sam Jeffries, 5 Joe Latta, 4 Joe Batley, 3 Jake Armstrong, 2 Shaun Malton, 1 Jake Woolmore
Replacements: 16 Tom Lindsay, 17 Yann Thomas, 18 John Afoa, 19 Jake Heenan, 20 George Smith, 21 Andy Uren, 22 Sam Bedlow, 23 Tusi Pisi

Zebre: 15 Gabriele Di Giulio, 14 Mattia Bellini, 13 Giulio Bisegni, 12 Tommaso Castello (c), 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Guglielmo Palazzani, 8 David Sisi, 7 Jimmy Tuivaiti, 6 Apisai Tauyavuca, 5 George Biagi, 4 Leonard Krumov, 3 Eduardo Bello, 2 Massimo Ceciliani, 1 Cruze Ah-Nau
Replacements: 16 Luhandre Luus, 17 Andrea Lovotti, 18 Giosue’ Zilocchi, 19 Samuele Ortis, 20 Roberto Tenga, 21 Riccardo Raffaele, 22 Carlo Canna, 23 Tommaso Boni

Venue: Ashton Gate
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Mark Patton (Ireland)

Connacht v Bordeaux-Begles

Connacht: 15 Cian Kelleher, 14 Niyi Adeolokun, 13 Eoin Griffin, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Kyle Godwin, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Caolin Blade, 8 Robin Copeland, 7 Colby Fainga’a, 6 Jarrad Butler (c), 5 Quinn Roux, 4 James Cannon, 3 Conor Carey, 2 Shane Delahunt, 1 Peter McCabe
Replacements: 16 Tom McCartney, 17 Conan O’Donnell, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Joe Maksymiw, 20 James Connolly, 21 Conor McKeon, 22 Conor Fitzgerald, 23 Colm DeBuitlear

Bordeaux-Begles: 15 Simon Desaubies, 14 Nans Ducuing, 13 Jean-Baptiste Dubié (c), 12 Ulupano Seuteni, 11 George Tilsley, 10 Lucas Meret, 9 Yann Lesgourgues, 8 Beka Gorgadze, 7 Cameron Woki, 6 Luke Braid, 5 Cyril Cazeaux, 4 Mariano Galarza, 3 Lasha Tabidze, 2 Clement Maynadier, 1 Thierry Paiva
Replacements: 16 Florian Dufour, 17 Laurent Delboubes, 18 Viliamu Afatia, 19 Afa Amosa, 20 Maxime Lamothe, 21 Jules Gimbert, 22 Lucas Lebraud, 23 Adrien Pélissié

Venue: Sportsground
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Lloyd Linton (Scotland), Keith Allen (Scotland)

Stade Francais v Worcester

Stade Francais: 15 Kylan Hamdaoui, 14 Lester Etien, 13 Julien Delbouis, 12 Jonathan Danty, 11 Djibril Camara, 10 Jules Plisson, 9 Clement Daguin, 8 Ryan Chapuis, 7 Sekou Macalou, 6 Mathieu De Giovanni, 5 Alexandre Flanquart, 4 Paul Gabrillagues, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 2 Laurent Sempéré (c), 1 Eliès El Ansari
Replacements: 16 Laurent Panis, 17 Siegfried Fisiihoi, 18 Paul Alo Emile, 19 Yoann Maestri, 20 Theo Richard, 21 Piet van Zyl, 22 Morné Steyn, 23 Gael Fickou

Worcester: 15 Perry Humphreys, 14 Dean Hammond, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Tom Howe, 10 Jono Lance (c), 9 Michael Heaney, 8 Matt Cox, 7 Matti Williams, 6 Ted Hill, 5 Pierce Phillips, 4 Andrew Kitchener, 3 Simon Kerrod, 2 Niall Annett, 1 Ethan Waller
Replacements: 16 Joe Taufete’e, 17 Kai Owen, 18 Gareth Milasinovich, 19 Justin Clegg, 20 Tom Dodd, 21 Luke Baldwin, 22 Jamie Shillcock, 23 Wynand Olivier

Kick-off: 21:00 local (20:00 BST, 19:00 GMT)
Venue: Stade Jean Bouin
Referee: Dan Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Gwyn Morris (Wales), Dewi Phillips (Wales)

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