AS THE IRISH provinces look to get their Champions Cup campaigns back up and running with a bang this weekend, French opposition stand in their way.
Having lost both of their Pool 1 games so far, Connacht travel to face Lyon on Saturday [KO 1pm Irish time, TNT Sports] with a real need to win.
A couple of hours later, the injury-decimated Munster take on Toulon at Stade Felix Mayol [KO 3.15pm Irish time, TNT] in another crucial tie.
Leinster are next up with a home game against Stade Français at the Aviva Stadium [KO 5.30pm, RTÉ/TNT].
And Ulster round out a busy day in Irish rugby by hosting five-time champions Toulouse at Kingspan Stadium that evening [KO 8pm, TNT].
Given that Stade Français have already lost both of their Champions Cup pool games so far but are sitting third in the ferociously competitive Top 14, it would be no great surprise if Laurent Labit and co. opted to leave a few key figures at home.
Still, Leinster’s home clash with Sale before Christmas showed that even second-string teams can provide an excellent contest when they’re motivated and well-coached. And it would be great if Stade Français – or simply Paris, as they’re now often referred to in the French media – brought a few of their stars.
Samoan tighthead Paul Alo Emile is a real handful, former All Blacks scrum-half Brad Weber is a smart operator, and 21-year-old fullback Léo Barré is having a breakthrough season, but it remains to be seen what kind of Paris team pitches up at the Aviva.
Either way, Leinster will be favourites to make it three wins from three and strengthen their chances of topping Pool 4 to earn home advantage ahead of the knock-out stages. With a trip to Leicester to come a week later, every point matters.
Toulouse are sitting on a maximum 10 points after exciting bonus-point wins over Cardiff and Harlequins last month, so it’s unlikely they will be taking their foot off the pedal for their Saturday night showdown in Belfast.
Antoine Dupont trained with the France 7s last week as he begins a transition he hopes will end with a gold medal at the Olympics this summer but he was back in Toulouse’s number nine shirt at the weekend to help them to a 45-0 hammering of Lyon.
With the likes of fit-again hooker Julien Marchand, English flanker Jack Willis, and mammoth lock Emmanuel Meafou, now eligible for France, doing the damage up front, there was an armchair ride for Dupont and Thomas Ramos, who continues at out-half in the absence of the injured Romain Ntamack.
Fourth-placed Toulouse have lost five of their 12 games in the Top 14 so far this season, all of those defeats coming away from home, but there is no doubting their class when they’re humming.
Ulster come into this clash with a bounce in their step following recent wins against Racing, Connacht, and away to Leinster, but it promises to be a demanding evening against a team they’ve had some excellent Champions Cup tussles with before.
Sitting at the bottom of Pool 1 after their defeats to Bordeaux and Saracens last month, Connacht urgently need a result at Stade de Gerland this weekend. Even after that poor start, all is not lost. With the top four of each six-team pool going through to the round of 16, there’s still some hope ahead of this game and the home tie against Bristol a week later.
It helps the western province’s cause that Lyon have been struggling for results this season, that massive defeat in Toulouse last weekend adding to the misery. They’re second from bottom in the Top 14 having won just four of their 12 games.
Ex-Ireland and Ulster out-half Paddy Jackson has been first-choice at number 10 since joining after London Irish’s collapse, while ex-Connacht centre Kyle Godwin, Georgian fullback Davit Niniashvili, French international tighthead Demba Bamba, and ex-Munster back row Arno Botha are among the other familiar faces.
While they were decent in Europe last month, losing narrowly away to Bristol and beating the Bulls at home, Lyon are beatable if Connacht can deliver something near their best.
Perhaps the most intriguing Irish-French tie of the weekend is Munster’s mission to rescue their Champions Cup campaign in Toulon.
A home draw for Graham Rowntree’s men against Bayonne last month was followed by a final-quarter collapse away to Exeter. The injury list is ludicrous, the future of some high-profile players is unclear beyond the end of this season, and Munster aren’t playing well even accounting for the absences.
Toulon have had a bad time in the Champions Cup too, giving up a strong winning position to lose at home to Exeter and then losing late on again away to Northampton. Pierre Mignoni’s side are bottom of Pool 3, a point behind Munster, so they’re also fighting for their lives.
They’ve had some injury misfortune of their own with captain Charles Ollivon sidelined by an injury that also makes him a doubt for France’s Six Nations opener against Ireland on 2 February.
While these aren’t anything like the Mourad Boudjellal glory days, the Toulon squad includes lots of well-known names such as former Wales out-half Dan Biggar, France wing Gabin Villière, Argentina back row Facundo Isa, Scotland scrum-half Ben White, All Blacks wing/centre Leicester Fainga’anuku, and French fullback Melvyn Jaminet, a mid-season addition from Toulouse.
Though they lost to bottom side Montpellier last night in the Top 14, Toulon are still fifth in the table and they’ll make life difficult for Munster at the Mayol. It’s a massive game in the southern province’s season.
