[2013/14 ACC] Round 1

[TRF_Olyy]

Thursday 10/10/2013
Sale Sharks v Biarritz Olympique
19:45
AJ Bell Stadium

Bayonne v Grenoble
20:45
Stade Jean-Dauger

Stade Francais v Lusitanos XV
20:45
Stade Jean Bouin

Friday 11/10/2013
Newport Gwent Dragons v Rugby Mogliano
19:15
Rodney Parade

London Irish v I Cavalieri Prato
20:00
Madejski Stadium

Saturday 12/10/2013
Bucharest Wolves v Newcastle Falcons
15:00
Stadium Arcul de Triumf

Viadana v London Wasps
15:00
Stadio Comuncale Pierluigi Zaffanella

Oyonnax v Worcester Warriors
18:30
Stade Charles Mathon

Rugby Calvisano v Brive
19:30
Peroni Stadium

Bordeaux-Begles v Bath Rugby
21:00
Stade Chaban-Delmas​

 

[Packman]

Sale Sharks v Biarritz Olympique - sale have been quite impressive this year while Biarritz are a shadow of their former glory
Bayonne v Grenoble
Stade Francais v Lusitanos XV
Newport Gwent Dragons v Rugby Mogliano
London Irish v I Cavalieri Prato
Bucharest Wolves v Newcastle Falcons
Viadana v London Wasps
Oyonnax v Worcester Warriors haha, nah I meant Worcester.
Rugby Calvisano v Brive
Bordeaux-Begles v Bath Rugby

I have to say that these fixtures are not that inspiring. Bath and Stade are probably going to swan about thumping all and sundry until the big nasty Euro teams drop down in the spring and suddenly there'll be a couple of Great Whites swimming about in this little pond...

 

[psychic duck]

Sale vs Biarritz is the only match worth watching here.

 

[Tony Manx]

Sale vs Biarritz is the only match worth watching here.

I would doubt very much that BO will put out a decent team on a murky night in Manchester where there is nothing at stake.....they must know that they cannot win it and they must know that their very future depends upon survival in the Top14...so why we would they risk their players........

Having said that..must qualify and say we are talking about Blanco and the boys knowing that they have no chance in the Cup, that they really do need to avoid relegation and that they have a modicum of common sense!!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Salford, not Manchester...

I'm working Thursday night so I can't bloody bloomin' effing get to, or watch, the game =/

 

[Tony Manx]

Salford Manchester Salford Manchester.......all the same place and weather surely!!!

Not sure you will miss much as Sale will probably look at what is in front of them and leave a lot of their players out too.............!!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I'm not sure what we'll do, team wise.
We'll want to keep momentum going, and not change things up too much, but then we've had a lot of players playing a lot of rugby so far.
Might be a case of bench players starting, starting players benching (at most), rather than wholesale changes.

Biarritz may be in dire straights, but they've still got enough quality players to turn over a lot of sides, if they click.

 

[Draggs]

Need to get the full five if we want to progress. Seemed everybody was gutted over not getting four tries last week, so good to see we aren't just chasing a win, but striving for more.

 

[Tony Manx]

The starting XV: Pietersen, Brew, Sella Burotu, Thomas, (o) Peyrelongue (cap), (m)Lesgourgues ; Guyot Molcard, Furno , Lockley, Mary Van Staden , Ruffenach , Synaeghel.

Substitutes: Barcella Menini , Gomez Kodela, E. Lund, Yachvili, Gimenez, Ngwenya.

Probably the right selection by Biarritz in resting most those on the bench and others not making it such as Traille.
Barcella, Gimenenz and Brew are back from injury
.
Gives UK TV viewers a chance to see some of the younger players such as Sella (son of the great one), Lesgourges, Thomas, Mocard and Ruffenach plus Lockley to show his fellow countrymen not only his strange gait but also his promise!! Interesting to see Pieterson at 15.....should see a few high balls aimed at him and his tackling tested too........................!! Speaking of 15s', I am wishing Ian Balshaw well amid rumours of premature retirement following knee surgery in May....I know he has his critics but he has become a favourite down here by his overall contribution and his encouragement of the younger players.

No news on the Sale line up but would not be at all surprised to see a first Sale victory against Biarritz but have to remain loyal and say that, with this team, they just might make it but would have preferred to have seen Waenga on the bench!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Sale Team:
Rob Miller, Phil McKenzie, Jonny Leota, Sammy Tuitupou, Tom Brady, Joe Ford, Will Cliff, Ross Harrison, Marc Jones, Henry Thomas, Kirill Kulemin, Andrei Ostrikov, Jonathan Mills, Dan Braid, Mark Easter
Replacements Tommy Taylor, Aston Croall, Vadim Cobilas, Tom Holmes, Andrew Hughes, Nathan Fowles, Danny Cipriani, Tom Arscott


More changes than I expected, and I think Miller is lucky to start over Arscott after a quiet game vs Bath (though getting your head smashed open will do that to you, I guess! :lol: ) - Hopefully Henry's scrummaging will look better with both Russians in the Donkey row.

 

[Packman]

The Euroshield doesn't really engage neutrals until the big guns drop down from um... Olympus to battle the mear mortals on planet earth.

A metaphorical comparision could be Clash of the ***ans (Ray Harryhausin's original, of course). Remember Quins beating Munster??? Perseus would've been proud.

"RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!!!!"

 

[Tony Manx]

Sale Team:
Rob Miller, Phil McKenzie, Jonny Leota, Sammy Tuitupou, Tom Brady, Joe Ford, Will Cliff, Ross Harrison, Marc Jones, Henry Thomas, Kirill Kulemin, Andrei Ostrikov, Jonathan Mills, Dan Braid, Mark Easter
Replacements Tommy Taylor, Aston Croall, Vadim Cobilas, Tom Holmes, Andrew Hughes, Nathan Fowles, Danny Cipriani, Tom Arscott


More changes than I expected, and I think Miller is lucky to start over Arscott after a quiet game vs Bath (though getting your head smashed open will do that to you, I guess! :lol: ) - Hopefully Henry's scrummaging will look better with both Russians in the Donkey row.

Would i be wrong and be right that they have greater priorities than the ACC?

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Duck's point about only one game worth watching sumamrises why this competition annoys me as a wasps fan.

Very few competitive games in the pool stages for most teams - to the extent that Wasps actually WIN SOME GAMES AWAY FROM HOME! What a novel idea.
Then the big boys come down from the heineken, and wasps get knocked out straight away. Greeattt.

 

[Big Ewis]

yeh, not the most fascinating Round..
maybe Oyonnax Warrriors can be cool.. ?

 

[ratsapprentice]

If the Warriors lose to Oyonnax... holy lol.
There is a very real chance of that happening too!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

I'd expect Oyonnax to beat Worcester, to be honest. They've put in some impressive performances in the Top 14

 

[Tony Manx]

I'd expect Oyonnax to beat Worcester, to be honest. They've put in some impressive performances in the Top 14

I agree with that.......but now the big match of the weekend up there in Salford!!

Good to see that Ieaun Evans knows his stuff when he calls Aguillera a "bog for most of the winter"!!! Only when the Welsh and Brits come to town!!

 

[ratsapprentice]

Time for the Braid & Seymour show...

 

[SelimNiai]

Time for the Braid & Seymour show...

Followed by an all new Everybody Loves Raymond where Robert FINALLY has had his voice fixed.

 

[Tony Manx]

39 seconds before Pieterson misses his first straightforward tackle...........................and then he allows a Sale player to walk through him to be tackled by Lesgourges (not LeGogh per the ridiculous Dewi...pronounced Laygorges) who knocked it forward in the tackle and BO were lucky to be given a scrum!

Come on Windsor.....admit it.....Pieterson is another totally crap signing!!!

Another let off as Thomas saves Pieterson's blushes...........I promise will not mention him again tonight..........