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Stadio XXV Aprile - 13/10/2012 (14:35)
TV: Sky Italia
Haha, if anyone wants a good case for cutting the number of teams in the Heineken Cup I'd advise watching this!
We'll see how they get on. They might spring a surprise or two.
I think they just hate bookmakers.
If you want more evidence of why Zebre should be in the Amlin Challenge Cup (unless they do well enough in the RaboPro12) and not the Heineken Cup. Then just look at the crowd attendance they brought to this match. A mere 2,000. Granted Connacht may not be a big draw, but that is over 3 times smaller than the next lowest attendance of 6,500 at Edinburgh.
Zebre just give Biarritz a guaranteed 10 points and a good opportunity to get a best runners up spot (despite them clearly not being a top 8 side in Europe), and give Harlequins a good opportunity to get top seeds for the quarter finals.
Ridicolous there is a group with Toulouse (Top 14 champions), Ospreys (RaboPro12 champions), Leicester (Premiership runners up). Whilst there also being a group with Biarritz (9th in Top 14 last season), Zebre (newly formed replacement for whipping boys Aironi) and Connacht (8th in the RaboPro12).
One group has three teams near the top of their leagues. Whilst another has got two mediocre sides, and one side who will be lucky to get a point.