GalwayBayFM

European Challenge Cup - Round One Review

Share this article
European Challenge Cup - Round One Review
  • Round 1 honours undoubtedly go to competition debutants, Krasny Yar, who sensationally defeated holders, Stade Francais Paris, 34-29 in Krasnoyarsk.
  • There were three away wins in Round 1 registered by Bordeaux-Bègles against Enisei-STM, by Edinburgh Rugby at London Irish and by Connacht Rugby against Oyonnax.
  • Eight clubs have a maximum five points going into Round 2 – Bordeaux-Bègles, Newcastle Falcons, Cardiff, Agen, Edinburgh, Krasny Yar, Connacht and Worcester Warriors.
  • Stade Francais took two losing bonus points away from their defeat by Krasny Yar in Siberia.
  • Cardiff Blues’ first try by second row George Earle in their bonus point win over TOP 14 leaders, Lyon, was the club’s 100th in the Challenge Cup.
  • Pau’s 27-21 victory over Gloucester Rugby in Pool 3 was their first win in the competition after 13 defeats in a row.
  • Krasny Yar’s two-try hero, flanker Victor Gresev, topped the Round 1 statistics charts for Carries with an impressive 23.
  • Gloucester’s losing bonus point reversal at Stade du Hameau was the first time the club has lost in Round 1 since 2010 when they were defeated at Agen.
  • Sale Sharks’ dramatic 20-20 draw with Toulouse in Pool 2 was their second stalemate in 76 Challenge Cup matches. The only previous draw was against Montpellier in the 2007/08 season.
  • USA hooker, Joe Taufete’e, scored three tries for Worcester in their 30-20 win over Brive at Sixways.
  • Stade Francais second row, Mathieu Di Giovanni, made the most tackles in Round 1 with 29.

 

Round 1 Reaction

"The first half was quite fluid and we actually got what we wanted out of it but the second half was a bit stop-start and the injury to our prop (Anton Peikrishvili) slowed things down a little bit and we couldn't get going. We were playing with 14, them having two yellow cards and it's a difficult to get rhythm, uncontested scrums as well but what is pleasing is we still managed to get the bonus-point win.’’

Josh Turnbull, Cardiff Blues No 8 - Cardiff Blues 29-19 Lyon

Advertisement

 

"I'm proud of the lads. It was a good performance in that second half and I'm glad that we have not lost at home so I'm pretty chuffed really. I suppose we have got to be happy with a draw in the end. We didn't play particularly well in the first half but I thought we adapted well after the break. They didn't look like scoring in the second half and with the rub of the green on a couple of decisions we might have sneaked it. We are good at home and the challenge for us now is to go to Lyon next week and put in another performance like that against a side that are top of the French league. Our ambition is to get to the next stage of the competition. To do that you have to win your homes games so we need to pick up something away from home next week."

Steve Diamond, Sale Sharks Director of Rugby - Sale Sharks 20-20 Toulouse

 

Advertisement

“We were inaccurate in certain areas, we had four new starters in key positions and that does make a difference. Perhaps we tried to push it a little too much at times. The Dragons aren’t a bad side and we handed them a few chances, plus we didn’t capitalise on a few of our own. Ordinarily we wouldn’t do that, but we pulled through in the end and just about got the job done.”

Dean Richards, Newcastle Falcons Director of Rugby - Newcastle Falcons 32-27 Dragons

 

"We scored three nice tries in the first half. We got a little static in the second half and sat back a bit, but in the end we scored another two tries and it was a good impact from the guys. It's good to get guys game-time and for me as a new coach it gives me the opportunity to see them playing, see how they operate. There was some really good handling, we're starting to actually play ball in hand, we're starting to threaten teams, which is important."

Richard Cockerill, Edinburgh Rugby Head Coach - London Irish 14-37 Edinburgh Rugby

 

“Really pleased, a long time coming. It’s great for us, a new competition the Challenge Cup, gives us another aspiration. We are disappointed about our narrow losses obviously, but you can’t turn it back, so looking forward is what we are all about. The challenge is for us to back it up. The changing room was indicative, a noisy little session, nobody with their heads down – that is the momentum we were searching for, so foolish not to make use of it.”

Kieran Keane, Connacht Rugby Head Coach - Oyonnax 15-43 Connacht Rugby

Pools

Pool 1
Pos Team Pl W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
1 Bordeaux-Bègles 1 1 0 0 57 17 40 8 2 1 0 5
2 Newcastle Falcons 1 1 0 0 32 27 5 4 3 1 0 5
3 Dragons 1 0 0 1 27 32 -5 3 4 0 1 1
4 Enisei-STM 1 0 0 1 17 57 -40 2 8 0 0 0
Pool 2
Pos Team Pl W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
1 Cardiff Blues 1 1 0 0 29 19 10 4 3 1 0 5
2 Sale Sharks 1 0 1 0 20 20 0 2 2 0 0 2
3 Toulouse 1 0 1 0 20 20 0 2 2 0 0 2
4 Lyon 1 0 0 1 19 29 -10 3 4 0 0 0
Pool 3
Pos Team Pl W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
1 Agen 1 1 0 0 45 10 35 7 1 1 0 5
2 Pau 1 1 0 0 27 21 6 3 3 0 0 4
3 Gloucester Rugby 1 0 0 1 21 27 -6 3 3 0 1 1
4 Zebre Rugby Club 1 0 0 1 10 45 -35 1 7 0 0 0
Pool 4
Pos Team Pl W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
1 Edinburgh Rugby 1 1 0 0 37 14 23 5 1 1 0 5
2 Krasny Yar 1 1 0 0 34 29 5 5 5 1 0 5
3 Stade Francais Paris 1 0 0 1 29 34 -5 5 5 1 1 2
4 London Irish 1 0 0 1 14 37 -23 1 5 0 0 0
Pool 5
Pos Team Pl W D L PF PA Diff TF TA TB LB Pts
1 Connacht Rugby 1 1 0 0 43 15 28 5 2 1 0 5
2 Worcester Warriors 1 1 0 0 30 20 10 4 3 1 0 5
3 Brive 1 0 0 1 20 30 -10 3 4 0 0 0
4 Oyonnax 1 0 0 1 15 43 -28 2 5 0 0 0

 

Fixtures

Date Time Pool Home Away Venue
19/10/2017 19:45 3 Gloucester Rugby Agen Kingsholm Stadium
20/10/2017 19:00 5 Brive Oyonnax Stade Amédée-Domenech
20/10/2017 19:30 2 Lyon Sale Sharks Matmut Stadium de Gerland
20/10/2017 21:00 2 Toulouse Cardiff Blues Stade Ernest Wallon
21/10/2017 12:00 4 Krasny Yar Edinburgh Rugby Fili Stadium
21/10/2017 15:00 1 Enisei-STM Dragons Slava Stadium
21/10/2017 15:00 3 Zebre Rugby Club Pau Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
21/10/2017 15:00 5 Connacht Rugby Worcester Warriors The Sportsground
21/10/2017 18:30 1 Bordeaux-Bègles Newcastle Falcons Stade Chaban-Delmas
21/10/2017 20:45 4 Stade Francais Paris London Irish Stade Jean-Bouin

 

EPCR weekends

Round 2: 19/20/21/22 October
Round 3: 7/8/9/10 December
Round 4: 14/15/16/17 December
Round 5: 11/12/13/14 January 2018
Round 6: 18/19/20/21 January 2018
Quarter-finals: 29/30/31 March – 1 April 2018
Semi-finals: 20/21/22 April 2018
2018 Bilbao finals

 

Challenge Cup final – San Mamés Stadium; Friday, 11 May
Champions Cup final – San Mamés Stadium; Saturday, 12 May

Tickets on sale via ChallengeCupRugby.com

 

Pool Five Match Details

Worcester Warriors 30-20 Brive

WORCESTER WARRIORS: Chris Pennell; Tom Howe, Wynand Olivier, Ben Te'o, Perry Humphreys; Jamie Shillcock, Jonny Arr; Ethan Waller, Joseph Taufete'e, Gareth Milasinovich, Pierce Phillips, Christian Scotland-Williamson, Huw Taylor, Sam Lewis, Gerrit-Jan van Velze

Replacements: Jack Singleton, Ryan Bower, Biyi Alo, Darren Barry, Matt Williams, Michael Dowsett, Jono Lance, Dean Hammond

Tries: Joseph Taufete'e (16, 36, 40), Ethan Waller (60)

Conversions: Jono Lance (40+1, 61)

Penalty Goals: Jono Lance (42, 54)

Drop Goals:

Yellow Cards:

Red Cards:

Replacements: Jono Lance for Ben Te'o (3), Darren Barry for Christian Scotland-Williamson (44), Biyi Alo for Gareth Milasinovich (52), Matt Williams for Joseph Taufete'e (64), Ryan Bower for Ethan Waller (64), Jack Singleton for Darren Barry (78)

 

BRIVE: Guillaume Namy; Benito Masilevu, Felix Le Bourhis, Benjamin Petre, Nadir Megdoud; Matthieu Ugalde, Vasil Lobzhanidze; Vivien Devisme, Thomas Acquier, Soso Bekoshvili, Jan Uys, Sisa Koyamaibole, Said Hireche, Peniami Narisia, Retief Marais

Replacements: Mike Tadjer, Julien Brugnaut, Damien Jourdain, James Johnston, Louis Martin, Florian Cazenave, Arnaud Mignardi, Franck Romanet

Tries: Guillaume Namy (8, 43), Julien Brugnaut (73)

Conversions: Matthieu Ugalde (10)

Penalty Goals: Matthieu Ugalde (20)

Drop Goals:

Yellow Cards: Louis Martin (62)

Red Cards:

Replacements: Arnaud Mignardi for Benjamin Petre (41), Julien Brugnaut for Vivien Devisme (47), Mike Tadjer for Thomas Acquier (47), Damien Jourdain for Soso Bekoshvili (47), James Johnston for Sisa Koyamaibole (55), Florian Cazenave for Matthieu Ugalde (55), Louis Martin for Retief Marais (58), Franck Romanet for Felix Le Bourhis (65)

Attendance: 6,728

Heineken Man of the Match: Joe Taufete’e (Worcester Warriors)

 

Oyonnax 15-43 Connacht

OYONNAX: Silvere Tian; Tim Giresse, Ulupano Seuteni, Roimata Hansell-Pune, Axel Muler; Christopher Ruiz, Julien Audy; Giorgi Vepkhvadze, Benjamin Geledan, Irakli Mirtskhulava, Geoffrey Fabbri, Christian Njewel, Bilel Taieb, Valentin Ursache, Maurie Fa'asavalu

Replacements: Guilhem Bourgois, Vincent Debaty, Thomas Laclayat, Shay Kerry, Mickael Romera, Anthony Fuertes, Jeremy Scalese, Romain Gauthier

Tries: Silvere Tian (25), Axel Muler (30)

Conversions: Julien Audy (26)

Penalty Goals: Christopher Ruiz (2)

Drop Goals:

Yellow Cards:

Red Cards:

Replacements: Shay Kerry for Maurie Fa'asavalu (21), Anthony Fuertes for Christopher Ruiz (21), Maurie Fa'asavalu for Shay Kerry (30), Thomas Laclayat for Irakli Mirtskhulava (32), Irakli Mirtskhulava for Thomas Laclayat (40), Vincent Debaty for Giorgi Vepkhvadze (44), Shay Kerry for Christian Njewel (51), Guilhem Bourgois for Benjamin Geledan (51), Jeremy Scalese for Silvere Tian (57), Romain Gauthier for Valentin Ursache (61), Thomas Laclayat for Irakli Mirtskhulava (66), Mickael Romera for Roimata Hansell-Pune (69)

 

CONNACHT RUGBY: Darragh Leader; Cian Kelleher, Eoin Griffin, Thomas Farrell, Matt Healy; Andrew Deegan, Caolin Blade; Denis Coulson, Tom McCartney, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, James Cannon, Eoghan Masterson, Eoin McKeon, John Muldoon

Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Peter McCabe, Conor Carey, Quinn Roux, James Connolly, Kieran Marmion, Craig Ronaldson, Rory Scholes

Tries: Matt Healy (3, 51), Cian Kelleher (11), Eoin McKeon (22), Darragh Leader (79)

Conversions: Andrew Deegan (4, 24, 52)

Penalty Goals: Andrew Deegan (38, 44, 57, 61)

Drop Goals:

Yellow Cards:

Red Cards:

Replacements: Craig Ronaldson for Thomas Farrell (57), Shane Delahunt for Tom McCartney (64), Quinn Roux for Ultan Dillane (64), Rory Scholes for Cian Kelleher (68), James Connolly for John Muldoon (69), Peter McCabe for Denis Coulson (75), Conor Carey for Finlay Bealham (75)

 

Attendance: 3,500

 

Heineken Man of the Match: Andrew Deegan (Connacht Rugby)

2017/18 Challenge Cup - Leading Scorers

 

Points

Rank Player Team Matches Mins Tries Cons PGs DGs Points
1 Andrew Deegan Connacht Rugby 1 80 0 3 4 0 18
1 Mathieu Lamoulie Agen 1 80 2 1 2 0 18
3 Matthieu Jalibert Bordeaux Bègles 1 58 1 4 1 0 16
4 Colin Slade Pau 1 54 1 2 2 0 15
4 Joseph Taufete'e Worcester Warriors 1 64 3 0 0 0 15
4 Sebastien Bezy Toulouse 1 80 1 2 2 0 15
7 Angus O'Brien Dragons 1 80 0 3 2 0 12
7 Toby Flood Newcastle Falcons 1 80 0 3 2 0 12
9 9 Players - - - - - - - 10

 

Tries

Rank Player Team Matches Mins Tries
1 Joseph Taufete'e Worcester Warriors 1 64 3
2 Mathieu Lamoulie Agen 1 80 2
2 Victor Gresev Krasny Yar 1 80 2
2 Jean-Baptiste Dubie Bordeaux Bègles 1 80 2
2 Solomoni Rasolea Edinburgh Rugby 1 79 2
2 Guillaume Namy Brive 1 80 2
2 Julien Arias Stade Francais Paris 1 80 2
2 Matt Healy Connacht Rugby 1 80 2
9 55 Players - - - 1

 

*Goal Kicking %

Rank Player Team PGs Cons Total Attempts* % Kicked
1 Colin Slade Pau 2 2 4 100%
1 Francois de Klerk Sale Sharks 2 2 4 100%
1 Sebastien Bezy Toulouse 2 2 4 100%
1 Owen Williams Gloucester Rugby 0 3 3 100%
1 Tiaan Schoeman Bordeaux Bègles 0 3 3 100%
1 Guglielmo Palazzani Zebre Rugby Club 1 1 2 100%
1 Yury Kushnarev Enisei-STM 0 2 2 100%
8 Angus O'Brien Dragons 2 3 6 83%
8 Matthieu Jalibert Bordeaux Bègles 1 4 6 83%
8 Toby Flood Newcastle Falcons 2 3 6 83%
*2+ attempts

 

2017/18 Challenge Cup – Round 1 Top Performers

Defenders beaten: Adam Radwan (Newcastle Falcons) – 12
Breaks:
Frank Halai (Pau), Pierre Fouyssac (Agen), Julien Arias (Stade Francais Paris), Perry Humphreys (Worcester Warriors), Solomoni Rasolea (Edinburgh Rugby), Tony Ensor (Stade Francais Paris), Baptiste Couilloud (Lyon), Matthieu Jalibert (Bordeaux-Bègles) - 3
Offloads:
Yuri Kushnarev (Enisei-STM), Maxime Mermoz (Newcastle Falcons), Johann Sadie (Agen), Pierre Fouyssac (Agen), Craig Burden (Stade Francais Paris) - 4

Metres: Tony Ensor (Stade Francais Paris) – 164
Carries:
Victor Gresev (Krasny Yar) - 23
Turnovers:
Semi Kunatani (Toulouse), Igor Galinovskiy (Krasny Yar) – 3
Tackles:
Mathieu De Giovanni (Stade Francais Paris) – 29
Lineout steals: James Cannon (Connacht Rugby), Jan Uys (Brive) - 2

 

2017/18 Challenge Cup – Top Performers

Carries

Rank Player Team Matches Carries
1 Victor Gresev Krasny Yar 1 23
2 Maxim Gargalic Enisei-STM 1 18
2 Cornell Du Preez Edinburgh Rugby 1 18
4 Alex Tait Newcastle Falcons 1 17
5 Tony Ensor Stade Francais Paris 1 16
5 Yoan Tanga Agen 1 16
5 Andrey Garbuzov Krasny Yar 1 16
5 Matthew Morgan Cardiff Blues 1 16
5 Dmitrii Gerasimov Enisei-STM 1 16
10 Adam Radwan Newcastle Falcons 1 15
10 Henry Purdy Gloucester Rugby 1 15
10 Semi Kunatani Toulouse 1 15

 

Metres

Rank Player Team Matches Metres
1 Tony Ensor Stade Francais Paris 1 164
2 Matthieu Jalibert Bordeaux-Bègles 1 145
3 Adam Radwan Newcastle Falcons 1 130
4 Frank Halai Pau 1 115
5 Solomoni Rasolea Edinburgh Rugby 1 114
6 Julien Arias Stade Francais Paris 1 108
7 Cornell Du Preez Edinburgh Rugby 1 107
8 Chris Pennell Worcester Warriors 1 103
8 Perry Humphreys Worcester Warriors 1 103
10 Benito Masilevu Brive 1 102

 

Clean Breaks

Rank Player Team Matches Clean Breaks
1 Tony Ensor Stade Francais Paris 1 3
1 Matthieu Jalibert Bordeaux Bègles 1 3
1 Frank Halai Pau 1 3
1 Solomoni Rasolea Edinburgh Rugby 1 3
1 Julien Arias Stade Francais Paris 1 3
1 Perry Humphreys Worcester Warriors 1 3
1 Baptiste Couilloud Lyon 1 3
1 Pierre Fouyssac Agen 1 3
9 26 Players - - 2

 

 

Defenders Beaten

Rank Player Team Matches Defenders Beaten
1 Adam Radwan Newcastle Falcons 1 12
2 Tony Ensor Stade Francais Paris 1 9
3 Matthieu Jalibert Bordeaux Bègles 1 7
4 Wandie Mjekevu Toulouse 1 6
4 Damien Hoyland Edinburgh Rugby 1 6
4 Chris Dean Edinburgh Rugby 1 6
4 Tom Howe Worcester Warriors 1 6
4 Thomas Farrell Connacht Rugby 1 6
4 Chris Pennell Worcester Warriors 1 6
4 Peni Ravai Bordeaux Bègles 1 6

 

Offloads

Rank Player Team Matches Offloads
1 Pierre Fouyssac Agen 1 4
1 Craig Burden Stade Francais Paris 1 4
1 Yury Kushnarev Enisei-STM 1 4
1 Maxime Mermoz Newcastle Falcons 1 4
1 Johann Sadie Agen 1 4
6 Alex Tait Newcastle Falcons 1 3
6 Semi Kunatani Toulouse 1 3
6 Sisa Koyamaibole Brive 1 3
6 Clement Laporte Agen 1 3
6 Tom Hudson Gloucester Rugby 1 3

 

Tackles

Rank Player Team Matches Tackles Missed Tackles
1 Mathieu De Giovanni Stade Francais Paris 1 29 1
2 Cyril Cazeaux Bordeaux Bègles 1 20 2
3 Thierry Paiva Bordeaux Bègles 1 18 0
3 Andrei Ostrikov Sale Sharks 1 18 0
3 Jessy Jegerlhener Agen 1 18 0
3 Tom Savage Gloucester Rugby 1 18 0
7 Jean-Baptiste Dubie Bordeaux Bègles 1 17 1
7 Theophile Cotte Lyon 1 17 1
7 Ben Curry Sale Sharks 1 17 2
7 Ben Toolis Edinburgh Rugby 1 17 0
7 Sam Lewis Worcester Warriors 1 17 1
7 James Cannon Connacht Rugby 1 17 1

 

Lineouts

Rank Player Team Matches Lineouts Won (inc. steals)
1 Ben Toolis Edinburgh Rugby 1 7
1 Virgile Bruni Lyon 1 7
1 Sean Robinson Newcastle Falcons 1 7
1 Ben Mowen Pau 1 7
5 Andrei Ostrikov Sale Sharks 1 6
5 Florian Verhaeghe Toulouse 1 6
5 Andrei Mahu Krasny Yar 1 6
8 Hugh Chalmers Bordeaux Bègles 1 5
8 Jan Uys Brive 1 5
8 Rynard Landman Dragons 1 5
8 Hugh Pyle Stade Francais Paris 1 5
8 Will Witty Newcastle Falcons 1 5

 

Disciplinary Update

Yellow Cards

 

Brive

  • Louis Martin (62) v Worcester Warriors Rd 1

 

Cardiff Blues

  • Kristian Dacey (57) v Lyon Rd 1

 

Enisei-STM

  • Viacheslav Krasylnyk (19) v Bordeaux-Bègles Rd 1

 

Krasny Yar

  • Kirill Golosnitskiy (51) v Stade Francais Paris Rd 1

 

London Irish

  • Conor Gilsenan (75) v Edinburgh Rugby Rd 1

 

Lyon

  • Timilai Rokoduru (71) v Cardiff Blues Rd 1
  • Etienne Oosthuizen (74) v Cardiff Blues Rd 1

 

Zebre Rugby Club

  • Guglielmo Palazzani (23) v Agen Rd 1
  • Johan Meyer (42) v Agen Rd 1

 

95.8 MHz Galway City
95.8 MHz Clifden & West Connemara
97.4 MHz South Connemara & Aran Islands
96.8 MHz County Galway
97.4 MHz East Galway
97.2 MHz Gort Area

Copyright © 2024. Developed by Square1 and powered by PublisherPlus.com

Download the GBFM App
Advertisement