BettingOnIce
Handicapper
Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Posts: 18
Location: Newport South Wales
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 Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 12:23 pm Post subject: Sale v Montepellier - Euro Challenge Cup - Live on Sky |
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Sale look to be putting out a quite a strong team tonight to face Montpellier:
Ben Foden, Mark Cueto, Elvis Seveali'i, Lee Thomas, Steve Hanley, Charlie Hodgson, Richard Wigglesworth, Andrew Sheridan, Sebastien Bruno, Stuart Turner, Ignancio Fernandez Lobbe, Sean Cox, Jason White, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Sebastien Chabal
However, Montpellier have started well in the T14 and have overturned USA Perpignan and scored 20 points against a fancied Clermont team in Auvernge. The team they are putting out tonight is:
Montpellier: M McHugh - O Sarraméa, R Lubbe, G Rees, F Welsh - F Trinh Duc, S Buada - S Galtier, F Ouedraogo, D Chouchan - M Macurdy, D Hancke P Toleafoa, O Diomandé (cap), C Baïocco
Remplaçants : J Caudullo, E Van Staden, M Bert, L Picamoles, J Tomas, M Taele, F Todeschini
The team against Clermont was (subs in brackets)
M. McHUGH,( SARRAMEA 61e-70e), F. WELSH, R. LUBBE, G. REES (M. TAELE 61e) S. KUZBIK,F. TRINH-DUC (O. SARRAMEA 70e) J. TOMAS (S. BUADA 54e), L. PICAMOLES, D. CHOUCHAN, F. OUEDRAOGO (W. BRITZ 45e), D. HANCKE, M. GORGODZE,(M. MACURDY 48e) D. THIART (C. BAIOCCO 45e-63e),DIOMANDE (c) (J. CAUDULLO 63e), S. PETIT, (C. BAIOCCO 63e)
So it looks like Montpellier are coming to play, which is great for all of us armchair fans but how on earth are Sale 1/50?????
From Montpellier's Ex Leinster full back:
Montpellier have not won away from home for two years - and new arrival Mark McHugh accepts they will be the underdogs when they clash with Sale Sharks at Edgeley Park in Round One of the European Challenge Cup.
But the former Leinster and Connacht Rugby full-back, one of several new arrivals at the gleaming new Stade Yves Manoir believes an opening Top 14 win at home against Perpignan has given Montpellier a major boost ahead of mixing it with the Sharks.
"I'm looking forward to the game against Sale," said McHugh.
"Obviously, they're one of the best sides in England with some quality players. Sure, they have Cueto, Chabal and Bruno, but Sale is not about one individual player - they've got good players right around the park.
"Our job is to find the weaknesses in their game. It's not an easy task and it certainly won't be easy going over there to Edgeley Park.
"But there's no doubt that the European Challenge Cup is a fantastic tournament. It may not get the same kind of exposure as the Heineken Cup but when you look at the sides that have won it in recent years - Clermont last year and Sale the year before - these are top sides that are amongst the best in their domestic leagues.
The tournament is getting more exposure this time around, with two matches from each weekend shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and on French television.
Hitherto, French sides have been conspicuous for putting out weaker teams in the Challenge Cup, with the rigours of the Top 14 taking priority, but with the level of quality in the tournament consistently rising, even the lower-level French teams are beginning to see it in a new light.
"The competition has so many strong sides that it makes progression a very difficult task indeed," continued McHugh.
"The Challenge Cup also provides a break from the week-in-week out Top 14. That appeals to a lot of players who feel that the competition gives them the opportunity to express themselves a bit more creatively than they normally would in the Top 14.
McHugh was already acquainted with several of his new team-mates, having visited Montpellier's Stade Sabathé - their home until last season - on several occasions with Connacht in previous campaigns.
Not many of those forays were successful for the Irish, but now McHugh is in France he fully appreciates the apparent reluctance of French teams to perform away from the comfort of home surroundings.
"Obviously I played against Montpellier a few times with Connacht and they were an incredibly difficult and intimidating side to beat at home," he said.
"However, our away form has been poor for several years and that's something that I'd like to change. It's such a strange thing, the home and away games.
"When we play at home it feels like a special occasion and I think that can be difficult to find on the road. I actually only found out recently that Montpellier hasn't won away from home in two years. That is something we must change.
"We have had a very long pre-season because of the World Cup and it was just great to get the season underway. We were blown away with the win against Perpignan on the opening weekend of the Top 14.
"I don't think that we played particularly good rugby against Perpignan but we certainly did play intelligent rugby. Defensively, we were delighted with the performance.
"Pool four is obviously a very difficult Pool and the match against Bayonne has all the makings of a derby match for us.
"It will be very important for us to beat the likes of Bayonne in Europe because it makes a very big statement for our Top 14 season.
"I think Sale will probably go through and it will be a straightforward fight between us and Bayonne for second place. But as I said, it's a very tough Pool and we'll take each game as it comes.
"And it's been great here in Montpellier so far. The club have really looked after us and we've settled in quite nicely over the course of the last few months. It's great to be able to live in a different culture and lifestyle and the weather isn't too bad either.
"At the same time though, I do miss Galway a bit. I spent six years there and there was a terrific bunch of lads involved with Connacht."
Personally I'm going to wait and see what the caps are and the points totals. I think Betfair have it far to high at 60.
Montpellier -26 at VC Bet is great value for money |
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