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Challenge Cup

PREVIEW: Cheetahs searching for second Challenge Cup win in Round 2, Lions aim for first

The Cheetahs and Lions are again in action in the second round of the Challenge Cup this weekend.
Image Copyright - Fred Porcu - Backpage Pix

The Cheetahs and Lions are again in action in the second round of the Challenge Cup this weekend.

Two women looking excitedly at cellphone

Friday 16 December

Lions | Draw | Stade Francais *TBA

The Lions have a chance to immediately rebound from their draw with Dragons last week when they welcome a strong Stade Francais outfit to Emirates Airline Park on Friday. Cash van Rooyen’s charges played out a far from ideal 31-all stalemate in the first round that has put the side under pressure, with the Joburgers currently fifth in Pool B and trips to Paris and Newport still to come.

Their home record this season has been underwhelming, and the number of unforced errors the side is conceding has been a point of concern. Coming up against a very kicking-oriented Stade unit, the hosts cannot afford to be inaccurate off the boot either or risk playing into the Parisians’ hands.

The Pink Army claimed a 24-14 win over Benetton in their tournament opener at the Stade Jean-Bouin to put them second in the pool, and another positive result here would put them in a very commanding position heading into the new year.

Veteran forward Willem Alberts, assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher and scrumhalf Andre Warner have all represented Stade, and their intel should give the hosts a slight edge.

Back the Lions to claim a narrow three-point win.

Glasgow Warriors | Draw | Perpignan *TBA

Warriors bagged an important three-point win at Bath in the first round to get their campaign off on the right foot. Franco Smith’s men have been a mixed bag this season, with four wins and four losses in the URC seeing them sit ninth, with their games having become incredibly difficult to predict. That said, they’ll have too much for a floundering Perpignan side at the Scotstoun.

The visitors are 13th domestically with just four wins from 12 and took a 19-5 home defeat to the Bears a week ago. There’s little to suggest they will handle Warriors here.

Get on the Scottish outfit to record a comfortable win of 15 or more.
Toulon | Draw | Bath *TBA

After finishing as runners-up for a fourth time in last season’s edition, Toulon will be hoping that a win over Bath on Saturday keeps them on course to finally get over the line in  the Challenge Cup this time around. The three-time Champions Cup winners squeaked home at Zebre by three-points last week, with Dan Biggar debuting for the visitors. The addition of the experienced Welshman to Toulon’s squad is a major coup for the club, who haven’t tasted silverware since 2015.

Bath are three from nine in the Premiership, lying eighth, and head into the weekend after copping a narrow 19-22 Round 1 loss to Glasgow at the Rec. While they’re already enjoying a marked improvement on their results last season, they’re unlikely to feature in the Challenge Cup playoffs.

At the Mayol, back Toulon to bag a comfortable win of 14-points or more.

Cheetahs | Draw | Scarlets *TBA

The Cheetahs produced a fantastic performance to down Pau 21-6 at the Stade de Hameau last week. Spearheaded by the priceless Ruan Pienaar, the men from Bloemfontein shook off the rust to get their Challenge Cup campaign off to a great start. Coming up against Scarlets this weekend at the Free Staters’ “home” stadium, Zebre’s Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Hawies Fourie’s men have a golden opportunity to consolidate their strong position in Pool B early on.

As things stand, they’re ranked third and will be expected to qualify for the Round of 16 with another positive result on Saturday; no small achievement given their current status in limbo.

Scarlets have endured a season to forget, winning just one of their nine URC games to occupy 15th on the standings. They head into this one with momentum on their side though after ending a four-match losing run by bagging a comprehensive 39-7 victory over Bayonne in Llanelli and will be eager to back that up with another solid showing here.

Parma may not exactly be Bloemfontein but get on the Cheetahs to make the most of their first “home” game to edge Scarlets here by five-points or less.

Newcastle | Draw | Cardiff *TBA

Cardiff pasted lowly Brive 41-0 at the Arms Park in the first round to shoot to the summit of Pool A. While it may not be saying a helluva lot, they’ve also been the best Welsh side in the URC, occupying seventh with plenty yet to play for this season. Coming up against Falcons here, they will be confident of taking an upset win back to the Welsh capital with them.

Newcastle were beaten 8-22 at Connacht last week in a result that could have big repercussions on their European campaign. With just three wins from nine games in the Premiership, they’ve been pretty ordinary this season and are ripe for the plucking with a rampant Cardiff on their way to the Kingston.

Get on Cardiff to claim a win of five or less.

Quick-fire tips

Connacht win by 10-points v Brive
Dragons win by three-points v Pau 
Bayonne win by eight-points v Benetton 
Bristol win by 15-points v Zebre 

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