The Challenge Cup pool phase reaches its business end this weekend with the final round of pool phase fixtures kicking off on Friday evening.
Saturday 21 January
Newcastle | Draw | Connacht *betting tba
In fairness, this one is an absolute dead rubber with Connacht already qualified for the next round of the competition while Newcastle have no chance of advancing to the next round.
While the above does take away a bit from fans viewing, I do think there’s a lot of value here for the punter as Connacht could well send a weakened side to the north of England and both sides could throw caution to the wind and give the ball some air.
As touched on earlier, the two sides have experienced contrasting fortunes in the competition with Connacht having won their opening three fixtures while Newcastle lost all three of theirs. Connacht have a positive points differential of 77 while Newcastle are in the negative with -83.
Verdict: Newcastle
The Newcastle boys will have something to prove here and I expect them to get up against the Irish side.
Sunday 22 January
Dragons | Draw | Lions *betting tba
The Lions will be looking to surge into the playoffs by getting a win over their URC rivals, the Dragons. The hosts currently lie fifth on the Pool B standings but are level on points with their South African opponents, who sit in third.
Both teams have enjoyed solid if not spectacular pool phases winning two games and losing one apiece. They experienced contrasting fortunes in the previous round with the Lions going down 17-7 to Stade Francais in Paris, while the Dragons beat Pau 15-21.
Verdict: Lions
We were treated to an absolute thriller when these sides met in Johannesburg earlier this year with the clash ending 31-31. I reckon we’ll get a winner this time around, and my money’s on the Lions taking the spoils by the narrowest of margins.
Cheetahs | Draw | Pau *betting tba
The final game we’ll take a look at is Sunday’s fixture between the Cheetahs and Pau, which will be played in Italy. Both teams are at risk of missing out on the knock-out phase as they sit level on log points with Pau sixth and the Cheetahs in seventh on the Pool B standings.
Each side has only managed one win from three games with the Cheetahs beating Pau 16-21 in France, while Pau beat the Dragons 21-27 in Wales. The duo heads into this one off the back of defeats with Pau going down 15-21 to the Dragons in France, while the Cheetahs lost 20-17 to URC foes, the Scarlets.
Verdict: Cheetahs
I rather fancy the South Africa outfit here. Pau are blowing really cold this term and I reckon they’ll struggle to contain their opponents’ running game.
