EPCR Challenge Cup, Round 2 Preview: A Look Ahead At Every Match
EPCR Challenge Cup, Round 2 Preview: A Look Ahead At Every Match
The EPCR Challenge Cup Round 2 begins Dec. 13. Here is a preview of the second weekend.
The first round of the return of play in the Champions and Challenge Cups last weekend was well worth the long wait.
Even Storm Darragh, which impacted the United Kingdom, Ireland and other parts of Europe with torrential rainfall and searing winds, did little to stop European rugby’s pulsating return.
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One round is down in pool play, with three more to go (and one more left in the current cycle before the competitions return in January), so teams competing across the continent and South Africa this weekend will be aiming to end their current stretches in EPCR play on a strong note.
Here’s an inside scoop on what to expect ahead of each match in the second round of EPCR Challenge Cup play this weekend, streamed live and exclusively in the United States on FloRugby:
Pool 1
Lyon At Zebre Parma
All signs are pointing to Lyon, which won the Challenge Cup in the 2021-2022 campaign, getting through Zebre Parma in Italy this weekend to retain a commanding hold on a top-2 spot in Pool 1, which it found itself in after a 37-26, bonus-point Round 1 triumph over Cardiff.
A first-half brace from senior France international Ethan Dumortier showed that Lyon has plenty of firepower in the attack in behind with try machine Baptiste Couilloud, who was the Top 14’s leading try scorer a year ago but didn’t suit up in Lyon’s Challenge Cup opener.
Zebre did beat the Ospreys upon its return to United Rugby Championship play following the international break, but was blasted by Connacht last week in Round 1.
Lyon, fighting with Connacht for the top spot in the pool, may do a similar number.
Cheetahs At Cardiff
South Africa’s Cheetahs have been invited into the Challenge Cup for the third straight year, and their run for the 2024-2025 season started last weekend with a draw against Perpignan in their European home, Amsterdam.
Full of fewer senior internationals than the club rugby powers in their country, the Cheetahs still have qualified for the Round of 16 in each of their previous two appearances in the Challenge Cup and are aspiring to keep that streak going this season, though a win probably will need to come at some point for them to feel totally comfortable.
That opportunity could arise this weekend against Cardiff, which is coming off of a losing performance to Lyon in Round 1, but the Cardiff Arms Park always makes for a tough place to play, no matter what the stakes are.
Connacht At Perpignan
Connacht had the look of a serious favorite this past weekend to take the whole Challenge Cup, as the provincial side crushed Zebre Parma, coasting to a 43-12 bonus-point win in which fullback Chay Mullins (who played for Ireland’s sevens team in the Paris Olympics last summer) provided a hat trick, and longtime back-rower Paul Boyle pitched in with a brace as part of a dominant seven-try display for the Westerners.
Perpignan, on the other hand, started its Challenge Cup journey with a draw in Amsterdam against the Cheetahs, in which the French side let a halftime lead slip and needed a penalty from Antoine Aucagne just before the siren to just narrowly secure the two points.
Lapses in concentration can’t happen against Connacht, however, if Perpignan wants to improve its chances of staying in the top 4 in the pool and getting one step closer to qualifying for the knockouts.
Pool 2
Ospreys At Montpellier
The lone Welsh side to win in Round 1, Ospreys did it in style with a try-scoring, bonus-point 30-14 victory against the Lions at Parc y Scarlets, shifted from Swansea due to Storm Darragh pelting the British Isles last weekend and damaging Swansea.com Stadium.
URC play has been rough for the Ospreys thus far, with the side being 14th in the 16-team league (and having a very bad loss right before European play to last-place Zebre Parma) going into the first block of European matches, but the Ospreys have had a solid run of form over the past couple of years in the Challenge Cup. They reached the quarterfinals last season and looked lively on the opening weekend against the South Africans.
Montpellier, meanwhile, is looking to spoil the Ospreys’ good vibes and make it 2 for 2 against Welsh teams in pool play, as Patrice Collazo’s men return back to France after an away victory against the Dragons.
Pau At Lions
A heavily rotated Lions side wasn’t able to find the juice against the Ospreys last weekend, as the normally high-scoring squad wasn’t able to keep up in Wales.
Pau, another Pool 2 team that secured a try-scoring bonus-point win in Round 1 (doing it in a win over the Newcastle Falcons), will be trying to copy much of the blueprint the Ospreys rode to victory over the Johannesburg-based club this past weekend.
Pau’s resilience against Newcastle was its most striking quality in Round 1, as the Falcons took the lead through tries on three separate occasions, only for the hosts to respond in kind each time, as sevens Olympic gold medalist Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang, French Barbarian Jimi Maximin and former France youth internationals Youri Delhommel and Eliott Roudil crossed over to get their club the bonus point.
In Round 2, Pau will be aiming for a similar performance — and a potential first-place position in the pool by the end of this weekend.
Dragons At Newcastle Falcons
How about those Falcons being a pleasant surprise as of late?
Two months after a Premiership win over the Exeter Chiefs ended a 25-match losing streak in the league, Newcastle appears to be finally starting to figure it out in terms of being a consistently competitive outfit.
The Falcons had an unbeaten November, winning all three of its matches in the Premiership Rugby Cup before a stunning shocker in the league over Saracens, but a Challenge Cup victory evaded them last weekend, as Pau won 32-19.
A bounce-back performance at Kingston Park this weekend against the visiting Dragons probably will be needed, if Newcastle wants to extend its Challenge Cup run into the knockout stages, with the Welsh side (under an interim coach in Filo Tiatia) looking to try and do the same after it was denied a win over Montpellier in Round 1 inside a Storm Darragh-soaked Rodney Parade.
Pool 3
Bayonne At Edinburgh
Watch for Bayonne to be a potential sneaky spoiler to top Pool 3 and set itself up for a possible deep run in the knockout rounds.
L’Aviron got exactly the opening-round victory it needed last weekend, as a late penalty four minutes from time from replacement fly-half Joris Segonds rescued the four points for the French side in a narrow 17-16 triumph against the Scarlets, mere moments after the Welsh visitors had a penalty of their own to take the lead.
Fifth in the Top 14, this is a dangerous Bayonne team that absolutely can have a shock or two within it — including when it treks to the Hive Stadium against an off-and-on Edinburgh coming off a loss to Gloucester in Round 1.
Gloucester At Vannes
It’s going to be a historic moment for the game in Brittany, France, this weekend, as Vannes’ Stade de la Rabine will be hosting European rugby for the first time, with the club having been promoted up to the Top 14 last season, less than 10 years after turning professional.
But is a first European win for Vannes in the cards, too?
They did get a bonus point in Georgia against Black Lion in Round 1 and looked encouraging against the four-time reigning Rugby Europe Super Cup champions, but Gloucester should be a much tougher test for the French side, as the English squad topped the pool table following an opening-weekend win over Edinburgh in terrible weather at Kingsholm.
The two-time Challenge Cup winners should be favored to keep their hold in first in Pool 3.
Black Lion At Scarlets
The all-Georgian outfit from Tbilisi, invited back into the Challenge Cup for the second straight season after making its major European debut in last year’s competition, has a new goal in mind this time around — make the knockout rounds.
Black Lion took a massive step toward doing that in Round 1, as the reliable Luka Matkava booted through his club to the top 2 of the table with a tie-breaking penalty in the 74th minute to win 22-19, the club’s second in Challenge Cup play.
Meanwhile, for the Scarlets, they’ll be feeling as if they deserved more against Bayonne in Round 1, as they barely missed out on what would’ve been just a second win in France in a decade.
A win in the comforts of Parc y Scarlets, however, won’t be a certainty; Black Lion did beat the Scarlets in Llanelli for its historic first Challenge Cup win last year, after all.
Where To Watch The EPCR Challenge Cup 2024-2025 Season
The EPCR Challenge Cup is streaming live on FloRugby and the FloSports app.
EPCR Challenge Cup Format
Key points for the 2024-2025 EPCR Challenge Cup:
- A multi-pool format, as launched in the 2023-2024 season
- 18 clubs in three pools of six
- Sporting jeopardy, with each club playing against four different opponents, home or away, in the pool stage
- Four highest-ranked clubs in each pool qualify for the knockout stage
- Eight weekends, with four pool rounds and four knockout rounds culminating in the 2025 final at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Friday, May 23
EPCR Challenge Cup Weekends
- Round 1 – 6/7/8 December 2024
- Round 2 – 13/14/15 December 2024
- Round 3 – 10/11/12 January 2025
- Round 4 – 17/18/19 January 2025
- Round of 16 – 4/5/6 April 2025
- Quarter-finals – 11/12/13 April 2025
- Semi-finals – 2/3/4 May 2025
- 2025 EPCR Challenge Cup final – Principality Stadium, Cardiff; Friday, May 23
EPCR Challenge Cup Qualifiers
Clubs from the United Rugby Championship, the TOP 14 and the Gallagher Premiership that have not qualified for the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup will compete in the 2024-2025 EPCR Challenge Cup.
If not already qualified, the winner of the 2024 EPCR Challenge Cup will secure a place in the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup, replacing the eighth-ranked club in its league.
EPCR Challenge Cup Qualifiers
- UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP – Ospreys, Emirates Lions, Edinburgh Rugby, Connacht Rugby, Cardiff Rugby, Scarlets, Dragons RFC, Zebre Parma
- TOP 14 – Section Paloise, USAP, Lyon Olympique Universitaire, Aviron Bayonnais, Montpellier Hérault Rugby, RC Vannes
- GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP – Gloucester Rugby, Newcastle Falcons
- INVITED – Black Lion, Toyota Cheetahs
When Does The 2024-2025 EPCR Challenge Cup Begin? When Is The Challenge Cup Final?
The Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup begin Dec. 6, and the four-round pool-play action ends Jan. 19, 2025. The Round of 16 starts April 4, while the quarterfinals are April 11-13, and the semifinals are May 2-4.
The EPCR Championships weekend is at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. There are championship games on May 23 (EPCR Challenge Cup) and May 24 (Investec Champions Cup).
What Are The EPCR Challenge Cup Pools?
Here are the pools.
EPCR Challenge Cup
Pool 1:
- Cardiff Rugby
- Connacht Rugby
- Toyota Cheetahs
- Perpignan (USAP)
- Lyon Olympic University (Lyon OU)
- Zebra Parma
Pool 2:
- Montpellier Herault Rugby
- Pau (Pau Section)
- Newcastle Falcons
- Dragons RFC
- Emirates Lions
- Ospreys
Pool 3:
- RC Vannes
- Black Lion
- Bayonne (Bayonne Rowing)
- Scarlets
- Edinburgh Rugby
- Gloucester Rugby
How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugby
FloRugby and FloSports also are the US home to:
FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.