Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

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Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby biffer on Wed Jun 19, 2019 11:50 am

Any preferences?

Something like Castres, Edinburgh, Leicester, Calvisano would suit me.

Avoid the Russians please, and I'd rather not have Wasps, but apart from that no too bothered.
Don't mention Rory Hutton. I did once but I think I got away with it.
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby The Feral Goat on Wed Jun 19, 2019 12:59 pm

Think most of the French teams would make for a decent away trip, not so fussed about Stadt F though.

Agree would like to avoid Wasps but a trip to Worcester to see a bunch of our FPs maybe good.
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby The Feral Goat on Wed Jun 19, 2019 1:16 pm

haha Wasps should have both said we would hope to draw them
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby BigD163 on Wed Jun 19, 2019 1:20 pm

Pool 3: Wasps, Edinburgh, Bordeaux and Agen
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby The Feral Goat on Wed Jun 19, 2019 1:21 pm

Castres, Worcester, Dragons, Enisei

Scarlets, Toulon, London Irish, Bayonne

Wasps, Edinburgh, Bordeaux, Agen

SF, Bristol, Zebre, Brive

Cardiff, Leicester, Pau, Calvisano
Last edited by The Feral Goat on Wed Jun 19, 2019 1:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby The Feral Goat on Wed Jun 19, 2019 1:22 pm

Pretty tough group on paper but a lot may depend on the attention the 2 French teams give the Challenge cup.
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby BigD163 on Wed Jun 19, 2019 1:54 pm

The Feral Goat wrote:Pretty tough group on paper but a lot may depend on the attention the 2 French teams give the Challenge cup.


And the attention RC wants to give it.
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby dolf_lundgren on Wed Jun 19, 2019 2:47 pm

Agree, if we want to progress we need to get out of the blocks as fast as possible. not the sort of group to play catch up in.

It is a tough decision for us, we really need to go all out to get champions cup next year and topping our pro14 pool is do-able, but so is finishing 4th, and in a RWC teams will be all over the place.
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby Tichtheid on Wed Jun 19, 2019 4:01 pm

Embra, Wasps (8th in the Eng Prem this year), Bord Beg (10th in the Top14), Agen (12 in the Top14)

We shouldn't be intimidated by that group, not after our performances in Europe last year. We can gie it a lash, we did okay against teams picking their best squads and we were a brain fart and a Murrayfield roof sniper incident away from beating Munster in the quarters
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby The Feral Goat on Wed Jun 19, 2019 4:22 pm

I agree TH there is nothing to fear and I think we have a first XV that is possibly even capable of winning the Challenge Cup, but i am not sure we have the squad depth to challenge on both Euro and Pro14 fronts and as DL said we got to get back in the Champions Cup next season.

We don’t really want to be flogging our first XV in the Challenge cup and have the drop off we had in the Pro14 run in this season. Question is can our squad players step up a level this season and deliver in the Challenge Cup, if that is how Cockerill chooses to approach it, I think that may be a tough ask.
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby Tichtheid on Wed Jun 19, 2019 4:48 pm

The Feral Goat wrote:I agree TH there is nothing to fear and I think we have a first XV that is possibly even capable of winning the Challenge Cup, but i am not sure we have the squad depth to challenge on both Euro and Pro14 fronts and as DL said we got to get back in the Champions Cup next season.

We don’t really want to be flogging our first XV in the Challenge cup and have the drop off we had in the Pro14 run in this season. Question is can our squad players step up a level this season and deliver in the Challenge Cup, if that is how Cockerill chooses to approach it, I think that may be a tough ask.



I think a lot will depend on the throws of the injury dice. There is less of an issue regards flogging players in the backs, up front if we get a good run of fitness a pack of Bhatti, Cherry, Bergs, Carmichael, Hunter-Hill, Crosbie, Ritchie, Bradbury plus Sutherland, Willemse/Fenton, Ceccerelli/McCallum, Fraz, one of the new lads - that should be enough at home once we get up and running

It would be worth putting out a strong team in the first few games to get a good start away and hopefully make the others shift attention on to domestic matters.
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby gunner_graham on Wed Jun 19, 2019 4:59 pm

Really happy with the draw. Bordeaux is my favourite French and always worth a visit whether there is rugby or not. Wasps an easy drive - as long as it's not a Friday night match. Agen, never been before but looks a good venue. Anywhere in France outside of Paris is well worth a visit.
Plus all teams we should be capable of beating most days of the week.
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby biffer on Wed Jun 19, 2019 11:28 pm

For clarity, I'm entirely happy to put the youth team out from day one. Pro 14 and automatic qualification for the Heineken is more important.
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby Tichtheid on Thu Jun 20, 2019 6:25 am

biffer wrote:For clarity, I'm entirely happy to put the youth team out from day one. Pro 14 and automatic qualification for the Heineken is more important.



There’s an argument for treating the cup as a development opportunity for players, but that “2nd team” pack I listed is full of international caps, almost. We shouldn’t fear anyone in our group.

Where we can, we should be looking to get the likes of Hickey and Socino fully up to speed and really fighting for first team places, that’s our best chance of making the play offs, if we can slot players in when necessary and not see a drop in quality.
It scunners me a little that Glasgow can do it across the backline without skipping a beat, I mean I like watching them play and I support them against anyone bar us, but I’m often left wondering about the apparent chasm between their tempo and our rigidity.
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Re: Challemge Cup 19/20 (unfortunately)

Postby Pitfitter446 on Thu Jun 20, 2019 10:29 am

Seems like a nice wee away day could be on the cards, with some luck we could/should progress. But not at the expense of the league I think, can we do both?
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