the mighty Amlin Challenge cup draw 2013-2014 - UPDATED

forget the Lions and the JRWC, here comes the main rugby event of the day : at 14h30 central Dublin time, starts what yall have been waiting for, the Amlin Challenge cup pools draw for next season competition.

here are the participants by tier :

Tier 1 - Biarritz Olympique PB, Stade Francais Paris, London Wasps, Bath Rugby, Brive

Tier 2 - London Irish, Sale Sharks, Newport Gwent Dragons, Newcastle Falcons, Rugby Viadana

Tier 3 - Bayonne, I Cavalieri Prato, Worcester Warriors, Bordeaux-Bègles, Cammi Rugby Calvisano

Tier 4 - Grenoble, Mogliano Rugby, Oyonnax, Bucharest Wolves, Olympus Rugby XV

where are Olympus Rugby XV from? and what happened to the Bucarest Oaks!

now with the pools :

1 : Biarritz - Sale - Worcester - Oyonnax

2 : Bath - Newport - Bordeaux-Bègles - Mogliano

3 : Brive - Newcastle - Calvisano - Bucarest

4 : London Wasps - Viadana - Bayonne - Grenoble

5 : Stade français - London Irish - Prato - Olympus

Biarritz
Dragons
Wuss
Olympus

Please

Be good to see Brew at RP again, before a possible return home after next season. I want a trip to Sixways, as it'll be a new ground and Olympus as I'm sure I read it was in Spain.

Yes it is in Madrid. Sold.

whocares wrote:forget the Lions and the JRWC, here comes the main rugby event of the day : at 14h30 central Dublin time, starts what yall have been waiting for, the Amlin Challenge cup pools draw for next season competition.

here are the participants by tier :

Tier 1 - Biarritz Olympique PB, Stade Francais Paris, London Wasps, Bath Rugby, Brive

Tier 2 - London Irish, Sale Sharks, Newport Gwent Dragons, Newcastle Falcons, Rugby Viadana

Tier 3 - Bayonne, I Cavalieri Prato, Worcester Warriors, Bordeaux-Bègles, Cammi Rugby Calvisano

Tier 4 - Grenoble, Mogliano Rugby, Oyonnax, Bucharest Wolves, Olympus Rugby XV

where are Olympus Rugby XV from? and what happened to the Bucarest Oaks!

thread will be updated with the actual pools composition in one hour time.

Do they play in women's onderwear?

thanks Risca. ah Madrid wont be a bad away trip indeed. cold in winter but pelnty of things to warm you up there

I'll settle for Bath, as I enjoyed the trip last season in the LV. I do like the Rec and Thatchers.

Bordeaux and Mogliano are not bad trips. Wine tasting here I come. A few of the Dragons supporters went last year and had nothing but praise for the Mogliano supporters hosting.

BO, Sale, Worcester, Oyonnax
Bath, Dragons, Bordeaux, Mogliano
Brive, Falcons, Calvisano, Bucharest
Wasps, Viadana, Bayonne, Grenoble
Stade, LI, Prato, Olympus

Good chance for the Dragons

Bath are clear favourites in my opinion.

I think the Dragons have a decent pool for once, realistically only one team to worry about. I think they could do a job on Bath too, after aLyn did manage to do it with Oxford Welsh, so why not the Dragons doing it too.

Ah so the Bath away fixtures will be played at Bordeaux, Venice and Newport. Clearly some of those locations can be used as bargaining tools with the missus and one can't...!

Not a bad group rugby wise though, Bordeaux have some pretty handy players so I bet they will be hard to beat at home. The aim for the Amlin has to be to get a home quarter and then hope whoever drops down to play you can't be bothered with it. Realistically though, the winner of this cup isnt even in it yet.

Bordeaux wont be much of a threat Bathman - they main goal is to avoid relegation in the T14 and last time they played mainly youngsters in the AC.

ScarletSpiderman wrote:I think the Dragons have a decent pool for once, realistically only one team to worry about. I think they could do a job on Bath too, after aLyn did manage to do it with Oxford Welsh, so why not the Dragons doing it too.

The Dragons finished third in their 2012/2013 Amlin Challenge Cup group, so I want them to improve on that position for 2013/2014. I agree with you that the Dragons may do well and I want them to finish at least second in their group. I think it's a competitive group, Mogliano won the Italian Premiership this year, 2013/2014 is Bordeaux's third consecutive season in the Top 14 since being promoted from D2 in 2011 and Bath came very close to a HC berth for the 2013/2014 season; I believe anyone can beat anyone in the Dragons group.

Mogliano are ten points for everyone sorry. We even managed it twice and we were gash last season.

wales606 wrote:Good chance for the Dragons

I have said before that I wished Edwards had given the Amlin a real crack, hopefully now with LJ at the helm he will change tact.

We are never really going to compete in the HC and the Amlin, like it or not is more our level and I think, like Connacht a few seasons back we could really go a fair way if the coaches concentrated efforts on this.

bedfordwelsh wrote:

wales606 wrote:Good chance for the Dragons

I have said before that I wished Edwards had given the Amlin a real crack, hopefully now with LJ at the helm he will change tact.

We are never really going to compete in the HC and the Amlin, like it or not is more our level and I think, like Connacht a few seasons back we could really go a fair way if the coaches concentrated efforts on this.

Never say never.

Cardiff Dave wrote:

bedfordwelsh wrote:

wales606 wrote:Good chance for the Dragons

I have said before that I wished Edwards had given the Amlin a real crack, hopefully now with LJ at the helm he will change tact.

We are never really going to compete in the HC and the Amlin, like it or not is more our level and I think, like Connacht a few seasons back we could really go a fair way if the coaches concentrated efforts on this.

Never say never.

Agree.

As a Dragons native, I was also upset that our coaches chose not to give the ECC a good crack last season. It wasn't the toughest group and the 'weakened' team put out, containing our U20s gave a really good account of themselves. This next group is winnable for us, however I am worried about Bath given the squad they're building.
How are Bordeaux playing these days?

Ooh i could fancy a trip to Bucharest...and Italy...

Bordeaux-Begles is a nice to team to watch, playing a very ambitious expansive rugby brand, scoring good tries but lacking firepower and physicality in the forwards (specially backrow) to do well in the T14. They had a very good playmaker 10 (Lopez) who's starting against NZ but is now going to Perpignan. He will be replaced by Nicolas Sanchez, argentinian capped FH. Still have a creative 9 (south african Heini Adam) and a very good hooker (Ole Avei, Samoan international). They struggled big time last season and would have been relegated if it wasnt for a couple of impressive victories in 2013 (putting 40 points past Toulon etc).
I still doubt they will play their first team in the AC in which case they wont be able to compete with Bath or the Dragons.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Ooh i could fancy a trip to Bucharest...and Italy...

Not Newport then?

EDIT* Looked at the tier for a moment, not the actual Pool.

whocares wrote:Bordeaux-Begles is a nice to team to watch, playing a very ambitious expansive rugby brand, scoring good tries but lacking firepower and physicality in the forwards (specially backrow) to do well in the T14. They had a very good playmaker 10 (Lopez) who's starting against NZ but is now going to Perpignan. He will be replaced by Nicolas Sanchez, argentinian capped FH. Still have a creative 9 (south african Heini Adam) and a very good hooker (Ole Avei, Samoan international). They struggled big time last season and would have been relegated if it wasnt for a couple of impressive victories in 2013 (putting 40 points past Toulon etc).
I still doubt they will play their first team in the AC in which case they wont be able to compete with Bath or the Dragons.

They sound similar to the Dragons actually. And putting 40 past Toulon is highly impressive.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Ooh i could fancy a trip to Bucharest...and Italy...

GF, how do you rate that Tuifuia who's leaving Newcastle for Bordeaux? hope he's a good ball carrier able to break tackles as this what we need more.

The Saint wrote:

whocares wrote:Bordeaux-Begles is a nice to team to watch, playing a very ambitious expansive rugby brand, scoring good tries but lacking firepower and physicality in the forwards (specially backrow) to do well in the T14. They had a very good playmaker 10 (Lopez) who's starting against NZ but is now going to Perpignan. He will be replaced by Nicolas Sanchez, argentinian capped FH. Still have a creative 9 (south african Heini Adam) and a very good hooker (Ole Avei, Samoan international). They struggled big time last season and would have been relegated if it wasnt for a couple of impressive victories in 2013 (putting 40 points past Toulon etc).
I still doubt they will play their first team in the AC in which case they wont be able to compete with Bath or the Dragons.

They sound similar to the Dragons actually. And putting 40 past Toulon is highly impressive.

41-0 was the score
it was a particularly disinterested Toulon team though.

Oh he's an awesome ball carrier...just a brute with ball in hand...but he's a complete penalty machine at the rucks etc...i think thats why Deano has let him go....