Latest
Overview
Season so far
Tournament record
Former Amlin Challenge Cup winners Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque start their quest for a second title in three years when they travel to Sale Sharks on Thursday night. - 08/10/2013 10:16
Former Amlin Challenge Cup winners Biarritz Olympique Pays Basque start their quest for a second title in three years when they travel to Sale Sharks on Thursday night.
Biarritz won the competition for the first time when they beat current Heineken Cup holders RC Toulon at The Twickenham Stoop in 2012, while Sale are also past winners having claimed the prize on two occasions in 2002 and 2005.
Sale head into the tournament in far better form than Biarritz after registering three wins in five Aviva Premiership fixtures, including a hard-fought 19-13 victory over Heineken Cup outfit Bath last time out.
The Basques giants will be hoping the Amlin Challenge Cup can kick start their season after enduring a frustrating first couple of months in the Top 14. Biarritz have won just one of their nine league games and currently sit at the foot of the table, some eight points adrift of Bayonne.
Biarritz haven’t tasted success in the league since late August but they may be boosted by the fact that fellow French sides Montpellier and Toulon both beat Sale at home and away in last season’s Heineken Cup.
Premiership newboys Newcastle Falcons also won at the AJ Bell Stadium in September but Sale have responded with back-to-back home wins in the past three weeks.
Steve Diamond’s men begin their European adventure without former captain James Gaskell, who broke his foot on September 20, but they did welcome back powerful centre pairing Johnny Leota and Sam Tuitupou last weekend after they recovered from jaw injuries.
Match Notes
The two clubs have met on three occasions in ERC competition, all of these games coming in the Heineken Cup with Biarritz taking the spoils each time.
Sale have a 50% win record against French clubs in the Amlin Challenge Cup (P32 W16 D1 L15).
Biarritz have won three of their last four games against English opposition in the tournament, and have not lost an Amlin Challenge Cup game in England since 1999.
That loss in 1999 (against Gloucester Rugby) was also the last time Biarritz were defeated in the pool stage of the tournament.
Biarritz boast a 50% win record in away matches in the tournament (W6 L6) whereas Sale have won 25 of their 30 home matches (L5).
Rob Miller was Sale’s leading ball carrier (45) and metre-maker (286) in the Heineken Cup last season.
David Seymour was Sale’s leading tackler last season, making 30 more than any other player from the club (74), and he also played the most Heineken Cup minutes of any of the club’s squad.
Sale have not reached the knockout stages of an ERC competition since the 2007/08 season, when they reached the last four of the Amlin Challenge Cup.
These two clubs enjoyed almost exactly the same amount of time in possession in ERC matches last season, with Biarritz averaging 15 minutes 37 seconds with the ball and Sale 15 minutes and 42 seconds.
Sale conceded 22 tries in the Heineken Cup pool stage last season – only Zebre (27) conceded more.
Sale Sharks will be looking to get back to winning ways when they welcome Oyonnax to the AJ Bell Stadium on Friday night. - 11/12/2013 15:07
Sale Sharks were comfortable winners in the battle of the big guns in Pool 1 as they beat Biarritz Olympique 33-10 in Salford.
The Sharks, who were tournament champions in 2002 and 2005, were good value for their first victory in Europe in almost exactly 12 months.
Sale’s dominance at scrum time bought a brace of penalty tries, with Amlin Man of the Match Ross Harrison particularly impressive.
Russian lock Andrei Ostrikov scored a stunning solo try in between the two penalty efforts, with Biarritz only crossing the Sale line once through prop Eugene Van Staden.
Joe Ford produced a commanding performance from fly-half and he kicked 16 points for the hosts, with his replacement Danny Cipriani slotting the final conversion.
The Sharks moved into a 9-3 lead by the 20-minute mark thanks to an early drop goal and a brace of penalties from Ford, with Biarritz captain Julien Peyrelongue initially having levelled the scores with his first success after 10 minutes.
Sale exerted their dominance even further with a heavy spell of pressure in the lead up to the half hour. No8 Mark Easter came close to touching down after a 20-metre burst, before Ford was just inches away from beating Teddy Thomas to a loose ball following a mis-placed reverse pass from Biarritz full back Joe Pietersen.
The opening try duly followed after 25 minutes as a powerful five-metre scrum saw referee Ian Davies point to the posts for the first time. Ford added the straightforward extras and Sale were 16-3 to the good.
The score remained the same until five minutes after half-time when Ford added a third penalty before Sale surged further ahead with a second try four minutes later. Ostrikov showed superb skills to dummy his way through two defenders before racing fully 40 metres for his first try in Sale colours.
Ford’s conversion from out wide put the game to bed with Sale 26-3 clear but Biarritz hit back with a converted try of their own when Van Staden rumbled over from a driven lineout after 55 minutes.
Sale dominated the final quarter but, even with Biarritz prop Francisco Gomez Kodela sent to the sin bin after 64 minutes, the Sharks were unable to add to their tally until their second penalty try arrived with five minutes left.
Steve Diamond’s side pushed hard for the bonus-point score in the dying moments but Biarritz held firm to ensure Sale had to settle for a four-point haul.
LIVE - TEST - Commentary