Latest
Overview
Season so far
Tournament record
Journée 1 - Résumé du match de la Poule 5 Benetton Treviso - Montpellier - 15/10/2013 10:14
Last season’s Heineken Cup quarter-finalists Montpellier face a difficult opening to this year’s competition as they travel to Benetton Treviso to kick-off their Pool5 campaign.
It’s the first time Montpellier have faced an Italian side in the Heineken Cup and they visit a Treviso side who are building a formidable reputation at home. Despite an opening day defeat to the Ospreys in the PRO12, Treviso have recorded wins over Munster and Connacht in their last two outings at Stadio Comunale di Monigo.
They ended a run of eight straight defeats in the Heineken Cup with a win over the Ospreys in their final Pool game of last season’s tournament.
Montpellier will hope to recreate the stunning form they showed in last season’s group stages when they won five out of their six fixtures to finish second in a tough group with Toulon, Cardiff Blues and Sale Sharks. But their European adventure came to an end when they were comprehensively beaten
But Montpellier coach Fabien Galthie admits his side are not expecting an easy opening to this year’s Heineken Cup. He said: “We realise that all away matches are complicated. It is very hard to establish your dominance on the game, to keep the ball and then play how you want to.
“Treviso really are the backbone of Italian rugby and the best Italian side. They are very fast, very aggressive and as this is the last season for their coach I feel like they will want to go out and enjoy themselves.”
Match Facts
Saturday, 12 October 2013; 14:35, Stadio Comunale di Monigo; Sky Italia, Sky Sports, Canal+
Referee: Dudley Phillips (Ire)
Assistant Ref: Kieran Barry (Ire) Assistant Ref: Eanna O’Dowd (Ire)
TMO: Kevin Beggs (Ire) Citing Commissioner: Douglas Hunter (Sco)
- Treviso ended a run of eight consecutive defeats in this competition in their final pool match of the 2012/13 season when they beat Ospreys 17-14.
- These two are meeting in the competition for the first tim – indeed it is Montpellier’s first match against Italian opponents in this tournament.
- Treviso have won five and lost 27 of their matches against French opposition in the Heineken Cup.
- A quarter-final defeat to ASM Clermont Auvergne ended a run of five straight wins in this tournament for Montpellier, which included a 20-point defeat of eventual champions Toulon.
Les joueurs de Fabien Galthié ont pris leur temps pour venir à bout de Trévise en Italie (27-10). Un solide succès à l'extérieur mais sans bonus offensif qu'ils pourraient regretter. - 12/10/2013 17:30
Montpellier warmed-up for their Heineken Cup Pool 5 clash with Ulster Rugby with a convincing second half display in Italy.
Having been held and frustrated by Benetton Treviso in the first half of at a sun-kissed Stadio Monigo last season’s quarter-finalists ran in two tries after the break to pick up an important away win.
Fabien Galthie won’t have been happy that his Montpellier side left a number of tries out on the pitch, notably when No 8 Kelian Galletier sped away in the home 22 and lost the ball as he stretched for the line.
The boot of scrum half Benoit Paillaugue kept the French Top 14 side ticking over on the scoreboard s he nailed four penalties to give his side a 12-3 at the start of the second half. When he was replaced by partner in crime Jonathan Pelissie the points kept flowing from the No 9 position.
Benetton Treviso lost two players to the sin-bin and when Test flanker Robert Barbieri departed after 58 minutes it proved the turning point. Montpellier scored 10 points while he was away, crucially one try from close range when he would normally have been watching out for the scrum half.
As it was, nobody was watching as Pelissie took a quick tap penalty after a scrum offence five metres out from the home line and he scampered over for a sucker try that he also converted.
A second try from centre Thomas Combezou completed the scoring for the visitors, although Treviso did respond with a try of their own from Japanese international Christian Loamanu playing in the back row, rather than on the wing.
LIVE - TEST - Commentary