Latest
Overview
Season so far
Tournament record
Perpignan, without Dan Carter, aim to launch their Heineken Cup campaign with a big win over Treviso at the Stade Aimé Giral.
The French giants will have to wait until round three in December to see the All Blacks mega star get his first taste of European club rugby.
Perpignan will also be without Samoan international Henry Tuilagi who will be out for two months with a broken arm.
But the Catalans must be wary of Treviso who managed to cause an upset on the road last season with a pool stage win at Newport Gwent Dragons.
Perpignan were forced to come from 10 points behind to finally overcome Italian champions Benetton Treviso and get their Pool 3 campaign off to a winning start at Stade Aime Giral.
Ben de Jager’s visiting team got off to a flying start as they caught the home side cold with a fifth minute penalty from Andrea Marcato and then a 12th minute try from full back Emiliano Mulieri, which Marcato converted.
It took two tries before the break, the first a penalty try, to get the Frenchmen back on course, although they were still not in the clear when they changed ends four points clear.
It didn’t help the Treviso cause that they had two players sent to the sin-bin – skipper de Jager in the first half and prop Salvatore Costanzo in the second – but the Italians showed enough to prove they are going to be difficult to beat on home soil.
A second drop goal from outside half David Mele, and a try from centre Jean-Philippe Grandclaude, finally put some daylight between the two teams and saw last season’s quarter-finalists off to a winning start.
LIVE - TEST - Commentary