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Tournament record
Grenoble enjoyed a great run in the Challenge Cup last season
Grenoble enjoyed a great run in the Challenge Cup last season, going all the way to the semi-finals, but they have had a difficult start to their TOP 14 campaign.
Their 44-6 home win over Bayonne last weekend was only their second win of the season and at least allowed them to move off the bottom of the table. Even so, they are only three points off the bottom and have already lost to Lyon this season.
The 2016 PROD2 champions beat Grenoble 32-13 at their Matmut Stadium on 3 September and followed that up with a 25-20 win over Toulouse at home a few weeks later. They warmed up for their return to European action with a 27-22 win over Pau last weekend to move into ninth place in the table.
Lyon have played in the Challenge Cup twice before and won four of their six pool outings in their last campaign, 2014/15. They have great experience in seasoned European campaigners like Frederick Michalak and Julien Bonnaire and have strike power out wide with Napolioni Nalaga in their back line.
The former ASM Clermont Auvergne wing scored 25 tries in the European Cup for his former club and will be hoping to pick up his first Challenge Cup try this weekend. The flying Fijian could prove a major threat.
Jonathan Wisniewski’s Grenoble side managed to win all four home games last season, including a thrilling 33-32 quarter-final clash against Connacht Rugby. Can they regain the spirit of that campaign and push for another trip into the knock-out stage?
Match Facts
- This will be the first meeting between the clubs in Europe. Lyon are playing in Europe for just the third time after competing in the Challenge Cup in 2011/12 and 2014/15.
- Lyon won four of their six pool games in their last Challenge Cup campaign – all six matches were settled by margins of 10 points or fewer.
- Grenoble have won six of their last seven Challenge Cup matches, including all four of their home games in last season’s competition.
- Grenoble have won five of their seven home games against TOP 14 opposition in the Challenge Cup, including the last four in a row.
- Grenoble successfully slotted 91% (40/44) of their kicks at goal last season, the best rate of any club.
Face à des Grenoblois qui avaient choisi de largement faire tourner leur effectif
Lyon made it two wins out of two against Grenoble as they picked up a bonus-point in the last move of the match to clinch a 39-13 win.
The home side got off to a flying start with a try after only five minutes through Loick Jammes which Giles Bosch converted. They were still in touch after half-an-hour, but then lost their way in the second half.
Cameron Mapusua crossed for the first of Lyon’s four tries to enable Jacques Potgieter to level the scores. Potgeiter and Bosch then had their own private kicking duel over the remainder of the half, with the former landing three penalties to Bosch’s two to give Lyon a 16-13 interval lead.
Potgeiter then added two more penalties in the opening few minutes of the second half before Thibaut Regard powered over for a second try. Now the race was on for a bonus point for the visitors, but they had to wait until the final five minutes before reaching their goal.
Deon Fourie crossed five minutes from time and then Henry Clunies-Ross bagged the bonus point with a try in the last minute. Potgieter added the conversion to take his match tally to 19 points.
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