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Forwards coach Chris Gibbes has warned the Ospreys their strong start in Pool 2 of the European Rugby Champions Cup will count for nothing if they do not back it up against Bordeaux-Begles on Saturday. - 09/12/2015 09:47
Ospreys forwards coach Chris Gibbes is hoping to take advantage of their Le Mans venue for their return clash with Racing Metro.
The Swansea region fought back from 16-6 down to rescue a 19-19 draw at the Liberty Stadium last weekend to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.
But Gibbes is hoping his side can go one step further and claim the scalp of the multi-national and multi-talented Racing team. And he is hoping to use their unfamiliarity with the MMArena to the Ospreys’ advantage.
He said: “It is an away game for us but it is for them too. We are going to go and give it a good crack, it looks like the pitch and weather will be good so we will be giving it a go.
“Never say never. If you look across the Champions Cup it is very tight in each pool but we do need be on the right side of the ledger this weekend if we are to have a sniff come January but for now we just have to hit it hard this weekend and see where it leaves us.”
It is the first time Racing Metro will play at the ground located inside the Circuit de la Sarthe, home of the famous Le Mans 24 hour race.
And the hosts will be hoping to continue a run that sees them top Pool Five, level with Northampton on 10 points. They are one of just three sides with an undefeated record in the Champions Cup, with round three’s draw the only blot on an otherwise perfect record.
Dan Lydiate will not feature against his old side after his move was confirmed this week, as 20-year-old flanker Olly Cracknell was named as their second replacement to their European squad.
Gibbes said: “If we go and play well we have already shown we can make an impression on them, but we have to play for 80 minutes. We have to move them around, they are a big pack and defend well. They control their game through set-piece so we do not want to go toe to toe. We tried that last week and got a big burnt.
“Last week we did not handle the driving line-out well, this week we want to have better aerial competition and make sure we read the line-out better. You have to stop it at source as they get set quickly and get tight around it but we will do a better job.”
- Last week’s match between the sides was Racing Métro 92’s second draw in the Champions Cup; their first also came on Welsh soil.
- Ospreys have lost their last seven games in France, and have won just one of their 13 away games against French opposition.
- Ospreys’ Daniel Evans had an average gain of 8.1 metres from his seven carries against Racing Métro 92 last weekend; the best average gain of any player to make more than one carry in the fixture.
- Benjamin Lapeyre gained the most metres without a single clean break amongst all players last weekend, gaining 87 from his 13 carries. He also beat four defenders.
Racing Metro held off a rousing Ospreys fightback to keep themselves well in the hunt for a Champions Cup quarter-final berth with an 18-14 triumph. - 13/12/2014 19:50
Racing Metro held off a rousing Ospreys fightback to keep themselves well in the hunt for a Champions Cup quarter-final berth with an 18-14 triumph.
Tries from wings Juan Imhoff and Teddy Thomas, plus five points from Johan Goosen had the French side in total control at the MMArena in Le Mans.
The Ospreys roared back as Rhys Webb and Eli Walker scored tries, converted by Dan Biggar, but Goosen’s late penalty killed off their chances.
Racing Metro had dominated the opening half when the two sides met in Swansea last weekend, and they did so again this week.
Fly-half Goosen knocked over an early penalty when the visitors had Webb sin-binned for a high shot on Imhoff as the winger chipped ahead into the Ospreys 22.
The French side almost made further hay from their numerical advantage when Thomas and Brice Dulin sent flanker Wenceslas Lauret heading for the line, only for Ospreys skipper Alun Wyn Jones to make a terrific covering tackle to prevent a try.
But there was nothing the lock could do to stop Imhoff. After the Racing pack had battered away at the Ospreys line there were not enough defenders to prevent Goosen putting the Argentina international over on the right-hand flank.
Their second followed soon after and it was a beauty.
Luke Charteris scooped up Scott Baldwin’s knock on and instantly the visitors were in all manner of trouble. The ball was worked out to Goosen who turned Hanno Dirksen inside and out to allow Thomas an easy finish.
But, once again, they imploded in the second half.
Sin-binnings to Antonie Claassen and Maxime Machenaud, the former for taking out Biggar in the air the latter for a deliberate knock-on, gave the Ospreys some much-needed momentum.
Webb gave them hope as he snuck through a small gap in the fringe defence for a trademark score, with Biggar converting.
The game was suddenly turned into an all-action, breathless affair and one extended passage of play saw both sides spurn try-scoring chances and ended with players strewn over the turf.
Biggar had looked set to put one of two support runners under the posts at one end, only to fail to find either man with his pass, while Dulin dropped Dimitri Szarzewski’s final pass after a sensational 90-metre counter-attack.
Walker further increased Ospreys hopes when he caught a Biggar cross-kick to end another thrilling sequence, and the conversion had the Welsh side within a point.
But they could not find the score they required as Goosen’s penalty saw Racing set-up a crunch clash with Northampton next month
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