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Après la scandale du "Bloodgate" il y a cinq ans
Chris Robshaw has warned Harlequins there will be no margin for error when they get a new era of European club rugby under way against Castres on Friday night.
The Pool 2 fixture at the Twickenham Stoop is the first in the new European Rugby Champions Cup, and last season’s Premiership semi-finalists know a fast start is crucial. Quins lost their European opener at home to the Scarlets last term, and eventually missed out on a quarter-final berth as a result.
England captain Robshaw wants to make sure there is no repeat of that result against a Castres side who have had a difficult start to the new Top 14 season.
The flanker said: “The tournament has gone up another notch this season with the switch to the Champions Cup format and we all know that one home defeat could be the end of your chances of reaching the quarter-finals.
“You have to be on your mettle and properly prepared for every game in Europe. There are no margins for error and you have to be fit and ready.
“We got caught cold in our opening game by the Scarlets last season and suffered as a result. What we have got to do on Friday night is be more precise and get out game going from the start.”
Some of the London club’s most notable European triumphs have come against French clubs. There were the home and away pool stage victories over Stade Francais during the 2008-09 Champions Cup, the dramatic Challenge Cup final triumph over the same opposition in 2011, and a stunning success away to Toulouse in the 2011-12 campaign.
If Castres are to deny them another French scalp, last season’s Top 14 finalists will need to rediscover their best form. They were beaten 59-7 by Bordeaux-Begles last weekend to slip to 12th in the standings.
But director of rugby Matthias Rolland expects he and his management team to be given the chance to turn their season around.
He said: “We did not expect to be talking about such a defeat against Bordeaux, but no-one should be waiting for a reshuffle at Castres.”
Match Facts
- Harlequins have never beaten Castres Olympique in the Heineken Cup in four attempts (D1 L3).
- Castres Olympique have won two of their last eight Heineken Cup games.
- No team averaged more scrum steals per game than Castres Olympique (0.7) in 2013/14.
- Harlequins’ Mike Brown was one of only three players to make over 500 metres in the Heineken Cup last season (565).
- Three Harlequins players ranked in the top 10 for carries in last season’s tournament; Nick Easter, Mike Brown and Chris Robshaw (all 79).
- Harlequins’ record defeat (13-58) in the Heineken Cup came at the hands of Castres Olympique.
- The sides have not met each other in the Heineken Cup since the 2004/05 season.
- Only three players made more offloads than Harlequins’ Nick Easter (15) in the tournament last year.
- Only two players made more lineout steals than Richie Gray (4) in last season’s Heineken Cup.
- Christophe Samson won 25 lineouts in the tournament last year, a total bettered by just five players.
Champions Cup Resumé: Harlequins v Castres Olympique - 18/10/2014 10:37
New Daddy Danny Care celebrated the birth of his first child, Blake, last week by scoring the first try in the history of the European Rugby Champions Cup.
His 65th touchdown owed much to half-back partner Nick Evans’ wonderful touch with two superb kicks behind the Castres Olympique defensive line that allowed Care to race onto the ball and dive over close to the posts. It also set-up a 25-9 home win.
Evans, who scored 20 points and didn’t miss a kick all night, added the conversion and having changed ends with the scores tied at 3-3, all of a sudden there was real daylight between the two teams.
Quins carried the game to the 2013 French Top 14 champions from the start and the ball was in play for the opening four minutes of the match. It calmed down a little, but by half-time the visitors had had to make 81 tackles – six short of their average for a whole game this season in the Top 14.
The home side stepped up the pace in the second half and got to grips with the scrum. They put that advantage to good use and ended up turning the screw in the final quarter.
Evans and Castres scrum half Rory Kockott swapped first half penalties and then traded blows again at the start of the second half. It was 6-6 after 50 minutes before Evans made it 9-6 four minutes later thanks to a scrum penalty.
Care’s try was the turning point in an otherwise close contest and there were two more penalties from Evans to round off proceedings. Kockott added a third, but it was too little, too late for Castres, who lost for the first time in five outings against Quins in the top tier of European Cup rugby.
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