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Biarritz Olympique need a bonus-point victory over Zebre on Italian soil to keep their own slim chances of a Heineken Cup quarter-final place in this season's tournament alive. - 10/01/2013 16:52
Biarritz Olympique need a bonus-point victory over Zebre on Italian soil to keep their own slim chances of a Heineken Cup quarter-final place in this season’s tournament alive.
Imanol Harinordoquy's Top 14 side know their destiny is now out of their hands and that Pool leaders Harlequins only need a point from their last two Pool games to secure qualification.
Biarritz are only a point ahead of Connacht in the Pool but both sides have won two of their games but need two wins to stand any chance of keeping their own Heineken Cup ambitions alive.
New Italian Franchise, who are in their first season of Heineken Cup rugby, are still looking for their first victory in any competition but will take heart from their recent performance against Pro12 champions, the Ospreys.
The Italian side only lost 16-15 at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea and proved they are steadily improving side and they would love to shock European rugby by beating the Basques in Parma.
Aironi, the side which Zebre replaced in the Pro12 and Heineken Cup, famously recorded their first competitive win in any competition over Biarritz in the Heineken Cup pool stages back in 2011.
Match Facts
- Zebre lost by over 20 points to Biarritz in their previous meeting this season, but scored more points against the French side than they have against their other group opponents (17).
- Biarritz have suffered two losses to Italian opposition in this competition, securing 13 victories.
- The French side have been on a run of form in this tournament which has followed a victory with a loss for the last 10 matches. Should that continue, they’d lose this game. Should they win, it’d be their first back-to-back victories in this tournament since October 2010.
- Only five players have made more tackles than Biarritz’s Wenceslas Lauret this season (43).
Vainqueur sans génie mais avec bonus du Zebre (32-6)
Biarritz Olympique did the necessary required of them with a 32-6 bonus point victory over Zebre at Stadio XXV Aprile.
But they take on group leaders Harlequins at Parc des Sports Aguilera on Friday night with the defeat at Connacht likely to haunt them for some time and their hopes of a quarter-final spot as one of the best runners-up resting in the hands of others.
However, against Italian newcomers Zebre they were never under any great threat – aided and abetted by home full back Paolo Buso being yellow carded in just the fifth minute.
Centre Benoit Baby promptly got their first try and the conversion and two penalty goals from Dimitri Yachvili meant they were scoring at better than a point a minute.
Zebre did respond with a couple of penalty goals from Luciano Orquera but full back Marcelo Bosch crossed for Biarritz’s second before the break.
The now customary flood of replacements produced a stop-start affair before Bosch got the scoreboard moving again with his second and Biarritz’s third after 56 minutes.
Yachvili’s conversion was his last contribution as he joined the substituted players with Seremaïa Burotu collecting the try bonus point for Biarritz with just five minutes to spare.
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