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Worcester Warriors and Perpignan go head-to-head for what virtually amounts to a straight 80 minutes shoot-out for a quarter-final place when they clash at Stade Aime Giral on Saturday night. - 14/12/2012 08:00
Worcester Warriors and Perpignan go head-to-head for what virtually amounts to a straight 80 minutes shoot-out for a quarter-final place when they clash at Stade Aime Giral on Saturday night.
The Warriors – the 2008 tournament finalists – have banked 14 points from their three wins, three points clear of the sleeping French giants, and James Hook and his team-mates know another defeat will really dent their knock-out chances.
And in the wake of the thrilling 22-21 Round 3 win at Sixways, Warriors head coach Richard has identified the French club's scrum as one of the biggest threats to the 2008 tournament finalists making the last eight.
“If you are going to beat Perpignan, you've got to nullify their scrum and their maul, which we did except for the first 20 minutes of the second half,” added Hill.
“And I saw plenty of opportunities to go wide. If we can do the same on a better pitch in Perpignan, then we can do some damage with the likes of Nikki Walker and David Lemi.
“If we had lost then we would have had to pick ourselves up going to Perpignan, but this victory gives a chance.”
But while the Warriors believe they have some potent finishers, Perpignan’s Adrien Planté is the leading try scorer in the competition this season with six.
Match Facts
• Perpignan have lost their last two matches against English opposition in this tournament, to Worcester last week and Exeter Chiefs earlier in 2012.
• Worcester are three points away from scoring 200 points in the Amlin Challenge Cup this season.
• The English team have won seven of their last eight matches in the Amlin Challenge Cup.
• Adrien Planté is the leading try scorer in the competition this season with six.
Perpignan and Stade Francais Paris will kick-off a mouth-watering weekend of European semi-final action when they clash in an all-French contest at Stade Aime Giral with a place in the Dublin final next month the glittering prize. - 23/04/2013 15:49
It could not be tighter at the top and it was honours even – five points each from their back-to-back contests – after Perpignan ground out a 13-6 win against Worcester Warriors at Stade Aimé Giral that leaves the clubs locked together on 15 points in the chase for group honours and quarter-final qualification.
Both clubs will have rematches with Bizkiaia Gernika RT and Femi-CZ VEA Rovigo in the New Year and it could all come down to who performs best – and picks up bonus points – in those games as to who goes through to the prestigious last eight as the Pool winners.
It's advantage Perpignan who would take the spot if both clubs finish on the same points at the end of the Pool campaign as they lead Worcester based on the try count from their head to head matches 2 to 1.
Andy Goode, who contributed all the Warriors’ points in their 22-21 win at Sixways in Round 3, scored the Premiership club’s only points of a tense and tight first half with a 35th minute penalty goal.
The only try of the opening 40 minutes half came after just eight minutes with wing Richard Haughton cracking the Worcester defence, but the boot of Wales star James Hook did the rest of the damage in the first half with the conversion and penalty goals in the 33rd and 37th minutes.
It stayed on a knife edge into the second 40 minutes, Goode on target with another penalty as both clubs made a raft of replacements in an effort to introduce new energy into their efforts for this crucial contest.
But not even fresh legs could make a difference and this one is going all the way down to the wire.
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