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Overview
Season so far
Tournament record
Bayonne face Viadana in France this Friday knowing they need a bonus-point win to step up the pressure on Pool 4 leaders London Wasps ahead of the English side's game at Grenoble.
Bayonne face Viadana in France this Friday knowing they need a bonus-point win to step up the pressure on Pool 4 leaders London Wasps ahead of the English side’s game at Grenoble.
Bayonne were beaten 26-10 by Wasps at Adams Park last time out but taking maximum points from their opening clash with their fellow French foes means they would jump to the top of the table for a few hours at least if they can repeat the feat against winless Viadana.
Christian Lanta’s men head into Europe on the back of a 46-16 thumping at French Champions Castres Olympique but they have enjoyed far more success on home soil, having only been beaten once at the Stade Jean Dauger so far this season.
A 19-16 defeat to Heineken Cup Pool 4 leaders Racing Metro is the only blemish on their home record, with Bayonne beating Oyonnax, Perpignan, Biarritz Olympique, Grenoble and Montpellier there in domestic competition.
Viadana travel across the border in hope rather than expectation having been put to the sword on successive occasions in Pool 4. A 90-17 hammering at home to Wasps was followed by a 40-7 reverse at Grenoble and their chances of qualification for a first quarter-final already appear to have been blown out of the water.
The Italians haven’t featured in Europe for the previous four seasons but they did beat Bayonne the last time they were on the continental stage back in 2008/09. That triumph actually came at the Stade Jean Dauger in October 2008 when the visitors secured a stunning 21-10 success on their way to three wins from six games in the Amlin Challenge Cup.
Bayonne edged the return tie 24-22 at the Stadio Luigi Zaffanella but memories of those fixtures will surely prevent any complacency this weekend.
Match facts
Bayonne's Bastien Fuster made more offloads (8) than any other player in the opening two rounds.
Bayonne made a total of 50 offloads in their two fixtures, more than any other side in the competition.
Bayonne have won 10 of their last 14 games in the Amlin Challenge Cup – three defeats and a draw against London Wasps completing their record in this spell.
Viadana have the poorest tackle success rate after two rounds (77%).
L'Aviron n'a pas fait de cadeaux face à Viadana
Bayonne piled the pressure on Pool 4 pace setters London Wasps by cruising to a 63-7 victory over Viadana on Friday night.
The Basque outfit were beaten 26-10 by their English opponents at Adams Park in Round 2 but they bounced back in some style by notching nine tries at the Stade Jean Dauger.
Viadana secured a surprise success the last time they played at the same venue back in 2008 but a repeat of that triumph would have been even more remarkable given that they lost 40-7 to Grenoble and shipped 14 scores in a 90-17 reverse to Wasps in Round 1.
And any hopes the Italians had of a famous European win were blown out of the water inside the first quarter as Bayonne crossed three times in a blistering start.
Guillaume Bernad got the scoring underway after 10 minutes, with Guillaume Rouet and Sam Gerber following suit. Bayonne had the bonus point sewn up inside 25 minutes when Manu Ahotaeiloa went over for the fourth score before Viadana could draw breath.
A yellow card to Gert Muller gave the visitors hope on half an hour and their spirits were raised when they were awarded a penalty try four minutes later. But the respite was shortlived as Gerber and Martin Bustos Moyano touched down before the break, with Stephen Brett’s impeccable form from the tee making it 42-7 at half time.
The second period didn’t quite provide the same level of entertainment but Bayonne did add three further tries through Bastien Fuster, Rouet and Ahotaeiloa to secure the simplest of wins. Brett added all three conversions to finish with nine from nine with the boot and a personal tally of 18 points.
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