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Ce sont deux anciens ténors de la scène européenne qui se croiseront au Recreation Ground de Bath
Brive have a place in the last eight within their grasp when they entertain Cammi Rugby Calvisano at the Stade Amedee-Domenech.
A draw or two losing bonus points will be enough to see Brive finish top of Pool 3 after their heroic win at fellow heavyweights Newcastle Falcons last Thursday, while even a single losing bonus would be enough for them to progress if the Falcons don’t bag the maximum tally at home to Bucharest Wolves.
Brive are unbeaten in this year’s tournament having won four and drawn one of their five fixtures to date. Their 9-7 success at Kingston Park a week ago swung the pool in their favour after they had travelled across the Channel level on points with Newcastle despite their Round 2 win over the English outfit.
Anything over than a fifth victory in the Corrèze would be a shock given Brive’s gutsy display last week but that outcome is far from a foregone conclusion if their early encounter with Calvisano is anything to go by.
The Italians came within a whisker of beating Brive in Italy in October, with only a late Lucas Lyons try saving Brive’s blushes at the Peroni Stadium. The 20-20 draw was a little harsh on the home side, who led until Lyons crossed with just four minutes remaining.
Calvisano fly-half Kelly Haimona had the chance to be his side’s hero with the final kick but he was unable to hit the target with his penalty attempt as Brive narrowly avoided a demoralising defeat.
While a Brive win would guarantee a spot in the knockout stages, they currently have the lowest points total of all five pool leaders and are relying on other results going their way to claim a home quarter-final.
Le CAB s'est défait des Italiens de Calvisano (31-9) au terme d'un match poussif
Brive reached the Amin Challenge Cup quarter-finals for the 11th time, and the eighth in a row, with a comfortable 31-9 victory over Calvisano.
Semi-finalists two years ago, Brive booked their passage with a five-try win over the Italians at Stade Amedee-Domenech. The bonus-point win was enough to claim overall victory in Pool 3, however, it is unlikely to be enough to guarantee home advantage in the knock-out stage.
Alfifeleti Mafi, Said Hireche, Thomas Sanchou, Baptiste Delage and Andrew Melei all crossed while fly-half Romain Sola kicked three conversions. However they were made to work hard by a committed Calvisano side who recovered from the early blow of conceding a try inside two minutes to wing Mafi.
Italian scrum-half Marcello Violo responded with a penalty only for lock Agustin Cavalieri to be binned for his team’s repeated offences. Brive seized the chance and scored twice while Cavalieri watched on as flanker Hireche and then centre Sanchou, following a piercing break by Damien Neveu, crossed.
Violi responded again to cut the lead to 17-9 at half-time. The next score would be critical and it was claimed by the hosts when fly-half Sola stepped through and sent Delage over for the bonus point.
Replacement full-back Melei then raced onto Mafi’s break for Brive’s fifth. Brive back-row Kieran Murphy and Calvisano scrum-half Paul Griffin were both binned in the second half but neither team could find a way through for a further score.
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