Challenge Cup Thread

[Puja]

Let's face it, no-one cares enough about this competition for it to be worth a thread for every game, so let's have a general thread.

Leicester vs Brive:
Leicester: Steward; Murimurivalu, Moroni, Scott, Nadolo; Diaz Bonilla, White; Leatigaga, T Youngs (capt), Heyes, Wells, Lavanini, Liebenberg, Taufua, Wiese.
Replacements: Clare, Genge, De Bruin, Green, Brink, B Youngs, Ford, Porter.

I think it's safe to say that the Leicester team that will rejoin the Premiership in December will be a touch stronger than the one that played against Exeter. Muri, Moroni, Nadolo, Lavanini, and Taufua into the starting lineup, and Genge, De Bruin, Youngs, and Ford on the bench. I suspect we'll probably treat Europe like a pre-season this year (unless it looks like we might qualify for the knockouts, of course!) and look to get everyone integrated in time for our game against the indomitable Newcastle.

Good to see Steward keeping his place even with the return of international full-back Murimurivalu and nice to see Cole being given a rest weekend with Heyes getting a start. Speaking of young props not being pressed too early into service, I think Leicester are doing a pretty reasonable job of using Heyes without overusing him and it'll be good to see how he goes with the start. No idea what kind of side Brive are planning to bring though - entirely possible that they will fail to give a sh*t about the competition.

Puja

[fivepointer]

Also on Friday Newcastle Falcons play Cardiff Blues. Fair play to Falcons, the entire starting XV is EQ. Mark Wilson back on the bench.

15 Alex Tait
14 George Wacokecoke
13 Pete Lucock
12 Joel Matavesi
11 Tom Arscott
10 Joel Hodgson (captain)
9 Sam Stuart
1 Adam Brocklebank
2 Jamie Blamire
3 Mark Tampin
4 Darren Barry
5 Bailey Ransom
6 Rob Farrar
7 Josh Basham
8 Tom Marshall

Replacements:
16 Charlie Maddison
17 Kyle Cooper
18 Rodney Ah You
19 Connor Collett
20 Mark Wilson
21 Louis Schreuder
22 Cooper Vuna
23 Brett Connon

Cardiff Blues: H Amos; O Lane, G Smith, B Thomas, A Summerhill; J Evans, T Williams; B Thyer, K Dacey, D Lewis, S Davies, C Hill (capt), S Lewis-Hughes, J Turnbull, S Moore.

Replacements: I Harris, R Carré, S Andrews, B Murphy, G Bradley, L Williams, H Millard, M Morgan

[FKAS]

I like the look of that Tigers team. A massive back three, hoping they cut loose and are allowed to play. Good to see Moroni make his debut and Lavanini back. Get some game time under their belts and then send the kids and the fringe players to France next week whilst the majority of this team stay behind and run drills. Get the lineout, scrum, defence and attacking structure drilled into them. No contact just drills.

[Peej]

Moroni could be a big player for Tigers this season.

[Tigersman]

Heyes 50th cap.
Big achievement for the 21 year old.

[Epaminondas Pules]

Heyes is having a BIG game. Really making an impact in tight and loose.

[Tigersman]

Steward is just crazy impressive.
Each game looking like he is getting more and more confident and becoming a calming presence in the back.

[twitchy]

I can't find a stream for this anywhere.

[Epaminondas Pules]

https://www.epcrugby.com/video/leicester-tigers-v-brive

[twitchy]

Cheers.

[Epaminondas Pules]

No worries.

[Epaminondas Pules]

How to kill and attack by Taute there.

[Puja]

Ellis Genge is such a good scrummager. He's just destroying the Brive scrum for fun.

Puja


ETA. And again. Three scrums in a row, he's just powered over the Brive tighthead, twice on their put-in. It's verging on cruelty every time Leicester opt for the scrum.

[Puja]

That is a lovely try. Looks like they've been practicing two-on-ones in training this week after Henry's howler at the weekend, cause that was two of them in a row executed perfectly to put Nadolo away.

Decent win and signs of genuine progress.

Puja

[twitchy]

Ellis Genge is such a good scrummager. He's just destroying the Brive scrum for fun.
.

He is brilliant. Makes much bigger props than him look bad.

[FKAS]

How to kill and attack by Taute there.

He's not playing. Scott and Moroni the starting centres with Porter replacing Moroni off the bench.

Ellis Genge is such a good scrummager. He's just destroying the Brive scrum for fun.
.

He is brilliant. Makes much bigger props than him look bad.

de Bruin off the bench added a whole lot of scrummaging power. Heyes played really well and made some big hits in the first half but de Bruin and Genge absolutely humiliated their opposite numbers.

Ford's impact off the bench was everything we'd been missing at 10. Looking forward to the game against Newcastle after we send the kids to France next week.

[Epaminondas Pules]

My bad. Forgot Taute wasn’t playing and it was Moroni at 13