Challenge Cup, Round of 16 - teams and predictions

Yesterday at 02:01 PM

FRIDAY PREVIEW: It is a consolation prize for losing your place at the top table, but Europe's Challenge Cup still carries with it a certain amount of 'prestige'.

Europe's Round of 16 action kicks off with two titanic Second Tier clashes, as Edinburgh hosts the Lions and Section Paloise welcomes Bath.

The Scots secured a home knockout spot with an impressive win over Black Lion in Round Four, having beaten Aviron Bayonnais and Vannes, but lost to Gloucester.

The Lions also secured an impressive win in the final pool match, beating the Dragons 60-10 in South Africa - having beaten Section Paloise, but lost to Ospreys and Montpellier Hérault in the pool stages.

Edinburgh and Lions met earlier this season in United Rugby Championship action, with the South Africans running out 55-21 winners in Johannesburg, but the Scots made it one round further than them in last season's Challenge Cup as they fell at the quarterfinal stage.

Simultaneously, Section Paloise hosts Bath, who qualified after finishing fifth in their Champions Cup pool.

The French side had a mixed pool stage, beating Newcastle Falcons and Dragons, but losing to the Lions and Ospreys.

However, they do boast the competition's top points scorer so far in the form of Alex Desperes with 52.

Bath's only victory in the Champions Cup came at home to Clermont Auvergne, although they've beaten Section Paloise on all three previous occasions in Challenge Cup action.

Friday presents the Lions with an ideal opportunity to arrest a slide that saw the Ellis Park-based side slip from second in the URC standings to 14th.

The Lions are also coming off a 'demoralising (0-42) whitewash at the hands of Glasgow Warriors last week, while Edinburgh have been buoyed by a win over Benetton and has all their Scottish internationals back.

Lions defence coach Jaque Fourie said after last week's 'horrific' loss to Glasgow they expect better conditions in the Scottish capital - only a 'gentle breeze' (gusts of only 35 km/h as opposed to last week's 80 km/h).

"We still need to improve in all aspects of our game," he told @rugby365com.

"Edinburgh is also a good attack side.

"We need to play a heads-up game.

"Glasgow showed us how to perform in those conditions, so hopefully we can go out and have a good performance."

Last week's horror show also forced the coaching staff to rethink their selections.

Springbok scrumhalf Morne van den Berg returns to the starting XV after joining the squad last week in Glasgow and having to watch from the sidelines.

At inside centre Rynhardt Jonker replaces errant midfielder Marius Louw, the latter dropping down to the replacement bench.

Amongst the forwards, SJ Kotze, Franco Marais and Jarod Cairns will all get starts against Sean Everitt's Edinburgh.

On the bench, Jaco Visagie and Izan Esterhuizen are in line for game time for the first time on this three-match European trip.

Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt has made four changes to the side that beat the Dragons last time out, with Scotland international hooker Dave Cherry making his first start since the Six Nations.

Fullback Wes Goosen will earn his 50th cap for Edinburgh.

The ever-present flyer reaches his half-century in the week he signed a new two-year contract extension with the capital club, having enjoyed a stellar 2024/25 campaign.

Goosen has bagged three tries in the Challenge Cup so far this season and will look to continue his solid form against the men from Johannesburg.

(Jaque Fourie previews the Lions' trip to Edinburgh ...)

"A week is a long time in the game," the Lions defence coach said, adding: "After such a performance the team wants to get back on the field and play again - set the record straight.

"For us it is about getting back on the field and start winning again.

"We must press the reset button. All the players and management want to do well," he said about their current losing streak.

He said Edinburgh is running into some impressive form - having won two of their last three matches, including an away win over Munster at Musgrave Park, in the city of Cork.

Fourie said it is important that the players stick to the systems and pitch up.

"When we started playing [against Glasgow], we looked like the team we want to be," he told @rugby365, adding: "It is about getting possession, getting over the advantage line and going through the phases - putting the opposition under pressure.

"We must get the ball in the hands of players like Krappie [Van den Berg] and Quan [Horn] so they can do their magic.

"Defensively we have to stop their momentum.

"Then scoring counter-attack tries - those are things we are good at.

"We must go back to what makes the Lions the Lions."

The Edinburgh coach, Everitt, admitted the Lions pose a serious threat.

"We're in a knock'-out week, every week, so we're in the same situation as we were last year'," he added.

"The Lions defence is strong and they showed that in the second half against Glasgow.

"They've got some X-Factor players there that can turn the game around very quickly which we found out in Johannesburg."

* Meanwhile the Premiership pace-setters, Bath, made seven changes from the side that played against Harlequins in Round 13 of the Premiership last weekend.

Archie Griffin comes into the front row as tighthead prop alongside hooker Tom Dunn and loosehead prop Beno Obano.

Quinn Roux returns in the engine room to partner fellow lock Ross Molony, fresh from the Irishman scoring Bath's third try in the win against Quins.

Josh Bayliss is another change at No.6 whilst openside flank Sam Underhill makes his first start in a Bath jersey following two substitute appearances after recovering from ankle surgery. Miles Reid moves to No.8.

Scrumhalf and captain Ben Spencer is joined by Ciaran Donoghue with the young flyhalf making his European debut and first appearance since the Premiership Cup Final.

Will Butt and Max Ojomoh start at inside centre and outside centre, respectively. Will Muir, who scored two tries last Saturday against Harlequins, starts again on the wing with Joe Cokanasiga, also a try-scorer in that game, patrolling the opposite touchline.

Ruaridh McConnochie completes the starting XV at fullback.

Named amongst the impact players, hooker Kepueli Tuipulotu and props Francois van Wyk and Kieran Verden, set to play his first game for Bath in Europe, are the replacement front row.

Ewan Richards, who captained Bath to Premiership Cup success, is joined by Ted Hill and Jaco Coetzee as the other forwards on the bench. Scrumhalf Tom Carr-Smith and fellow back Orlando Bailey complete the six-two split.

Extra-time protocol

If the scores remain tied at the end of extra time, the winner will be determined as follows:
(a) the team that has scored the most tries in the match (including extra time) shall be deemed the winner; or,
(b) if equal on tries, it will be decided by a place-kick competition.

All of Friday's teams and predictions follow below ...

Edinburgh v Lions
(Edinburgh Stadium, Scotland – Kick-off: 20.00; 19.00 GMT; 21.00 SA time)

Prediction

Teams

Edinburgh: 15 Wes Goosen, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Matt Currie, 12 James Lang, 11 Ross McCann, 10 Ross Thompson, 9 Ben Vellacott (captain), 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Grant Gilchrist (captain), 4 Sam Skinner, 3 Paul Hill, 2 Dave Cherry, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Javan Sebastian, 19 Glen Young, 20 Freddy Douglas, 21 Ali Price, 22 Cammy Scott, 23 Jack Brown.

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Richard Kriel, 13 Manuel Rass, 12 Rynhardt Jonker, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Gianni Lombard, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 Franco Marais, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Izan Esterhuizen, 20 Siba Qoma, 21 Nico Steyn, 22 JC Pretorius, 23 Marius Louw.

Referee: Ludovic Cayre (France)
Assistant referees: Evan Urruzmendi (France) & Vincent Blasco Baque (France)
TMO: Denis Grenouillet (France)

Section Paloise v Bath
(Stade du Hameau, France – Kick-off: 2100; 1900 GMT; 2000 UK Time)

Prediction

Teams

Section Paloise: 15 Aymeric Luc, 14 Eliott Roudil (captain), 13 Olivier Klemenczak, 12 Fabien Brau-Boirie, 11 Aaron Grandidier Nkanang, 10 Axel Desperes, 9 Thomas Souverbie, 8 Carwyn Tuipulotu, 7 Thibaut Hamonou, 6 Joel Kpoku, 5 Lekima Tagitagivalu, 4 Thomas Jolmes, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Youri Delhommel, 1 Ignacio Calles.
Replacements: 16 Romain Ruffenach, 17 Hugo Parrou, 18 Siate Tokolahi, 19 Remi Picquette, 20 Jimi Maximin, 21 Reece Hewat, 22 Dan Robson, 23 Tumua Manu.

Bath: 15 Ruaridh McConnochie, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Max Ojomoh, 12 Will Butt, 11 Will Muir, 10 Ciaran Donoghue, 9 Ben Spencer (captain), 8 Miles Reid, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Josh Bayliss, 5 Ross Molony, 4 Quinn Roux, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Beno Obano.
Replacements: 16 Kepu Tuipulotu, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Kieran Verden, 19 Ewan Richards, 20 Ted Hill, 21 Tom Carr-Smith, 22 Orlando Bailey, 23 Jaco Coetzee.

Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant referee: Rob McDowell (Scotland) & Finlay Brown (Scotland)
TMO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)

@king365ed
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* Additional reporting: @ChallengeCup_