Challenge Cup, Round Three roundup
Bristol stay in contention
Bristol kept their European dreams alive with a valuable win over Viadana in Italy as the third round of the European Challenge Cup got underway on Friday.
VIADANA 23-39 BRISTOL
Bristol kept their European Challenge Cup hopes alive with a valuable 39-23 win over Viadana at Stadio Luigi Zaffanella in Italy on Friday.
Bristol coach Richard Hill selected a second-string side for the match but an early try to skipper and back-rower Dan Ward-Smith set the west country club on their way to a crucial five points in the tightest of the five cup pools.
Bristol's Cook Islands international Tommy Hayes opened the scoring with an early penalty goal and the conversion of Ward-Smith's try, with home full-back Jaques Schutte kicking two penalty goals to keep his side in touch.
Bristol centre Rob Higgitt scored to give his side a 17-6 lead at the break, but they lost Argentina lock Mariano Sambucetti to the sin-bin for a cynical foul.
Ward-Smith and winger Lee Robinson bagged second-half tries to give their side a match-winning lead which was dented by late five-pointers from front-rowers Matias Aguero and Luigi Ferraro.
The victory takes Bristol above Narbonne and Northampton Saints in the table, and home wins over Narbonne and Viadana in the closing rounds should be enough for a spot in the quarter-finals.
MONTPELLIER 74-12 CATANIA
In Friday's other game, Montpellier thumped Amatori Catania 74-12 at Stade Sabathe, with fullback Frederic Benazech bagging four of the French side's 12 tries as they moved off the bottom of Pool Five.
BUCURESTI 10-38 BAYONNE
In the Pool 3 match, Bayonne ensured Bucuresti remained at the bottom of the table with a 38-10 win in Romania on Saturday. Former Scotland centre James McLaren scored the first of the French club's six tries.
WORCESTER WARRIORS 30-20 CONNACHT
Shane Drahm's 20 points inspired the Warriors to a valuable 30-20 victory over Connacht at Sixways on Saturday.
The victory gave Worcester the lead in Pool 5, but they face a tricky trip to Connacht next weekend before they start thinking about the quarter-finals.
Warriors director of rugby John Brain admitted: "We had to work hard out there - no-one ever beats Connacht heavily.
"We went for a try at the end and denied them the bonus point but we need to improve our performance to get a result."
The Warriors struck the opening blow with a try to full-back Nicolas Le Roux, but the 17th-minute sin-binning of skipper Pat Sanderson proved costly.
Connacht fly-half David Sleman converted the penalty and then added the extras to centre Keith Matthews's try.
Drahm converted his own try to give the home side a 14-10 lead at the break, and the Warriors needed the Australian's reliable boot to keep their noses in front.
Three second-half penalty goals from Drahm cancelled a Matt Mostyn try, but the match went right to the wire. The Warriors led 23-20 for the final quarter until a last-minute try to loose forward Drew Hickey sealed the victory.
Northampton fullback Bruce Reihana was among the try-scorers in the Saints' 32-20 home win over Narbonne, and the Kiwi's 12 points with the boot proved the difference on the day.
Reihana and loose forwards Dan Browne and Sam Harding gave Saints a handy 20-7 lead at half-time, but Narbonne's gritty comeback will sound the alarm bells ahead of the English club's trip to France next weekend.
The win moves the Saints to the top of Pool 1 alongside Bristol, but Narbonne are poised behind and cannot be discounted with two matches at Parc des Sports et de l'Amitie still to play.
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS 32-20 NARBONNE
A late try from Narbonne hooker Thibault Algret gave the scoreline a more respectable look as they were well-beaten by Northampton on Saturday.
Worse for the French, Johnny Howard's late try for the Saints gave them the bonus point they wanted so much from this game, ahead of a tough-looking return leg in Narbonne next weekend.
The Saints streaked into a 17-0 lead after half an hour through tries by Daniel Browne and Sam Harding, backed up by conversions and a penalty from Bruce Reihana.
Narbonne prop Arnaud Martinez put les Audois on the scoreboard with a try, but Reihana's second penalty made it 20-7 at the break.
Reihana scored the Saints' third try and converted it to make it 27-7, and although Cedric Rosalen notched two quick-fire penalties to give his team a glimmer of hope, Howard's try sealed the win once and for all.
L'AQUILA 0-86 NEWCASTLE FALCONS
Dave Walder scored 31 points as the Newcastle Falcons swept aside L'Aquila 86-0 to virtually guarantee themselves a berth in the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
Walder scored a hat-trick and converted eight of his side's 14 tries at Stadio Tommaso Fattori.
Prop Robbie Morris, flanker Cory Harris and England centre Jamie Noon scored two each as the hapless Italian defence leaked 40-plus points in each half.
The Falcons ran in seven tries on their way to a match-winning 41-0 lead at half-time, and repeated the dose in the second spell.
SECTION PALOISE 29-3 OVERMACH PARMA
Pau despatched Rugby Parma 29-3 on the back of a try double from centre Gregory Puyo.
Former Argentina star Gonzalo Quesada kicked goals at regular intervals against a Parma side who showed enough to indicate they will be a threat at home next weekend.
TOULON 3-74 GLOUCESTER
Gloucester centre Mark Foster bagged a try double as the Cherry and Whites beat Toulon 74-3 in France to become hot favourites to be the first club in to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Goal-kickers Chris Rossouw and Ludovic Mercier traded early penalty goals, before Gloucester began running the ball from everywhere to confirm their place as the best side in Pool Three.
Foster's double and a Jake Boer try gave the visitors a match-winning 27-3 lead before winger Marcel Garvey bagged the try bonus point on the stroke of half-time.
Toulon were out-classed virtually from the kick-off, but their cause was not helped by the 20th-minute sin-binning of Gregory Bernard and the French side will not be looking forward to next weekend's match at Kingsholm.
LONDON IRISH 29-21 AGEN
London Irish weathered a late fightback by Agen to win 29-21 and take all five points on offer on Sunday.
The Exiles took command early on, with tries by Rodd Penney and Riki Flutey - who converted both and added a drop goal - giving them a 17-0 lead.
Christian Califano's try, converted by Jerome Miquel, made it 17-7 at the break, but Irish were 29-7 ahead with 20 minutes to go after Penney second try and a score from Delon Armitage.
However, Agen fought tooth and nail for the final quarter to take something rfom the game, and were unlucky to come up one point short of a bonus point themselves after tries from Sylvain Mirande and Luc Lafforgue, both converted by Francois Gelez.
BORDER REIVERS 25-22 BRIVE
In the final game of the weekend, Border Reivers held on to beat 1997 Heineken Cup champions Brive 25-22 at Netherdale.
Back row Andy Miller and centre Garry Law scored tries as the Scottish province took a 12-5 lead at half-time, and the reliable boot of veteran Gregor Townsend kept the home side ahead in the dying minutes.
Outside-half Martin Bottini scored his second try and his side's fourth of the match in the last minute to earn his side two bonus points.
Brive will be confident of overturning the result at Parc Municipal de Brive next weekend, although a spot as one of the leading runners-up looks like their best chance of making it to the quarter-finals given Newcastle's perfect record.