Montauban's next new hurdle

Top 14 new boys face up to Falcons

Montauban will be seeing stars when Newcastle Falcons travel to Stade Sapiac for their Challenge Cup clash on Friday night.

The Tarn club have made great strides in their first season back in France's top flight, taking several notable scalps - not least leaders Stade Français - and are still sitting comfortably in mid-table.

But the November internationals were not kind, stripping them of several key players, and they lost two of their three matches, including a home defeat to bottom club Bayonne.

But with those players back, and assuming they play, Newcastle represent a perfect opponent for the team to get stuck into and dig out another significant win from.

"It’s very exciting for us to be playing against Newcastle," said coach Laurent Travers.

“They have a very strong team and we are under no illusions. It’s going to be a big match and we are going to have to work very hard."

With Matt Burke also sounding a call to arms for his Newcastle team, who are looking to rebound from a hammering at Brive in the last Challenge Cup match, it is unlikely that Newcastle will choose to rest key players as many teams do in this competition.

That means that the visitors to the Stade Sapiac will have a back-line full of internationals from England and other countries for Montauban to contend with.

"Newcastle will be fielding a very exciting team with the likes of the centre pairing from the autumn Tests in Jamie Noon and Matthew Tait – and that’s a very formidable opposition to come up against," continued Travers.

"Our backs are certainly looking forward to testing themselves against the England centres while Newcastle also have a group of highly talented individuals and we expect them to be well drilled and organised.

"Having said that, so far we have exceeded expectations in the French Championship and maybe we will do the same in the European Challenge Cup.

"We have had a really good start to the season and have taken on some strong teams and being the first team this season to defeat Stade Français back in October was a great feeling for us.

"For our team it is fantastic to get out and play European rugby. Our players are able to be a bit more adventurous while to come up against the quality of players we meet in this competition is a massive bonus.

"It’s a great opportunity for our players to show us what they are really capable of and everyone on the pitch will be there trying to impress so we’re hoping for a high-level game.

Travers also quashed the notion that he may opt for resting key players ahead of more significant league matches, saying that even in the return at Kingston Park, he will be fielding his strongest team.

"Despite the old adage about the French, we are not putting more emphasis on the home leg," he said.

"What is important to us is that we put in our best performance for both of the games against Newcastle and go as far as we can in this competition."