Heineken Cup preview: Pool Five
It's here again! The Heineken Cup begins on Friday, with the clubs now battle-hard and ready after six weeks of domestic battery. Here are a few pointers on the forthcoming action in Pool Five.
It's here again! The Heineken Cup begins on Friday, with the clubs now battle-hard and ready after six weeks of domestic battery. Here are a few pointers on the forthcoming action in Pool Five.
Teams:
Glasgow
Bath
Toulouse
Dragons
Forecast: Pool Five has the makings of a more than entertaining one, with this attacking quartet sure to excite the neutral along the way. But surely one can't look past Toulouse and European Challenge holders Bath heading the pile come January! However, Glasgow were unfortunate last season to miss the knockout cut and could upset the pair in question when they travel to Firhill Arena. The big game will surely take place at the Recreation Ground on the final weekend of Pool fixtures as last year's finalists Toulouse arrive in the West Country – hold onto your hats as this could be for the group's top spot, and who knows what the runners-up will get?
Players to watch:
Bath: If the West Countrymen are to match their Pool heavyweights then they will have to compete up front and in the tackle. That is why Steve Meehan will be counting on England dynamo Michael Lipman to seal possession at the breakdown and keep it.
Glasgow: The Scots possess a clutch of impressive back-row talents once again this season but it's their young flank John Barclay who will be vital if they are to upset the balance in Pool Five. A rampaging try-scorer out in Biarritz last season, Barclay can possibly push Glasgow into the mix.
Dragons: The outsiders of the group will need all XV to stand up and be counted over the next few months and that includes their player/coach. Former Wales man Colin Charvis will surely be saving himself for the so-called big games this term and with a performance à la his Newcastle Anglo-Welsh effort, he and the Dragons could spring a couple of HEC surprises?!
Toulouse: Without doubt Byron Kelleher was the standout performer in the Top 14 last season and this year promises to be no different for the All Black in Europe. He has now firmly settled in France and will be desperate to get his hands on the Heineken Cup with a choice of David Skrela, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde or Fred Michalak outside him.
Squads:
Bath: Nick Abendanon, Matt Banahan, David Barnes, Mike Baxter, Andrew Beattie, Duncan Bell, Scott Bemand, Shaun Berne, Daniel Browne, Nathan Catt, Tom Cheeseman, Michael Claassens, Alex Crockett, Jack Cuthbert, Pieter Dixon, Jonny Faamatuainu, David Flatman, Eliota Fuimaono, Chris Goodman, Danny Grewcock, Shontayne Hape, Justin Harrison, Rob Hawkins, Andy Higgins, Stuart Hooper, Paulica Ion, Butch James, Aaron Jarvis, Robbie Kydd, Mark Lilley, Michael Lipman, Joe Maddock, Lee Mears, Josh Ovens, James Scaysbrook, Peter Short, Michael Stephenson, Matt Stevens.
Glasgow Warriors: John Barclay, Tim Barker, John Beattie, Kelly Brown, James Eddie, Max Evans, Thom Evans, Lome Fa'atau, Calum Forrester, Roddy Grant, Richie Gray, Colin Gregor, Dougie Hall, Andrew Henderson, Peter Horne, Ruaridh Jackson, Ed Kalman, Alastair Kellock, Chris Kinloch, Moray Low, Pat MacArthur, Mark McMillan, Eric Milligan, Graeme Morrison, Hefin O'Hare, Opeta Palepoi, Dan Parks, Sam Pinder, Colin Shaw, Bernardo Stortoni, Gary Strain, Steve Swindall, Fergus Thomson, Kevin Tkachuk, Dan Turner, Justin Va'a, Richie Vernon, John Welsh.
Dragons: James Alridge, Joe Bearman, Adam Black, Adam Brown, Lloyd Burns, Luke Charteris, Colin Charvis, Shaun Connor, Aaron Coundley, Phil Dollman, Lewis Evans, Wayne Evans, Richard Fussell, Rhodri Gomer-Davis, Duane Goodfield, Hugh Gustafson, Andrew Hall, James Harris, Lee Harrison, Adam Jones, Steve Jones, Rob Lewis, Dan Lydiate, Gareth Maule, Kevin Morgan, Richard Parks, Jamie Ringer, Gethin Robinson, Tal Selley, Rory Sidey, Ashley Smith, Marc Stcherbina, Rhys Thomas, Jason Tovey, Grant Webb, Andy Williams, Tom Willis, Gareth Wyatt.
Toulouse: Manu Ahotaeiloa, Patricio Albacete, Mathieu Belie, Nicolas Bezie, Jean Bouilhou, Stéphane Clement, Vincent Clerc, Yves Donguy, Gaffie du Toit, Thierry Dusautoir, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, Florian Fritz, Charles Gimanez, Cédric Heymans, Daan Human, Yannick Jauzion, Byron Kelleher, Maleli Kunavore, Virgile Lacombe, Grégory Lamboley, Julien Le Devedec, Beniot Lecouls, Finau Maka, Maxime Medard, Romain Millo-Chluski, Sébastien Miro, Yohan Montes, Yannick Nyanga, Fabien Pelous, Salvatore Perugini, Clément Poitrenaud, Jean-Baptiste Poux, Julien Raynaud, William Servat, David Skrela, Shaun Sowerby, Bertus Swanepoel, Alberto Vernet Basualdo.