MATCH PREVIEWS

THE BIG MATCH

Tigers welcome Brive in the opening game of European competition

This is the first meeting of Leicester Tigers and Brive since the 1997 European Cup Final when the French side made a mark in history as the only winners who have never clinched their own domestic league title. That 1997 team was hailed far and PREVIOUS MEETING 1996-97 HEINEKEN CUP FINAL wide as rugby’s great entertainers and ended Tigers’ dreams of lifting European silverware at the first time of asking, winning 28-9 in the final at Cardiff Arms Park in front of a 41,000-strong crowd.

Tigers had to wait four more years to be crowned kings of Europe, beating Stade Francais in a famous final in Paris before retaining the trophy with victory over Munster a year later.

Brive were in 11th place in the Top14 when the 2019-20 season was suspended after just 17 rounds and had an even record - won 3, lost 3 - in the Challenge Cup, finishing second in their pool behind eventual trophy winners Bristol Bears.

Tigers reached the semi-finals in the club’s first-ever Challenge Cup season in 2019-20, losing just once in the pool stages and moving through to the last four when the quarter-final against Castres Olympique was cancelled following a Covid outbreak in the French camp. It was Toulon who ended the run, winning 34-19 in the re-arranged fixture in September.

FROM BOTH SIDES

In a muchtravelled career which started as a teenager at Welford Road and featured two spells with Tigers, fly-half Andy Goode also spent a couple of seasons with Brive from 2008. Goode joined Tigers from Coventry and went on to accumulate 1,799 points in 200 appearances, starting the Heineken Cup Final triumph in Paris as a 21-year-old in 2001 and also the 2007 final against Wasps. At the end of his second spell in 2008, he moved to Brive and had spells with the Sharks in South Africa, Worcester, Wasps and Newcastle Falcons before finally retiring after 18 seasons in the professional game.

ELSEWHERE IN ROUND 1

Stade Francais Paris v Benetton Rugby The new season in the Challenge Cup gets under way in Paris as Stade Francais look to banish memories of the 2019-20 campaign when they won only once in a pool containing Bristol Bears, Brive and Zebre. They are the highest-ranked French team in the tournament, sitting fourth in the Top14 with six wins from their 10 games. Benetton were beaten 31-14 at Connacht a week ago and have now lost all seven games in the PRO14. They return to the Challenge Cup after playing in the Champions Cup last season, where they beat Lyon 25-22 in the pool stages. Newcastle Falcons v Cardiff Blues In this evening’s other fixture, Tigers’ next league opponents Newcastle Falcons carry their unbeaten record from domestic rugby into European competition. Bath, Sale and Wasps have all fallen to Falcons already this season. European Cup finalists in the tournament’s first year back in 1996, Cardiff Blues were beaten home and away in the Challenge Cup by Tigers last season and have won three of their opening eight games in the PRO14.

Zebre Rugby Club v Bayonne Tigers’ next opponents Bayonne travel to Italy on Saturday to face a Zebre side who have won just once in the opening eight games in their PRO14 campaign. Bayonne were beaten 22-24 by second-in-the-table Toulouse in the Top14 last Saturday, but have made a steady start with five wins in their opening 11 games in the league. Agen v London Irish Bottom of the Top14, Agen were beaten by Tigers' rivals Brive at home last Saturday to make it 11 defeats in succession in the league. London Irish were beaten at home by Sale Sharks on Sunday at their new home in Brentford and have one win from the first three rounds in the Gallagher Premiership. Pau v Worcester Warriors Pau were among Tigers’ pool rivals last season - when each side won its home game but Tigers picked up a precious point in the away defeat to seal top spot - and have won just three times in 11 rounds in the Top14 season so far. Worcester Warriors were also on the losing end of domestic action going into Europe, beaten 33-17 at Sixways last weekend by a Bath team without a win in the opening two rounds of the domestic season. Ospreys v Castres Olympique The Saturday evening fixture features a Castres side denied a chance to play in a quarter-final last season due to a Covid outbreak in their squad. They travel to the Ospreys who have won three from seven in the PRO14 but were without a game last weekend. Castres recorded a third win in nine games from the start of the season with a 10-3 triumph away to Pau last week.