Stade to up ante on pool rivals Ulster
Victory for the Parisian club over Welsh hosts Cardiff Blues would leave Gloucester facing a must-win Kingsholm clash against Ulster tomorrow.
Stade, having defeated Gloucester last weekend and collected a try-scoring bonus point in the process, will tighten their grip on Pool 6 if they can repeat that feat.
“We have to go to Cardiff and win,” said Stade coach Fabien Galthie.
“Qualification for the quarter-finals is still a long, long way away and our next hurdle is the trip to Cardiff.”
Galthie has made three changes following the 39-31 win against Gloucester, with versatile Italian star Mauro Bergamasco switching from wing to back-row instead of Raphael Jechoux, while Raphael Poulin returns in the three-quarter line and Uruguayan international prop Pablo Lemoine replaces Rodrigo Roncero.
Cardiff, beaten 21-16 by Ulster last Friday, prefer Richard Smith to Dean Dewdney at scrum-half in an otherwise unchanged team.
Glasgow face a testing pool three encounter in Toulouse tonight where the home side rest skipper Fabien Pelous and their opponents field Andrew Craig instead of Graeme Morrison at outside centre.
Glasgow lost their opening game 13-9 against Northampton, but twice European champions Toulouse recorded a potentially priceless 9-6 success at Llanelli. Emile Ntamack looks set to make his 49th Heineken Cup appearance for Toulouse, although the 34-year-old doesn’t anticipate too many opportunities this term.
“I was going to quit at the end of last season, but I agreed to register for this season, mainly because Toulouse have so many international players,” he said.
“When everyone is available, I don’t expect to play,” Ntamack said.
Bourgoin tackle Treviso in tonight’s other Heineken Cup clash, with the home side firm favourites to open their Pool 2 points account.
lEnglish rugby chiefs have agreed terms with Whitbread Plc to provide a four-star hotel as part of the £70m South Stand redevelopment at Twickenham. The Twickenham Marriott is due to open in 2007.
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