Rugby European Challenge Cup

The European Challenge Cup 2012/13 sees the second tier of European club rugby head towards the knockout stages of the quarter final in April of 2013. Twenty clubs battled it out during the pool stage, each of the five pool winners being joined in the quarter finals by three teams who parachuted down from the higher tiered Heineken Cup. It adds an interesting mix to things at the knockout stage, and the three teams coming down to the competition after failing to qualify for the quarter finals of the Heineken Cup are Toulouse, Leinster and Biarritz, all of which should bring a huge, dangerous presence to proceedings.

Indeed, Irish club Leinster were installed as firm outright favourites after parachuting into the competition. They are actually the reigning Heineken Cup champions, but fell short in the pool stage of their title defence there, unable to deal with the powerful French outfit Clermont, and didn’t pull out good enough of record to squeeze through to the quarter finals as a runner up. So they drop down to the Challenge Cup where they should be strong front runners. They are a good side without a doubt, but they have been having some defensive issues this term, conceding a lot of tries, especially in the Pro 12. So there are question marks about them at the back, if they go as a strong side up front.

Toulouse, like Leinster narrowly missed out on the quarter finals of the Heineken Cup, and will bring their controlled pragmatic ways to the European Challenge Cup. They face off against fellow French club Perpignan in what looks to be a fantastic match. Tolouse should edge things as favourite, but Perpignan have looked immense going forward this term. In their six pool matches in the European Challenge Cup this season, they ran in a staggering 42 tries (and even that pales in comparison to Worcester’s 51 tries, who Perpignan beat to win the group only on a head to head try count against the Warriors). So that should be a great French clash there and the winner of it will face off against Bath or Stade Francais in the semi finals, both going as rank outsiders in the European Challenge Cup Betting.

On the English front, there should be good challenges to come from London Wasps and Gloucester. Both are solid side and have shown enough savvy in the group stages to make a decent run at the title. Gloucester have a decent draw in the quarter finals against Biarritz, while Wasps have the unenviable task of taking on Leinster in the quarter finals. That draw naturally leaves Gloucester as the more favoured of the two English sides. The third English side left in the competition, Bath, are a long shot according to the bookmakers, but actually held the best record of the pool stage of the 2012/13 European Challenge Cup and go into the knockouts as top seed. With a decent quarter final draw against Stade Francais, they may not be a bad long shot for the title.

Schedule of Rugby Union Betting