Parker Pen Permutations
By Jason Harris
October 7 2002
European club rugby's second-tier - but not second rate - competition kicks off this weekend with 32 sides squaring up to one another to see who will progress to the Parker Pen Challenge Cup or who'll play in the Parker Pen Shield.
Sarries, of course, retrace their steps of twelve months ago with another visit to Bucharest to take on Romanian champions and cup winners Dinamo Bucuresti which should, if last year's form book is correct, be a safe passage into the Challenge Cup.
The draw, according to the ERC web site at least, is pre-prepared with the route to the final already plotted.
So who, should Sarries do the expected and win their home and away tie with Dinamo, could they meet in subsequent rounds if they are to go all the way to the final?
The last 16:
Colomiers or L'Aquila.
We all know about the French outfit after a visit to them a few years back. They've not had the best of time in the league this season so far. Like Sarries, they've played six games, but have won one fewer and sit in mid-table. The Italians, though present in the Heineken Cup two seasonas ago, shouldn't prove to much of a problem for the boys from the suburbs of Toulouse as they now languish at the bottom of the Italian Super10 competition without a win to their name so far this year. I think Colomiers will be the opponents for the Men in Black on the first two weekends in December. Should Sarries prove successful in this round they'll go into:
The quarter-final:
One from
Grenoble v Newcastle
Rugby Treviso v Castres Olympique
The tougher quarter of the top half of the draw could be very interesting. Struggling Newcastle (2-4 in the league) could find things difficult out in Grenoble (3-3) but they seem to perform well at Kingston Park so they should, in my opinion, squeak (pun fully intended here) through as French teams are notoriously iffy on the road.
Treviso, conquerors of Wasps last season and joint top of the Super10, could spring a surprise against Castres. The Fenchmen are struggling to put a run together in the Top 16 (French First division)and currently have a record of one win, two draws and three defeats from their six games. I'll stick my neck out and say that Treviso could pull off a shock and go on to play - and get beaten by - the Falcons.
Let's go mad here and say that Sarries will finally win at Kingston Park and beat Squeaky's boys at home to progress into the last four come 19 January. Who could they be playing then?
The semi-final:
One from
Ebbw Vale v Montauban
Madrid 2012 v Scottish Borders
G.R.A.N. Rugby Parma v Bath
Rugby Pau v Bridgend
It will be highly unlikely that Montauban (2 wins, 1 draw 3 defeats in the league), unlike Agen last year, will take a dive at Eugene Cross Park and they will win that tie against Ebbw Vale. The Borders should come through their Spanish test with ease and if they take on the French side in the scond round, I believe they'll come out on top.
Bath, even though their league form is dire right now, surely can't lose to Parma over two legs? Can't they? I think they won't and will play Pau - Steve Cheesebrough and all - in the second round as Bridgend are woeful this season. It'll be tough to choose between those two, but as Bath have quite a good record in France (remember they beat red-hot favourites Biarritz down there last season and won the Heineken Cup against Brive in Bordeaux in 1998) they could well go through at the expense of Cheesy and his mates to meet the Scots in the quarters.
Bath v Borders? This is unknown territory as the Scotsmen are new to professional rugby. Experience, in my humble opinion, will tip the balance in favour of the West Countrymen. Bath for the semis, then, probably at a neutral ground. Perhaps THIS could be the time to put things right at Adams Park? Who knows?
THE FINAL
Though the bottom half of the draw looks tough, remember only one of them can win through to meet Saracens in the big one, should the Men in Black get there.
Parma Rugby v London Wasps
La Moraleja Alcobendas v Bordeaux-Begles
Caerphilly v Harlequins
Rugby Rovigo v Stade Francais
Rugby Silea v RC Narbonne
Mont de Marsan v Connacht Petrarca
Padova v Leeds
Rugby Roma v Pontypridd
It's wishful thinking, I know, but I'm grateful that Sarries are in what I see as the easy half of the draw. I have a feeling that Stade Francais will have enough to see off any of the seven in their quarter of the draw, including Wasps and Quins, and all eight at the bottom.
Sarries v Stade Francais in Lille come next May, you say? YES PLEASE!