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French side Oyonnax and Irish outfit Connacht will square off in the first round of the 2017 / 2018 Rugby Challenge Cup, the match being set to be played in Geneva, Switzerland.
Oyonnax gained promotion after winning the French Pro D2 last season, but the hosts haven`t had the best start to the season, winning just once in the first 6 rounds – and that was at home against fellow relegation strugglers Agen, a very close 12-10 victory. Oyonnax is third to last in the Top 14 and lost their last 4 matches. What`s more, most of their losses were very ugly and Oyonnax often seemed to be overwhelmed by the level of clubs from the first half of the Top 14 table.
Connacht had a similarly poor start in the Pro 14, losing 5 of their last 6 matches. That is a very disappointing return for a team that won the Pro 14 two years ago and made a good impression in the Champions Cup last season. However, Connacht didn`t play that bad, they had a difficult schedule and most of their losses were very close. They can consider themselves unlucky not to have gained more points.
Bet on Oyonnax v Connacht and claim your 100% (100 Eur) bonus at Ohmbet now!Team news & lineups:
Oyonnax will make no less than 12 changes to the lineup that lost against Pau last weekend in the Top 14. Ursache, Hansell-Pune and Tian are the only survivors. As for Connacht, they will also make changes, but fewer, and some of the key players rested are expected to feature in the second half. There will be 7 modifications compared to last week’s lineup, including the omission of star center Bundee Aki.
Oyonnax: Tian; Giresse, Seuteni, Hansell-Pune (c), Muller; Ruiz, Audy; Vepkhvadze, Geledan, Mirtskhulava; Fabbri, Njewel; Taieb, Ursache, Fa’asavalu
Connacht: Leader; Kelleher, Griffin, Farrell, Healy; Deegan, Blade; Coulson, McCartney, Bealham; Dillane, Cannon; Masterson, McKeon, Muldoon (c).
The Challenge Cup isn`t the highest priority for any of the two clubs, but you have to feel that Connacht is taking it more seriously. Oyonnax is more concerned with avoiding relegation in the ultra competitive Top 14, while Connacht has always taken great pride from competing in European competitions.
The above statement is proved by the team selection of the two clubs, and also by the fact that Connacht won 11 out of the last 12 meetings with French Clubs in the Challenge Cup.
Connacht is a better team than Oyonnax, and they played better this season even if they aren`t clicking on all cylinders themselves. When you add the fact that Oyonnax will basically change their entire team, a Connacht win becomes very likely – especially as home court advantage will be vastly diluted by the fact that the match is played in Geneva, Switzerland. Oyonnax will lose a lot by not playing at home.
Look for the visitors to use their expansive wide game, creating problems for a weakened Oyonnax team which has a poor defense anyway, but now will also lack chemistry and miss their best players. As such, Connacht should be able to surprise their lines with a speedy game and quick offloads.
My tip is Connacht to win. The weakened lineup of the hosts and them not having real home court advantage should be the deciding factors in making the bet on Connacht a winner. Prediction: Oyonnax – Connacht 21 – 28.
Pick: Connacht
Odds: 1.62 @ William Hill
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 4.96
Event date: 14 October
