European Challenge Cup Preview: Pool 2

Exeter Chiefs and Connacht both continued their dominance in pool 2, with wins against French sides Bayonne and La Rochelle. Both sides will now look to go one step further to booking their quarter-final spots with a second win in a week against their French counterparts. 

Last Thursday Exeter Chiefs, who can’t stop winning at the moment continued their fine form with a 36-10 win away to La Rochelle picking up maximum points with Vainikolo scoring the all important 4th try late on in the game. La Rochelle now face a daunting task of needing a win at Sandy Park on Saturday if they are to have any hope of making it through to the knockout stages and it does not look good for the French side with the Chiefs not tasting defeat at Sandy Park since their defeat to Leicester Tigers in September.

Like Exeter, Connacht continued their fine season as they hammered Bayonne 42-19 at the Sportsground to move to within a point of Exeter at the top. Connacht now travel to France on Saturday to take on Bayonne as they look to keep up with Exeter at the top of pool 2. Few Connacht fans will forget their last visit to France when they achieved the unthinkable and defeated three time European champions Toulouse. As for Bayonne in their last home game they were able to defeat Exeter and will be hoping to claim another major scalp in the group and resurrect their slim chances of making it through to the knockout stages.