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Bath Rugby and Lyon Olympique Universitaire face off for the EPCR Challenge Cup at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Friday.
Lyon lifted the trophy in 2022 after a 30-12 victory over Toulon at Le Velodrome in Marseille, to claim their first major trophy of the professional era.
Bath last won the Challenge Cup in 2008, when a side featuring England coach Steve Borthwick, defeated Worcester Warriors 24-16 at Kingsholm.
CAN LYON TEAR UP THE FORM BOOK?
Bath are not lacking confidence and Johann van Graan’s side are aiming to make the Challenge Cup the second part of their treble.
They have already won the Premiership Cup, and after a season leading the Gallagher Premiership are assured a home semifinal in the playoffs.
Bath sent out a message last weekend when they defeated nearest chasers and old adversaries Leicester Tigers 43-15.
Lyon have struggled in the Top 14 where they haven’t won since mid-April, a 32-23 win over Montpellier.
As such, the Challenge Cup has been their respite while dropping to 11th in the Top 14 standings.
THE COUNTRY ARISTOCRATS VERSUS THE GREAT UNKNOWNS
If Bath have enjoyed life on the pitch, then life has been pretty good off it too.
Earlier in the season the club submitted amended plans that will take their Recreation Ground to an impressive, modern-looking 18,000 stadium.
Bath’s setting among the Georgian era splendour of the Roman Spa town, is one of rugby’s most attractive and famous backdrops, a reflection of Bath’s standing as one of the great old names of English rugby.
Their ground needs modernising and the club are optimistic of finally earning the city planners’ approval.
Lyon are a relatively new force in French rugby. Their latest promotion came in 2016, and since then they’ve established themselves in the Top 14, and have taken over the Stade Gerland, former home of the city’s football team.
Fijian duo Semi Radradra and Sam Matavesi are familiar names, while flyhalf Leo Berdeu is the man who pulls the strings.
Watch out too for Georgian fullback Davit Niniashvili who provides a twinkle toed counter attacking threat.
DUNN NOT DONE
You’d have got long odds on Bath hooker Tom Dunn being leading tournament try scorer ahead of the final, but he sits proudly top with four in three matches.
He added another to his season’s total against Leicester when he threw an outrageous dummy to break the line and dive over.
Overall, Bath have a better try average of 5.1 per match, against Lyon’s 4.3
For Lyon, they will do their best to get the ball to wing Vincent Rattez, who has three tries so far in the tournament, along with Kiwi centre Josiah Maraku.
Rattez forms an effective wing duo with Monty Ioane. The Italian flyer often creates space for others, and so far in the Challenge Cup has beaten 21 defenders and offloaded 15 times.
POINTS TO PROVE
Bath’s involvement in the Challenge Cup Final meant there were no places for any of their players in the two-day England training squad earlier in the week.
The squad will reconvene for a non-test match against a France XV in June before departing for a two-test visit to Argentina, and an international against the USA Eagles in Washington DC.
While the door hasn’t been shut, rivals will have used the two days to lay down a marker.
Therefore, expect Dunn, Joe Cokanasiga, Alfie Barbeary, Sam Underhill, and Ted Hill, to be fully fired up to remind Steve Borthwick of their capabilities.
It is the same for Lyon’s players with France coach Fabien Galthié set to take a team lacking players from the playoff teams to New Zealand.
Hooker Guillaume Marchand, second row Felix Lambey, and Rattez are three with ambitions to represent Les Bleus, and a strong showing in a major final will do their hopes no harm.
