With Bath Rugby’s home European Rugby Challenge Cup Quarter-final less than two weeks away, we thought we’d take a closer look at our opponents Brive. We also tested Ross Batty's knowledge on who he played alongside in the 39-7 victory back in 2014.
Key players
Fabien Sanconnie
Sanconnie is one of the most promising names in French rugby. The 22-year-old back row made his debut for Brive in the Challenge Cup against Bath’s local rivals Gloucester in October 2014 and has gone on to win international honours with France.
Benefiting from the guidance of French great Olivier Magne in the France U20 setup, Sarconnie made his debut for Les Tricolores against Italy in the RBS 6 Nations earlier this month.
Julien Le Devedec
Capped nine times by France, Julien Le Devedec has spent the last five seasons with Brive. The second rower arrived at Brive following a successful spell with Toulouse, during which time the Club won the Top 14 and the Heineken Cup on two occasions (2005 and 2010). A physically imposing forward, Le Devedec is one to watch out for next month.
Gaetan Germain
A point-scoring machine, Germain has scored over 250 points this season for Brive – the highest in the Top 14 by over 50 points. The fullback arrived at the Club from French rivals Racing 92 in 2013 and has gone on to score over 1000 points in Brive colours. Dangerous with the boot and ball in hand, Germain will be looking to assert his authority on proceedings against Bath.
Brive’s route to the Quarter-Final
Round one: Newport Gwen Dragons 37-16Brive
Round two: Worcester Warriors 24-25 Brive
Round three: Enisei-STM 8-43 Brive
Round four: Brive 38-18 Enisei-STM
Round five: Brive17-14 Worcester Warriors
Round six: Brive 36-19 Newport Gwent Dragons
Last five results in the Top 14 – 10th place
La Rochelle 36-17 Brive
Brive 21-19 Toulouse
Brive 15-5 Toulon
Racing 92 33-25 Brive
Bayonne 33-23 Brive
Previous results against Bath Rugby
2014 – Bath Rugby 39-7 Brive – Amlin Challenge Cup Quarter-Final
1998 – Bath Rugby 19-18 Brive – Heineken Cup Final
1997 – Bath Rugby 27-25 Brive – Heineken Cup
Flashback to 2014
Bath Rugby (25) 39
Tries – Agulla 3, Abendanon, Rokoduguni, Young
Cons – Ford 3
Pens – Ford
Brive (0) 7
Tries – Murphy
Cons – Laranjeira
Bath Rugby team: Abendanon; Agulla, Banahan, Henson, Rokoduguni; Ford, Young; Catt, Batty, Perenise; Day, Attwood (capt); Garvey, Mercer, Fearns.
Replacements: Dunn, Orlandi, Roberts, Hooper, Houston, James, Eastmond, Watson
Notable former Brive players
Lisandro Arbizu (ARG), Horacio Agulla (ARG), Andy Goode (ENG), Cedric Heymans (FRA), Christophe Lamaison (FRA), Olivier Magne (FRA), Jamie Noon (ENG), Alain Penaud (FRA), Scott Spedding (FRA), Steve Thompson (ENG), Gregor Townsend (SCO)
Tickets for Bath Rugby’s European Rugby Challenge Cup Quarter-Final against Brive at the Recreation Ground on Saturday 1st April are available by clicking here or calling the Ticket Office on 0844 448 1865.
