Leicester to put Brive to the test at Welford Road
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The second game of Round 1 of the Challenge Cup sees Leicester Tigers hosting Brive at Welford Road.
Leicester were semi-finalists in 2019-20, losing out to Toulon at Stade Felix Mayol, 39-19. They managed to finish top of Pool 5 with 23 points, however, four points ahead of Pau.
Brive finished second in Pool 4, some distance behind eventual champions Bristol Bears, managing to win only 3 of their 6 games for a total of 14 points.
Leicester made a promising start to their Premiership a few weeks ago, muscling Gloucester out of victory with an encouraging display after a significantly difficult time last season. However, the good work that they managed to get through in Round 1 was undone somewhat by the results in Rounds 2 & 3 as they were brushed aside London Irish and Exeter respectively.
Brive have not been at their best lately, currently holding 13th spot on the Top 14 log with only 3 victories from 10 outings. Their most recent match did, however, end in a 15-6 victory for them – against Agen at the latter’s home ground.
It is not an easy one to call, although, if Leicester are able to procure some of the form they managed to find in Round 1 on their home turf, they could give Brive a good run for their money and start off their Challenge Cup campaign with a win.