Pau vs Worcester clash to finish off Round 1 - Challenge Cup

It’s a French vs English affair that closes off Round 1 of the Challenge Cup as Worcester travel to Stade du Hameau to take on Pau.

This will the third occasion that these two proud teams lock horns in this competition, the first two occurring in the 2018-19 instalment where the spoils were shared one each.

Pau are currently enjoying a great winning streak of 10 games in the Challenge Cup – their most recent home loss taking place in the beginning of 2017 when Cardiff Blues came away with a win.

The French sides on their home turf have proved a real challenge for Worcester in recent times, the latter emerged victorious in just one of their last 14 away games – a record which does not bode well for them this weekend.

Pau’s last competitive game was on 6 December where they were unable to get the better of Castres, losing the match 17-14.

Worcester had similar luck in the Premiership – being on the receiving end of Bath finally finding their feet and putting Alan Solomons’ men away 33-17 at Sixways.      

Given Worcester’s poor record on French soil of late, one might fancy Pau’s chances in this one ahead of their English counterparts, however, it is a new competition and motivation will be at a high.