Brive seeking first win in Oyonnax visit

FOLLOWING last weekend’s bonus-point defeat to Worcester Warriors, Connacht’s Challenge Cup pool rivals Brive will aim for a just their second win of the season when they welcome fellow Top 14 rivals Oyonnax to Stade Aime Domenech.

A first-half hat-trick of tries from Warriors’ American international hooker Joe Taufetee’e paved the way for the English side to take the scalp of Brive last weekend, but the French side will be hoping that home advantage will see them to a Pool 5 victory tonight at 7pm.

Guillaume Namy is surely the man who Oyonnax need to watch for after his two tries almost saw Brive clutch a losing bonus point from Sixways, while Julien Brugnaut also tagged on his first European try of the season for the Top 14’s basement team.

That Brugnaut try came seven minutes from time and gave Brive a sniff, but they couldn’t find the score they needed to take a point.

It was a disappointing start for Oyonnax who slipped at home away from home in Geneva against Connacht, but it is likely that they will struggle to cope with Brive on their own patch.

Warriors on the other hand come to the Sportsground buoyed by their first win of the season. Former Munster lock Donncha O’Callaghan will be keen to lay down a marker against his former neighbours, although his former Munster colleague Peter Stringer will not be involved following his exclusion from Warriors’ European squad.