Following a thrilling bout of Challenge Cup action last weekend, Guinness PRO14’s five contenders are primed to go again against familiar opposition on Friday and Saturday. Each match is the reverse of last week, and whether revenge or a continuation of good form is on the agenda, every team will be ultimately hoping to strengthen their bid for a knockout spot in a largely make-or-break Round 4. FRIDAY Pau v Cardiff Blues 19:00, Stade du Hameau The Blues will be hoping for more of the same against their French opponents, after powering to a thumping 54-22 win at Arms Park last time out. That win aided their quest for a place in the quarter-finals, but with Leicester Tigers already three points ahead of them in Pool 5, John Mulvihill’s men know they need another convincing win to really strengthen their position as one of the highest-scoring runners-up. “Obviously, our preparations should be fairly similar but French teams at home will always play a little bit different rugby. “But if we come with the same intensity, we’ll hope to get a good result our there." John Mulvihill looks ahead to his side's trip to Pau pic.twitter.com/Iz27XPwSFs— Cardiff Blues (@cardiffblues) href=“https://twitter.com/cardiffblues/status/1204433559429304326?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>December 10, 2019 The omens are good for the Blues, though, as they have won each of the four encounters between the sides, and while Pau have won all of their last eight home games in the Challenge Cup, it was indeed the Blues who beat them on their home turf back in 2016⁄17. Josh Adams will be hoping to continue where he left off after scoring a hat-trick on his debut last week, but the Blues must be wary of the likes of Charly Malie who has made the most offloads (7) in the competition so far. Brive v Zebre 19:00, Stade Amedee-Domenech Zebre got off the mark in Europe last week with a hard-fought 27-24 win over their French rivals in Round 3, and they know they need to replicate that result if they are to stand any chance of progression. The Italians are currently four points off a spot in the quarter-finals but will be brimming with confidence with two victories on the spin, including an impressive 39-12 triumph at Dragons at the end of November.
