It's Montpellier (a) this weekend for Round 2 of the EPCR Challenge Cup. It’s a different looking team to the side the boys faced in the Champions Cup last year so there are some different danger men to look for.
With that in mind, here is this week’s One to Watch.
Sam Simmonds
Montpellier lost Zach Mercer in the offseason as he moved back to England to sign for Gloucester. Luckily for them, they had a quality replacement lined up in the form of Sam Simmonds.
A British and Irish Lion, Simmonds was plying his trade for the Exeter Chiefs. During that time, the number eight picked up numerous accolades, including Gallagher Premiership Player of the Year and broke the record for most tries in a season with 20.
Simmonds was instrumental for the Chiefs and is expected to have a similar effect in Montpellier as the season goes on.
Cobus Reinach
Reinach takes a place on the bench for the weekend, but the term super sub probably doesn’t do him justice.
A multiple World Cup winner with South Africa, Reinach’s scoring prowess came to the forefront again in the most recent tournament when he forced Faf De Klerk out of the team and paid back Rassie’s faith with four tries.
It’s not the first time Reinach has made an impact on the big stage. The scrum half also owns the record for the fastest hat trick in World Cup history (3 tries in 11 minutes).
Paolo Garbisi
Born in Venice, Garbisi has been an important figure in Italy’s golden generation. Garbisi hit the kick against Wales that ended the Italian’s 36 test losing streak.
Despite only being 23, the fly half has already made over 30 appearances for his national team, scoring 150 points in the process.
A quality distributor and game manager, Garbisi commands his backline well and will be a key contributor for Montpellier.
