Castres are hoping to consolidate their chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup against Dragons at Stade Pierre-Fabre in Round 5 on Saturday as first meets second in the pool 1, with the French hosts set to give the Newport-side a warm welcome this weekend.
“It’s a do-or-die encounter,” Castres three-quarter Julien Dumora admitted ahead to the crucial encounter.
“ If we win, we maintain our hopes of qualifying [for the quarter-finals]. In contrast, if we lose, it will be difficult for us to reach the knockout stage. It’s a real play-off match. The knockout stage of the Challenge Cup starts this weekend for us.
“We need to step up our motivation levels as Dragons will be coming to Castres looking for a win and to qualify [for the quarter-finals]."
Dragons depart for Castes looking to back up results from a successful Christmas run of fixtures which saw home wins against Ospreys and Scarlets, and a losing bonus point from the Boxing Day trip to Welsh capital.
“All our squad are well aware that it will be a hard match,” said Dumora. “They will not want a fruitless journey, but we are ready to continue this adventure.”
After winning their back-to-back fixtures with Enisei in rounds three and four of the Challenge cup before Christmas Castres started the festive period with victory over high flying Lyon at home in the Top 14 before suffering defeat to heavyweights Clermont and Toulon in their last two outings.
Dumora has reflected on the round two encounter at Rodney Parade, so he and his teammates know what the Dragons will bring to the contest.
“We know what to expect,” he added. “In the away game [which Dragons won 31-17] we clearly saw that they have a pack who are good in the collisions. They hurt us a lot in the driving mauls, scoring two tries. They will come with the same frame of mind, but we are committed to giving them a warm welcome.
“ We had a clear aim at the start of the season. We wanted to qualify from this pool for the quarter-finals. We still have our destiny in our hands. I really feel this team will give every last drop in these last two matches, so that there are no regrets.”
With a final of European rugby’s top tier competitions held in Marseille this June, Dumora says there’s extra motivation for French clubs to book their spot.
“The Challenge Cup is very important to the club. It’s a great competition with some big teams. This year we have had the chance to travel to Russia [Enisei-STM]. It was a wonderful experience.
“It is a genuine chance for all French clubs taking part in the European competitions. It is a real pleasure to say we could be playing on the Marseille pitch next May. It makes you dream and it would be a lovely present for our supporters.”
We still have our destiny in our hands
