Rugby: CERN and Nyon prepare for dog-fight

As CERN’s Beren Evans told Swisster ahead the match against Nyon: “It will definitely be a dog-fight out there on Sunday. We have had people watching the Nyon games and they’re ripe for the taking.”

The past two cup encounters between the teams and have produced marginal wins for the Nyon. This year, with half an eye on the future, Nyon have been working more with younger, inexperienced, albeit promising players as Nyon president Alain Winterhalter expressed.  “We’re going in there with confidence, our young players are doing well and we’re getting some of our experienced players back.”

Absence of key players is a familiar scenario in Swiss rugby, and one that CERN are not exempt from either, said Evans. “We’ll be fielding the strongest team yet this season, but five or six very influential players from last season are not yet back in training.”

“We recruited well over the summer and have 20-25 new players on the books, but it’s just a question of getting the right mix. We think that it’s beginning to come through,” he added.

Both teams will be eager to get some points on the table. CERN have lost three times and Nyon twice. “Even having lost these two games I’m very satisfied at the performance of the squad,” said Winterhalter.

“We’ve always had well contested but fair battles at CERN, so I don’t expect we will be parting with tradition. They have a very good side. They proved that last year,” he emphasized.

One area of concern for the physicists is goal-kicking, which let them down during a narrow 10-8 defeat against Swiss champions Geneva PLO. “We had 70 per cent of the possession and were all over Geneva,” said Evans.

“We would have won the game had just one of four penalties gone over,” he added. “We’re working on it and we’re practicing a lot more which we didn’t do very much during our early sessions.”

Another interesting match-up sees early season table leaders, Stade Lausanne making the long trip to Zurich on Sunday, the one team they have yet to beat since arriving in top flight Swiss rugby.

Andy Whitlow, Stade Lausanne’s coach said: “We’re confident. If we can dominate them up front then get some quick ball out to our backs, I think we can do some damage.”

Grasshoppers skipper, Josh Bjornson isn’t under any illusions about what lies ahead and told Swisster: “We have quite a strong team and we’re up for it. I expect them to come out fighting. And I’m sure they’re out to take us down.”

In Saturday’s Swiss A League matches, Hermance are at home to Bern, a match the Geneva-based team should be able to manage comfortably. Swiss champions Geneva PLO visit Yverdon, a tricky proposition given the form the side from Vaud has shown so far this season.

Meanwhile, a number of Swiss international players will be taking part in the Alpen Cup test match against Germany in Rottweil on Saturday. Swiss Rugby Union president Stephane Gaillard said: “We’re trying to bring in new players after the huge disappointment against Serbia last season. So for us this really is a test match!”

Match kick off: 5pm.