Rugby: Hermance aim to avoid Swiss cup banana skin

“It’s like FA cup football,” Hermance technical coach, Carter Croft told Swisster ahead of Hermance’s Swiss cup match in Lausanne on Saturday against B league club, Albaladejo.

“It’s a potential banana skin. For these sides that are in the second division, it’s a chance to take big scalp,” he added.

Given that Albaladejo are in seventh position in their league, having won just two of their nine games to date this season, Croft may be overstating their potential to upset the mighty multi-champions, but stranger things have happened.

Like most clubs, Hermance have spent much of the winter shivering in the club house with the rust setting in.

“We haven’t done very well in our friendlies,” said Croft without elaborating. “The weather hasn’t been favourable. I would have liked to have prepared a little bit better.”

So perhaps their opponents will never get a better chance. “We are about five or six short because of availability issues, but we would be very disappointed to lose it,” said Croft.

Meanwhile several seasons ago, Stade Lausanne were struggling to put a first team on the field. Now the league leaders and cup holders are spoiled for choice, according to their South African coach, Andy Whitlow.

“We have between 40 and 45 people showing up for training on average,” he told Swisster. “It’s encouraging, but you’ve got to keep everyone happy. It does make the job more difficult – organizing training and a lot more planning.”

Stade Lausanne have La Chaux-de-Fonds on the menu on Saturday, another B league side, fifth in the table with four wins and four losses on their record.

Whitlow isn’t taking any chances. “We don’t know much about them, but we’re taking them seriously and we’re fielding a full strength side,” he stressed.

“We made the mistake of playing a weaker team against Fribourg last season and only a try in the 78^th minute managed to squeak us through,” he added.

“It’s a match we need to win,” said Whilow. “We’ve had no preparation games because it was so cold.”

“I expect us to be a bit rusty, but only during the first half,” he said, adding that the club has set its sights on the league and cup double this season.

“That’s our goal, we have a long way to go, but we are out to win everything,” he said.

Sunday sees a repeat of last weekend’s match between Nyon and Grasshoppers. However, a frozen pitch in Zurich has forced officials to reschedule the match at the Colovray stadium, where the visitors were convincingly beaten.

Zurich captain, Josh Bjornson is aiming to exact revenge. “We’ve had a very constructive training session this week and we’re rampant again,” he said.

“We know we can play a lot better and we will. First time tackles are going to be the key,” he added.

The weather may have the final word on some other games. News from the Swiss Rugby Federation is that the Fribourg-St. Gallen fixture will not be played in Fribourg and will either be scheduled in eastern Switzerland or postponed.

Other cup matches this weekend: Neuchâtel are at home to Avusy, Geneva PLO make the long trip to Lugano, Basel entertain Yverdon while Cern welcome Bern.