Bucuresti Oaks & Leeds set for magic 2000

Bucuresti Oaks and Leeds Carnegie will create a slice of European club rugby history when they meet in Round 3 of the Amlin Challenge Cup at Arcul de Triumf on Saturday.

It will be the 2,000th ERC match – with the 1,000th Amlin Challenge Cup match following later that afternoon when Worcester Warriors meet Connacht Rugby at Sixways.

And with just the five Pool winners qualifying for the knock-out stages, where they will be joined by three of the Heineken Cup Pool runner-ups, the back-to-back contests in Rounds 3 and 4 are set to go a long way to determining the qualifiers.

Newcastle Falcons are flying the highest of the lot – the only club to bank a maximum 10 points after the opening two rounds by running in 11 tries in their wins at Petrarca Rugby and home to Albi.

Six other teams have also made it two from two with Bourgoin, Connacht Rugby and Toulon out on their own in Pools 1, 2 and 3. But Pools 4 and 5 are far tighter affairs, Bayonne and London Wasps level pegging on nine points in Pool 4 and set to clash in back-to-back Rounds 3 and 4 contests with unbeaten Montauban two points adrift of Newcastle in Pool 5 and also on course for key December collisions.

And it is worth noting that the resumption of the tournament comes with Saracens and Castres Olympique leading the Guinness Premiership and Top 14 Orange tournaments respectively – a clear sign of the quality of team on display in the Amlin Challenge Cup.