By Sarah Braide
October 11 2002

Friday's match against Bourgoin will be Sale's first ever Heineken Cup game. With Glasgow and Llanelli also in our group, this is a match that we will probably need to win. But Bourgoin are something of an unknown quantity. In an article on the BBC website, Bryan Redpath admits that Sale don't really know much about their opposition:

"We don't know a huge amount about Bourgoin," he admitted.

"(Philippe)Saint-Andre is coaching them and there's a couple of players whose names I recognise, but it will be a step into the relative unknown for us."

And Jim Mallinder was reserved in his pre-match comments:

"This is another step up for us but we have had a good preparation and there is the potential in this side to do well in this competition. We haven’t yet played to that potential this season but maybe this high profile event will at last bring out the best in us."

Our new centre Graeme Bond has arrived at Heywood Road but is not ready to play yet; next weekend's away game against Glasgow might turn out to be his Sale debut.

On the Bourgoin website there is a poll asking who will qualify for the quarter finals. Bourgoin themselves are on 46% while Sale snap at their heels with 42%. Now given that this is on the Bourgoin site, are their fans really that scared of us? Or have lots of Sale fans been visiting and voting? I hope it's the former.

Sale team: Jason Robinson, Mark Cueto, Jos Baxendell, Mel Deane, Steve Hanley, Charlie Hodgson, Bryan Redpath (capt), Jim Thorp, Andy Titterrell, Barry Stewart, Chris Jones, Dean Schofield, Alex Sanderson, Stuart Pinkerton, Pete Anglesea.

Replacements: Charl Marais, Kevin Yates, Scott Lines, Apollo Perelini, Dan Harris, Vaughan Going, Nick Walshe.

Bourgoin poll: Which clubs will qualify for the final phases?

Sale 42 %
CSBJ 46 %
Glasgow 1 %
Llanelli 11 %