Challenge Cup 2025/26 · Round of 16
Zebre Parma
Section Paloise
Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma
Championship Standings
No shared league table — these teams play in different domestic competitions. Zebre are rock bottom of the URC (16th of 16, 2 wins from 14). Section Paloise sit 2nd in the Top 14 with 13 wins from 20 — a gulf in quality that the standings make painfully clear.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Toulouse | 20 | 15 | 5 | +357 | 71 |
| 2 |  Section Paloise | 20 | 13 | 7 | +77 | 59 |
| 3 |  Stade Français | 20 | 11 | 8 | +128 | 59 |
| 4 |  Bordeaux-Bègles | 20 | 12 | 8 | +136 | 59 |
| 5 |  Montpellier | 20 | 11 | 8 | +158 | 57 |
| 6 |  Clermont | 20 | 11 | 9 | +82 | 52 |
Zebre Parma
W3, L1A tale of two Zebres. In Challenge Cup pool play they were surprisingly effective — three wins from four, including a dominant 41–17 dismantling of Montauban and a gritty 28–14 away win in Tbilisi against Black Lion. The only pool loss was at Montpellier, where they were overmatched 31–7. But in URC duty, they've lost their last five straight — a 12–28 home defeat to Ulster, a 36–17 drubbing at Scarlets, and a 21–7 shutout at Munster. The Challenge Cup has been their sanctuary this season.
Section Paloise
W1, L3Section Paloise dropped out of the Champions Cup with just one win from four pool games — a 47–38 shootout at Scarlets. They were hammered 61–12 at Bristol, edged 35–27 at home by Northampton, and lost a tight 26–24 to the Bulls. But context matters: they were facing Premiership and URC heavyweights, not Challenge Cup opposition. In Top 14, they're flying — 2nd in the table with recent scalps over Bordeaux-Bègles (39–17) and Racing 92 (27–17). Their European form undersells a very good team.
Head-to-Head Record
0 – 0 – 3
Zebre wins · Draws · Section Paloise wins (3 meetings, all Challenge Cup)
Zebre Parma (0)
Section Paloise have won all three previous meetings against Zebre, all in the Challenge Cup. The most recent was a tight 28–27 affair in Pau in January 2024, suggesting Zebre can compete. The earlier meetings in 2017–18 were more comfortable for the French side — 42–14 and 38–33. It's a small sample, but Pau have never lost to Zebre.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2024 | Challenge Cup | Section Paloise 28–27 Zebre |
| Jan 2018 | Challenge Cup | Section Paloise 42–14 Zebre |
| Oct 2017 | Challenge Cup | Zebre 33–38 Section Paloise |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Section Paloise 36 – Zebre 25. Pau have won all three by an average margin of 11 points.
Extended Form
Zebre Parma5W, 9L (last 14 matches)
Challenge Cup: W3 L1 (beat Montauban 41–17, lost to Montpellier 31–7, beat Ospreys 23–19, beat Black Lion 28–14). URC: W2 L8 (beat Lions 22–20, beat Edinburgh 31–28, lost to Stormers 13–31, lost to Cardiff 14–29, lost to Benetton 23–37, lost to Glasgow 21–26, lost to Connacht 15–31, lost to Munster 21–7, lost to Scarlets 36–17, lost to Ulster 12–28).
Zebre's two URC wins came back in November — a 22–20 squeaker against the Lions and a 31–28 result versus Edinburgh. Since then, eight straight URC defeats. Their Challenge Cup form is the only ray of light — three wins from four in the pool stage. At the Lanfranchi, they've won 3 and lost 5 in the last 8 across all competitions.
Section Paloise8W, 4L (Top 14 last 12)
Top 14 recent: beat Racing 27–17, lost to La Rochelle 20–6, beat Bordeaux 39–17, lost to USAP 40–24, beat Toulon 32–12, lost to Toulouse 59–22, beat Montpellier 35–33, beat Montauban 53–17, beat La Rochelle 53–33, beat USAP 27–23, beat Toulouse 30–26, beat Bayonne 47–24. Champions Cup: W1 L3.
In Top 14, Pau have been excellent — 2nd in the table, scoring freely (averaging nearly 30 points per game) and beating some of France's best including a statement 30–26 home win over Toulouse. Their European woes — 1 win from 4 in Champions Cup pools — were against top-tier opposition (Bristol, Northampton, Bulls). The drop to Challenge Cup level should suit their squad depth and physicality.
Zebre Parma XV
Lineups not yet announced. Zebre's likely XV will be built around Italian internationals Alessandro Fusco at scrumhalf, Jacopo Trulla on the wing, and Giovanni Licata in the backrow. Argentine prop Enrique Pieretto anchors the scrum. Manager Michael Bradley will likely go strong given this is a knockout game — Zebre's best chance of silverware this season.
Section Paloise XV
Lineups not yet announced. Section Paloise boast serious international firepower — Argentine hooker Julián Montoya and No. 8 Facundo Isa, Georgian flanker Beka Gorgadze, New Zealand lock Luke Whitelock, and English scrumhalf Dan Robson. Fly-half Joe Simmonds orchestrates the attack, while Australian Jack Maddocks and French youngster Théo Attissogbé provide pace out wide. Manager Sébastien Piqueronies may rotate given Pau's Top 14 title push, but the squad depth is formidable.
Key Matchups
The matchups are lopsided across the board. Pau's pack — anchored by Montoya, Isa, and Gorgadze — brings international pedigree that Zebre simply can't match. The Simmonds/Robson halfback pairing offers far more control and creativity than anything Zebre can field. Zebre's best hope is set-piece disruption and capitalising on any rotation Piqueronies makes, but even a second-string Pau side would be favoured in most areas. The back three is where Zebre might find joy — Trulla is dangerous in broken play — but they'll need possession to exploit it, and Pau's backrow will make that difficult.
Match Forecast
The quality gap here is significant. Section Paloise are 2nd in the Top 14 — a league of far greater depth and physicality than the URC — while Zebre are dead last in theirs with just 2 wins from 14. Pau's international-laden pack, featuring Montoya, Isa, and Gorgadze, should dominate Zebre's forward battle, and the Simmonds-Robson halfback axis offers a level of game management that Zebre's young playmakers can't match. The scorecard (-18 net) puts this firmly in strong-favourite territory for the visitors.
Zebre's Challenge Cup pool form — 3 wins from 4 — offers a sliver of hope, and the Lanfranchi in Parma can generate a fiesty atmosphere when Zebre are competitive. The 28–27 scoreline when these sides last met in January 2024 proves Zebre can push Pau close. But that was in Pau, and this Pau side is significantly improved — they've beaten Toulouse and Bordeaux-Bègles this season. If Piqueronies rotates heavily for Top 14 priorities, the margin could tighten, but Pau's bench depth makes even their second string formidable. Zebre would need a near-perfect performance and Pau to be badly distracted to pull off an upset.
Section Paloise advance comfortably — Zebre's Challenge Cup run ends in the Round of 16.