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Top 14, r4: Giant-slayers Montpellier down Toulouse; Wilko kicks Toulon to gritty win

01 September 2010

Stade Francais winger Ollie Phillips
Double trouble: Stade Francais
winger Ollie Phillips scored twice
Photo: Michael Paler

Wednesday 01 Sept      
Montpellier 22 Stade Toulousain 21
Bayonne 19 Brive 18
Perpignan 17 Biarritz 12
La Rochelle 13 Toulon 15
Stade Francais 40 Castres 34
Bourgoin 22 SU Agen 15
Racing-Métro 92 28 Clermont Auvergne 17

Top 14 League Table

Stade Toulousain youngster Nicolas Bézy failed to convert his own last-minute try, allowing giant-killers Montpellier to complete a memorable win double.

Bézy's miss left Fabien Galthié's side narrow 22-21 winners at the Stade Yves du Manoir as they followed up Saturday's shock 16-6 away victory at Perpignan, and in the process strengthened their own top six standing.

Stade Toulousain v Stade Francais Picture Gallery By Cleva Media

Their latest victory was just reward for another confident performance as they failed to panic after Vilimone Delasau's try helped the visitors into a 9-16 half-time lead against the run of play Twenty-one-year-old fly-half Bézy converted that effort, to go along with three earlier penalties as pre-match league leaders Toulouse proved clinical in attack.

But three penalties from Argentine Martin Bustos Moyana kept Montpellier afloat, and the utility back - playing at scrum-half tonight - was then the key figure as the hosts rallied after the break.

The 25-year-old kicked his fourth penalty success on 45 minutes and then broke through for a try two minutes later, which he also subsequently converted. His fifth penalty on 51 minutes then put Montpellier 22-16 ahead, setting up the dramatic finale when Bézy, cruelly, squandered the chance to snatch it for Toulouse with the last kick of the match.

  Leading try and point-scorers in Top 14

Elsewhere, England international Jonny Wilkinson kicked all 15 points as Toulon edged to a narrow 13-15 away win at La Rochelle, while Ollie Phillips and Sergio Parisse score two tries apiece as Stade Francais beat Castres 40-34 in an entertaining match at the Stade Charléty.

Dimitri Yachvili kicked three first-half penalties to put Biarritz 7-9 up away to Perpignan before the Catalans rallied through a second-half try from hooker Guilhem Guirado, eventually winning 17-12 against the Heineken Cup runners-up. This latest defeat was Biarritz's third in succession.

On a night of close matches Bayonne recovered from 0-12 at home to Brive to win 19-18 after Mathieu Belie and Jamie Noon had both touched down for the visitors in the opening 10 minutes.

Julien Audy's 14th-minute response began the Bayonne fight-back, and the former Montauban scrum-half converted his own try before adding four more penalties to seal the narrow win.

And it was party time for Bourgoin after they held off SU Agen to win 22-15 and register their first points of the season. They even managed their first try of the season as well, with number eight Tim Cowley going over in the 25th minute.

Read More...

 

Top 14: Brive sign Argentine scrum-half Figuerola; Caucau 'not missed'

30 August 2010

Paul Dearlove's exclusive column: Rugby is dying... in Australia at least

By Paul Dearlove, 30 August 2010

 

Brive scrum-half Shaun Perry
Brive's Shaun Perry
© Diarmid Courreges

Brive have moved to cover the loss of injured scrum-half Jean-Baptiste Péjoine by signing Argentine international Agustin Figuerola.

Péjoine's expected six month absence - due to ruptured cruciate ligaments - combined with a calf injury to former England international Shaun Perry, has meant that youngster Mathieu Belie has started their last two games at No 9. But Brive have now signed the 25-year-old Figuerola on a one-year contract with an option for another.

Top 14 League Table

The seven-time capped international joins from Club Atletico de San Isidrio (CASI) and has the dual attraction of being able to play at fly-half too.

Another team on the lookout for a 'medical joker' is Stade Toulousain, following the serious double leg fracture suffered in training by Yann David.

The highly-rated former Bourgoin centre is likely to be out for at least six months after breaking his tibia and fibula, leaving Stade scouting around for a ready-made replacement in what is bound to be another demanding season.

Another player looking at a lengthy spell on the sidelines is Clermont Auvergne hooker Willie Wepener.

The South African injured his left hand after coming on as a late substitute against Brive at the weekend and now looks set to be out of action for up to three months.

Leading try and point-scorers in Top 14

Elsewhere, it's the non-appearance of Fijian winger Rupeni Caucaunibuca which has continued to upset players and coaches at Top 14 newcomers SU Agen. The veteran international has made a habit of late appearances at the season's start, but his tardiness this year has truly irked his current club.

Agen managed their first win of the season at the weekend - beating Biarritz - and it appears that the squad is united in moving forward without their Fijian flyer. "He is not mentioned," admitted flanker Jean Monribot. "To me he is no longer part of the squad. It is built without him," he added.

'Caucau' was the top try-scorer in ProD2 last season, but it seems that even his dazzling on-field feats can't get him out of the soup this time around.

The LNR, meanwhile, is likely to cite Stade Francais' Juan Manuel Leguizamon this week after viewing television pictures of an alleged incident of eye-gouging during Saturday's loss at Stade Toulousain.

Top 14 Fixtures

On a happier note Castres full-back Romain Teulet has spoken of his joy and pride after passing 2,000 for the club in their Saturday win against Bayonne.

"At the time I had no particular emotion because I wanted to stay focused on the game. It was only in the changing room that I realized what I had done," admitted 'Robocop'.

Out-of-contract hooker Jawad Djoudi is set to sign for Fédérale 1 outfit Nice. The former Toulon 34-year-old should finalize terms later this week, in time to make his Nice debut in the season opener on September 12th.

Read More...

Pau captain Paul Dearlove in action
What future for
rugby union in Oz? 

In the latest of his exclusive columns for FRC, Pau captain Paul Dearlove reflects on the diminishing health of rugby union in Australia as it struggles to compete with Aussies Rules, Rugby League and Football...

Having just got back from a holiday back home it is interesting to see the stark contrast in the health of rugby union in Australia and France. What struck me is that rugby in Australia is dying while in France it appears to be going from strength to strength.

For those of you not familiar with the complexities of Australian sport, “dying” may sound like typical journalistic hyperbole, someone trying to whip up interest in an issue and generate headlines. But I assure you that it is not. 

Read More...

Other News

Picture Gallery: Stade Toulousain v Stade Francais - By Cleva Media

Joe (El-Abd) Blogs: Captaining Toulon was an honour, but winning was all

Paul Dearlove column: Age shall not weary them - The value of experience, III

Feature: All about getting SEEN - Sackey's quest for an England recall

Jonny Wilkinson: "I'm enjoying just playing again, like my younger days"

Jamie Noon interview: Moving to Brive has been absolutely brilliant

James Haskell interview: I've grown up as a person and am a better player

Top 14, r4 preview - Racing out for revenge against Clermont; SF bring back the big guns

ProD2, r1: Newcomers Carcassonne win at Auch; Narbonne edge Tarbes

Top 14, r3: Dominant Toulouse go top; Montpellier stun Perpignan

Top 14, r3: Toulon tumble at home again after three-try Racing outscore Jonny Wilkinson

Top 14, r3 preview - When two Stades go to war... Toulouse prepare for Parisian threat

Top 14: Confusion at Biarritz over Gonzalez; Hernández set for debut

Top 14, R2 review: Brit-pack give Toulon first win in Biarritz for 29 yrs

 

 

 

 
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