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05 January 2009
 The start of a New Year usually heralds the
opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start
afresh, but several players will be cursing their
luck after Round 14 of France’s premier rugby
competition brought a catalogue of injuries.
No fewer than four players broke their noses and
there were also serious knee injuries for Castres’
English centre Phil Christophers and Brive’s
Uruguayan prop Pablo Henn.
Christophers was stretchered off during his team’s
13-13 away draw at Bayonne, and his season now looks
over after confirmation that he ruptured the
internal lateral ligament of his left knee.
Further tests this week could further confirm the
suspicion that his anterior cruciate ligament was
also damaged, leading to a lengthy recuperation for
the three-times capped 27-year-old.
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By Colin Spiro, 05 January 2009
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All Smiles - Dan Carter |
Rugby clubs across the globe may be feeling the affects
of the economic downturn but it appears ‘Le credit
crunch’ could work to Top 14’s favour if weekend reports
are to be believed.
The
French open market system, with its lack of salary caps,
has already proved too tempting for the likes of Dan
Carter and Jerry Collins, but now it looks as if the
fiscal pressures being imposed in Great Britain could
spawn another surge of foreign imports.
French sports minister Bernard Laporte may not like the
idea – he told Mid-Olympique today that he wants to
limit the number of ‘les etrangers’ in Top 14 – but
that’s not going to stop clubs trying to recruit
high-profile players who will add both kudos and
marketing ability, in addition to playing strength.
And
it’s not hard to see why. Monday’s papers were full of
the exploits of Clermont’s Fijian winger Napolioni
Nalaga after he scored four tries against Toulon, while
the Sunday evening clash between Brive and Perpignan was
pared down to a two-man duel that saw Carter overshadow
his English rival Andy Goode – who is still the leading
points-scorer in Top 14.
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03 January 2009
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Toulouse 34 |
Montpellier 0 |
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Bayonne 13 |
Castres 13 |
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Stade Francais 56 |
Dax
15 |
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Clermont 32 |
Toulon 5 |
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Mont-de-Marsan 16 |
Montauban 13 |
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Bourgoin 15 |
Biarritz 14 |
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Brive |
Perpignan (Sun) |
The top two
of Toulouse and Stade Francais both recorded resounding home
wins to start the New Year, but the real story of round 14
was at the other end of the table.
Basement
club Mont-de-Marsan beat Montauban 16-13 to record their
third successive home win, while troubled Toulon slumped to
yet another thumping – this time 32-5 away to Clermont, for
whom Napolioni Nalaga scored an incredible four tries.
Those two
results, combined with Castres’ draw at Bayonne on Friday
night (see
report) and Bourgoin’s 15-14 home win against
sliding Biarritz, left just seven points separating the
bottom six clubs as the battle to avoid relegation sizzled
in the winter sun.
Mont-de-Marsan’s
deserved defeat of Montauban was arguably the pick of
the results with the league’s bottom team continuing their
recent revival as their fight for Top 14 survival gathered
increasing momentum.
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03 January 2009
Bayonne’s home draw with Castres (see
report) was overshadowed by the death of
Basque singer Michel “Mixu” Mixelena on Friday night.
The
former leader of Sustraia suffered a heart attack minutes
before the start of the game as he returned to sit with his
wife and children in the stands after parading on the pitch
with Pottok, the club mascot.
Emergency services worked to revive Mixelena for more than
an hour but the singer was subsequently pronounced dead.
Meanwhile, Danny Cipriani, the hottest property in
English rugby, could be heading to France next season
because his wage demands are proving too high for Guinness
Premiership clubs.
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02 January 2009
Bayonne 13 (7) Castres 13 (13)
A brace
of late penalty misses cost Bayonne dearly as they were held
13-13 at home to lowly Castres.
Replacement fly-half Manny Edmonds was the culprit, spurning
two long-distance efforts in the closing 11 minutes, but at
least Bayonne held on to their unbeaten home record - a
situation that looked doubtful as they headed for the
half-time break 7-13 down.
But a
spirited second-half performance at least saw them draw
level after the entire front row was replaced four minutes
after the restart.
Edmonds
- who came on earlier for the injured Daniel Larrachea -
initiated the fight back with his 53rd-minute penalty, and
centre Craig Gower ensured parity when he landed a drop-goal
four minutes later.
At that
point the force was very much with the home side, but
Castres dug deep to hold on for a draw that could prove
crucial in their ongoing fight against relegation.
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01 January 2009
So, the
run-in starts here. New Year, new hopes, same old story at
the top and bottom of the league. Toulouse, as one would
expect, head Top 14 with a three-point cushion over nearest
rivals Stade Francais, while Mont-de-Marsan bring up the
rear having won just three out of 13 games so far this
season.
That
much was predictable, but in between there’s been a
catalogue of surprises with the Basque clubs Biarritz and
Bayonne featuring heavily for contrasting reasons.
Bayonne
have far exceeded expectations to turn around for the second
half of the season in fourth, while Biarritz and have so
woefully underperformed that they have now been dragged into
an unforeseen relegation battle on the back of five
successive league defeats. This week they travel to Bourgoin
for a must-win match that could define the rest of the
season for both clubs.
The
plight of Castres has been the other major story of the
season, with the team that finished fifth last year now
staring at the very real possibility of dropping down to Pro
D2.
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29 December 2008
 The
International Rugby Board (IRB) has been dragged
into the ongoing Marius Tincu affair after his club
Perpignan allowed the Romanian hooker to play
against Castres last week.
The
Catalans included Tincu for the Top 14 match despite the
player being suspended until March 9 by an earlier
disciplinary committee of the ERC. That 18-week ban stemmed
from an alleged eye-gouging offence against the Ospreys in a
Heineken Cup clash in October.
The
original punishment was upheld on appeal and Tincu was
subsequently sidelined from all rugby, with France’s Ligue
Nationale de Rugby (LNR) confirming the ban included Top 14
matches.
However,
Perpignan have backed their player’s claims of innocence
throughout and even threatened to withdraw from the Heineken
Cup over the matter. They say Tincu was punished without
concrete evidence and vowed to pursue the case through the
civil courts if necessary.
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29 December 2008
French
international Sebastien Chabal says he is still unsure which
Top 14 club he will play for when he returns home at the end
of this season.
The
talismanic forward, known as “Seabass”, is heading back to
France after four years with the Sale Sharks in England,
with Montpellier being tipped as his likely destination.
The
ambitious Top 14 club are apparently close to signing
Chabal’s international second-row colleague (and captain)
Lionel Nallet from Castres, and have been further boosted by
young stars Louis Picamoles, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Francois
Trinh-Duc and Julien Tomas all signing contract extensions.
But
Chabal has spoken in the past of wishing to continue working
with Philippe Saint-Andre, the Sharks’ French coach who has
also confirmed he will be heading back to France at the end
of the season.
Speculation in the press has linked Saint-Andre heavily with
Toulon, where current incumbent Tana Umaga is struggling
with an ongoing battle against relegation.
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21 December 2008
 Leaders
Racing Metro ’92 enjoyed a profitable weekend before
the Christmas break as they won away to bottom club
Bourg-en-Bresse, while nearest challengers Aurillac went
down at FC Auch Gers.
But the
ambitious Paris club didn’t have it all their own way and
had to fight back from 10-0 down after 21 minutes following
a penalty try and five points from the boot of Eadie.
South
African Greg Goosen eventually got them on the board with a
26th-minute penalty and Racing were back on level
terms following Argentine Alvaro Galindo’s try just before
the interval.
Goosen
added the conversion, and was successful again later on when
the visitors were awarded a penalty try of their own in the
62nd minute. It proved the game’s decisive score
and enabled the promotion wannabes to stretch their Pro D2
lead to seven points.
Bourg,
meanwhile, were at least able to take the satisfaction of a
defensive bonus point for their valiant efforts as they
closed the gap on 15th-placed Beziers.
Read More...
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20 December 2008
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Toulouse 27 |
Mont-de-Marsan 6 |
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Brive 20 |
Bourgoin 12 |
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Montpellier 33 |
Toulon 8 |
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Perpignan 16 |
Castres 9 |
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Stade Francais 35 |
Bayonne 8 |
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Dax
16 |
Clermont 20 |
Toulouse
and Stade Francais both registered bonus-point victories as
the Top 14 drew to a close for 2008 at the halfway point in
the season.
Defending champions Toulouse ran in four tries to
ensure they end the year in top spot as they predictably
overwhelmed basement club Mont-de-Marsan 27-6.
Their
all-star back line proved too strong for the battling
visitors with Florian Fritz, Maxime Medard, Yannick Jauzion
and Clement Poitrenaud all getting on the scoresheet. But
the biggest cheers of the afternoon were reserved for
returning hero Vincent Clerc as the international winger
made his long-awaited playing comeback at the Stade Ernest
Wallon.
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20 December 2008
Dax
16 (10) Clermont 20 (10)
Aurelian
Rougerie’s last-minute try – his second of the game – earned
Clermont a rare away win as they triumphed 20-16 against
valiant Dax at the Stade Maurice Boyau.
The
victory was only their second in seven attempts on the road
this campaign – their first since beating Bourgoin on
October 4 – and it consolidated Les Jaunards in fifth place
at the halfway point of the season.
It was
the perfect antidote for Vern Cotter’s men after last week’s
Irish heartbreak in Munster, with returning captain Rougerie
stealing the headlines with his two-try display.
And yet
it could so easily have been Dax who were celebrating after
another battling performance that confirmed them as a class
above current relegations strugglers such as Mont-de-Marsan,
Castres and Toulon.
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20 December
2008
In
a landmark ruling for French sport Perpignan’s
Marius Tincu has had his domestic 18-week ban
overturned by the Comite National Olympique et
Sportif Francais (CNOSF).
The
Romanian hooker was originally handed the lengthy ban by the
European Rugby Cup (ERC) after being found guilty of eye
gouging in the Heineken Cup match against the Ospreys on
October 18.
Despite
a plea of innocence, and threats by Perpignan to pull out of
the competition, his appeal was subsequently dismissed and
the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) promptly extended it to
cover all Top 14 games as well.
The
Catalans final roll of the dice was a further appeal, this
time to the CNOSF, France’s top sporting body, on the
grounds that a ban in a European club competition should not
apply to domestic league games as well.
The
CNOSF ruled in Tincu’s favour and on Friday the LNR accepted
their ruling and allowed the hooker to resume playing duties
in the Top 14 with immediate effect.
Read More... |
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19 December 2008
It’s
back to Top 14 action this weekend for the final
round of games this year before players take a
two-week break for Christmas, and there are plenty
of enticing clashes to get the festive juices
flowing.
Second-placed Stade Francais against fourth-placed Bayonne
looks the pick of the bunch, but there’s also Dan Carter’s
home league debut as Perpignan entertain relegation
threatened Castres at the Stade Aime Giral.
Elsewhere, it’s top versus bottom as Toulouse host
Mont-de-Marsan, while underperforming Biarritz could slip to
a seventh successive defeat when they travel to Montauban.
In-form
Brive host lowly Bourgoin and there’s also the third
consecutive meeting between Montpellier and Toulon as the
league season reaches its halfway stage.
Certainly beats Christmas shopping!
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18 December 2008
Former
All Black centre Luke McAlister is reported to have
been offered a mega-bucks deal to join Top 14 side
Toulon next season, perhaps alongside Sale
colleagues Sebastien Chabal and head coach Philippe
Saint-Andre.
Chabal and Saint-Andre have already confirmed they
will be leaving the Manchester club to return to
France next season – with Toulon seen as their most
likely destination – and now it is being reported
that McAlister has been offered $1.5m per season to
join them.
The highly talented Kiwi had been expected to return
to New Zealand at the end of his two-year contract
with the Guinness Premiership side (in mid 2009),
but the lure of the Euro could now see him end up in
France.
That would effectively end his hopes of returning to
the All Black fold for the 2011 World Cup, hosted by
New Zealand.
His father and manager Charlie McAlister was
allegedly spotted in the south of France last week,
and Sale’s incoming coach Kingsley Jones admitted
that his star player was now being openly courted by
Top 14 clubs.
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18 December 2008
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Primordial passions |
In the third of his exclusive
weekly columns for FRC, Pau captain Paul Dearlove
looks ahead to the weekend home derby with Pro D2 neighbours
Tarbes. Victory for Pau would have the double benefit of
securing local bragging rights and a possible climb to
fourth spot.
The weekend before Christmas is
traditionally a weekend for derby games in France.
My first experience of this derby match rivalry was
my first game in France. Section Paloise v Bayonne,
an inter ‘64’ (the same département des
Pyreenees-Atlantique) derby. It
also happened to be between two relegation battlers.
I have never experienced such
noise and enthusiasm. Brass bands and singing in the
stands. Every point scored or referee decision was
met with roars of approval or derision.
Thankfully we won, which also led
to my first experience of French drinking. I can
assure readers that neither the drinking nor the
hangover is any different because you are drinking
in a foreign language.
When French locals talk about the
derby match, there is a history there that is tough
for a foreigner like me to understand. Some sports
have rivalry based on religion (my time in Glasgow
exposed me to the craziness that is Celtic v Rangers
football derby) or national pride (think of the
Ashes or the Springboks v the All Blacks).
But rugby in France reveals a
peculiar regional passion. Towns that are only 20 or
30 kilometres apart (especially those within the
same “départements”) can
have intense rivalries, often leading to violence on
the pitch and occasionally in the stands. The
closest I have seen to this exists in British
football where, like in French rugby, games ignite
passions that can only be described as primordial.
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17 December
2008
Former Springbok coach Jake White has completed his
consultancy role at Toulon a week earlier than
expected.
White had been due to work with the Top 14
strugglers for more than two weeks, but departed
after their weekend victory over Montpellier in the
European Challenge Cup.
The highly esteemed coach did, however, stay long
enough to make a raft of suggested changes,
including trimming the playing squad, upgrading the
club’s training facilities and initiating a South
African scouting programme – which he would
facilitate, of course.
“He saw what he needed to see and said what he
needed to say,” said Toulon president Mourad
Boudjellal. “He explained a lot of things to me and
might be back,” he added in an interview with
Var-Matin.
Former Toulon player Anton Oliver recently admitted
that the club’s infrastructure and training
facilities were completely inadequate, and it seems
White drew the same conclusions after his brief
stay.
“Our training centre is not worthy of a club in Top
14,” admitted Boudjellal. “It’s not in line with the
ambitions I have for this club. Refurbishment has
been planned but we’re waiting.”
Boudjellal also confirmed that White had told him to
reduce the playing squad.
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16 December 2008
Top 14 leaders Toulouse had mixed news ahead of
Saturday’s clash with basement club Mont-de-Marsan.
The in-form defending champions will have to make do
without David Skrela for up to a month after an MRI
scan confirmed the international fly-half had torn a
thigh muscle.
Frustratingly for Skrela it is a repeat of the
injury he sustained while playing for France against
Australia in November. He was only eight minutes
into his comeback – against Newport Gwent Dragons on
Saturday – when he had to be replaced.
Skrela’s absence, combined with a holiday for Byron
Kelleher and an injury to Jean-Baptiste Ellisalde,
means that Freddie Michalak is being lined up to
play scrum-half at the weekend, with South Africa
Gaffie Du Toit stepping in to the fly-half role.
But on a more positive note long-term absentee
Vincent Clerc came through the latest stage of his
comeback unscathed at the weekend and could be
included in the squad to face Les Montois.
The international winger has been absent since March
following torn knee ligaments, but managed nearly an
hour for the Toulouse Espoirs at the weekend.
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15 December 2008
A
try in each half by Fijian wing Sireli Bobo got Racing
Metro back to winning ways as they overcame Union
Bordeaux-Begles 22-6 to retain top spot in Pro D2.
The Paris side were also awarded a 39th-minute
penalty try as they picked up a crucial bonus point.
South African Greg Goosen was successful with two
out of three conversions, added to an earlier
penalty, with Union’s points all coming from the
boot of Saubusse, courtesy of three first-half
penalties.
Racing now have a four point advantage over their
nearest rivals after SU Agen continued their
march up the table and overcame second-placed
Aurillac 20-16 with an excellent away win.
Graydon Staniforth gave the home side an early lead
with his second-minute drop goal before Delkeith
Pottas and Francois Gelez exchanged penalties to
leave Aurillac 6-3 to the good.
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15 December
2008
All Black fly-half Dan Carter kicked 16 points on
his debut to help guide Perpignan to a 26-20 home
win against Leicester Tigers.
The Kiwi No 10 kicked two conversions and four
penalties on his first outing at the Stade Aime
Giral, and afterwards admitted he had felt so
nervous it was like being back at his first day at
school.
Carter missed with a penalty attempt either
side of half time, but centre Gerrie Britz scored
two tries to ensure that Perpignan kept alive their
slim quarter-final hopes. They are still third in
Pool 3, six points behind both Leicester and the
Ospreys (their next opponents).
“The fact we won the game is really good,” admitted
a relieved Carter. “But there are still a lot of
important games to come. I cannot ease up. I must
keep learning and improving,” he said.
But he was clearly thrilled to have got off to a
winning start, and to begin paying back part of the
£30,000 per game investment the Catalans have made
in him.
“To have come and beat a team of the quality of
Leicester in my first game in Europe was a great
start,” he said.
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14 December
2008
An
afternoon and evening of high drama in the Heineken
Cup saw Toulouse and Montauban both register wins,
while Clermont, Biarritz and Stade Francais all fell
to narrow defeats – the latter with the final kick
of another absorbing match.
The Paris club appeared set to avenge last week’s
home defeat against Harlequins in Pool 4 when they
led the Londoners 17-16 deep into time added on,
only for Kiwi fly half Nick Evans to make two breaks
in a 29-phase play before slotting a scuffed
drop-goal to send The Stoop into wild celebration.
It was harsh on the Stade Francais players, who had
given their all in the rain and mud, and now leaves
the capital’s giants with a mighty struggle to
qualify for the quarter-final stages.
It was another backs-to-the-wall performance from
Harlequins and spoke volumes of their depths of
belief and resilience, especially after a dominant
Stade Francais had opened an 11-3 advantage after
just 10 minutes.
Evans and Stade scrum-half Falie Oelschig exchanged
early penalties, before the latter went over for the
opening try when he fully capitalised on Will
Skinner’s missed tackle from the back of a five
metre scrum.
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13 December
2008
Castres 18 (9) Leinster 15 (12)
Castres
stunned group leaders Leinster with a surprise 18-15
win, with Anthony Lagardere’s six penalties
accounting for all their points.
The Irish side had gone into the match with three
wins from three in Pool two, and confident of
another victory after last week’s 33-3 trouncing,
but were left to rue a hatful of missed
opportunities as they came unstuck against the Top
14 strugglers.
For Castres it was the perfect end to a troubled
week after confirmation their coaches would be
departing at the end of the season, together with
club captain and talisman Lionel Nallet – bound for
Montpellier apparently.
But if the sparse home crowd believed Nallet’s
commitment would be diminished they were in for a
pleasant surprise as the French captain put in
another huge performance to lift his charges to
their maiden Heineken Cup win of the season.
And yet it had all started so differently at the
Stade Pierre Antoine, with Leinster dominating early
possession and scoring a seemingly inevitable try
after just five minutes when Gavin Dempsey touched
down after a Brian O’Driscoll grubber kick.
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By Colin Spiro, 12 December
2008
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Ben Cohen: French connection
© Diarmid Courreges |
Ben Cohen talks to FRC about his move to Brive and
how having twins has changed his perspective on
life.
"I genuinely do think that French
rugby is behind – not necessarily on the pitch,
because they can go and beat anyone of their given
day – but I think behind the scenes they are" - Ben
Cohen
England World Cup winner Ben Cohen says he has no
regrets about joining French Top 14 side Brive,
where he is currently plying his trade with fellow
Brits Andy Goode, Steve Thompson and Barry Davies.
The 30-year-old
winger would love to still be playing for his
country but is resigned to life on the international
hard shoulder after deciding to up sticks and move
to France in 2007.
Up until then
Cohen had been a one-team man, racing in for more
than 100 tries for his beloved Northampton Saints
before the relationship broke down when he was
overlooked for the captaincy.
A brief break from
the game was followed by his transfer to Top 14 side
Brive - or
Club
Athlétique Brive Corrèze Limousin to give it its
full name -
with whom he is now enjoying his second season as
they fight for Heineken Cup qualification.
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12 December
2008
Clermont’s
hopes of causing an upset in Munster have been dealt
a severe blow with confirmation that captain
Aurélien Rougerie has been ruled out with a jaw
injury.
The inspirational winger was outstanding as ‘Les
Jaunards’ beat the defending champions 25-19 at home
last week, but his absence from Thomond Park is a
major set back.
Prop Thomas Domingo will also miss Saturday’s Pool 1
clash, while Munster are expected to recall fit
again hooker Jerry Flannery in the only change to
their side.
Centre Barry Murphy has recovered from a back strain
that saw him miss midweek training.
Meanwhile, Dax were thumped 59-7 by London
Irish in last night’s Pool one match in the
European Challenge Cup.
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11 December
2008
Marius
Tincu’s 18-week ban has been officially extended by
the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) to include Top 14
matches.
Perpignan’s Romanian hooker was originally slapped
with the lengthy ban by ERC – which oversees
European club competitions – after an alleged
eye-gouging incident on October 10 against the
Ospreys prop Paul James in the Heineken Cup.
The French club defended its player and said it was
outraged by the length of the ban, even threatening
to withdraw from the competition when it was first
handed down. It subsequently lost an appeal to the
ERC and had been pinning its hopes on the LNR ruling
in Tincu’s favour.
Read More... |
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11 December 2008
Dan
Carter’s eagerly awaited debut may be stealing the
headlines this week but there are six other French
teams in Heineken Cup action before Perpignan
entertain Leicester Tigers at the Stade Aime Giral
on Sunday afternoon.
Last week’s results were largely disappointing for
Top 14 sides but Toulouse (who beat Newport Gwent
Dragons), Clermont (who beat champions Munster),
Stade Francais (who lost at home to Harlequins) and
Biarritz (who lost narrowly to Cardiff Blues) are
all still capable of qualifying for the
quarter-finals.
Another win for Toulouse would make it four from
four in Pool 5 and continue their 11-match winning
streak, but Clermont and Stade Francais both travel
more in hope than expectation.
As for Perpignan, nothing but a win against
Leicester Tigers would suffice – although given
their investment in Carter it will be intriguing to
see how the All Blacks’ No 10 settles in to his new
role with the Catalans.
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11 December 2008
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Spiritual calling? |
In this player’s opinion,
referees are a lot like proctologists. They are a
necessary part of the system but inevitably a pain
in the ….
Jokes aside, I am not going to
criticise (too much) what I realise is mostly a
thankless task. The problem is the overly
complicated laws and the range of interpretation
when they are applied.
It seems to me that the lawmakers
and the referees who interpret these laws have
forgotten that rugby, to survive and prosper, must
be a spectacle. Simply put, rugby is a business. It
sells a product, competes for sponsorship and
lucrative TV deals in an increasingly crowded
international market. There are even some who claim
the semi finals and final of Rugby World Cup 2007
were boring. I happen to disagree; I thought the
final was one of the most physically intense games
of rugby I’ve ever seen, but I can see their point.
And these matches were our showpieces – our greatest
marketing opportunities.
For a non rugby person, our sport
can be bewildering, and even ardent fans (and
players) are occasionally left scratching their
heads. However this is only half the problem. When
the game is stopped (and if we are honest this is
often) it denies the players the opportunity to
expose a fatiguing opposition - thereby reducing the
number of tries - and any tension that had been
building is broken.
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10 December 2008
The waiting is almost over following confirmation
that All Black fly-half Dan Carter will definitely
make his Perpignan debut in Sunday’s crucial home
clash with Leicester Tigers in the Heineken Cup.
The 26-year-old has only partaken of one training
session with the Catalans so far but anything bar a
weekend win at the Stade Aime Giral would
effectively end their dreams of European glory this
season.
Club president Paul Goze admitted as much when he
told the press that Carter would definitely start.
“With us being three matches from the end of the
pool stages we are not masters of our destiny now.
We are going all out to beat Leicester and have no
regrets,” he said.
However, costly defeats to the Ospreys and away to
Leicester may have already put the Heineken Cup out
of reach, leaving Goze to accept the Top 14 play-off
title may be the more realistic target for Perpignan
this season.
“USAP are a good team but one which, until now, has
never been able to make that step up. With Carter,
we have the possibility of doing that. He can lead
us to the French championship, which we have been
waiting for for 54 years,” he added.
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10 December 2008
Former
Springbok coach Jake White has acknowledged he’s got
his work cut out at Toulon after starting his
three-week consultancy stint with the Top 14
strugglers.
White, who has been called in to work alongside head
coach Tana Umaga, admitted he didn’t see much to
smile about when watching the club’s 14-10 European
Challenge Cup defeat in Montpellier.
“The scrum and defence was okay, but the lineout was
very poor and the kicking game only average,” he
told AFP.
Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal got White on
board in an advisory role after a string of
disappointing results saw the Top 14 newcomers edge
ever nearer the relegation zone.
The outspoken president is desperate to ensure his
massive player investment is not wasted with a swift
return to Pro D2.
Read More... |
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09 December 2008
|
Skeate: Eye on the ball
© RossSkeate.com 2008 |
"Structured
rugby has its place, but I wanted to be in the French league
that was full of flair and running sort of rugby" - Ross
Skeate
At 6ft 7ins Ross Skeate is used to making a big
impression, but Toulon’s new South African lock is
hoping that it’s his game – not just his frame –
that sets tongues wagging in Top 14.
The 26-year-old joined Toulon from Western Province
last month and said he is already relishing the
change of continents and rugby styles as he begins
to settle in to life in the south of France.
“They are a great bunch of guys and when I arrived
they were really easy to get along with and people
like Jerry Collins – who I played with for the
Barbarians – have really helped me find my feet. We
are a very tight squad,” said the imposing second
row.
But how did a talented South African - capped at
school, under-19 and under-21 level – come to ply
his trade down in the harbour town of Toulon?
“Basically I found myself in a position where I
didn’t want to be, playing-wise and career-wise, and
I thought something fresh would challenge me. I
needed a new obstacle and to experience a new way of
doing things,” he explained.
“That was really the major reason for my decision –
that I needed a fresh challenge and I needed to get
better as a player. I wasn’t getting enough game
time (in South Africa) so I decided to come out here
and face a new challenge.”
Read More... |
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08 December 2008
Relegation-threatened Castres are facing a player
exodus if reports in Midi Olympique are to be
believed, with French captain Lionel Nallet and
international scrum-half Sebastien Tillous-Borde
both wanting away.
Thirty-two-year-old Nallet, who has 42 caps for the
national team, is apparently in talks with
Montpellier – together with Sale’s Sebastien Chabal
– while Tillous-Borde (23) is soon expected to
confirm a switch to Brive.
The double loss
will only be partially compensated by the signing of
Montauban coaching duo Laurent Labit and Laurent
Travers.
In a further
blow to the club - which is currently 13th in Top 14
- it was also confirmed that fly-half Cameron
McIntyre sustained a double fracture of the jaw in
their 33-3 Heineken Cup defeat at Leinster.
The Kiwi
fly-half is now expected to be out of action for at
least two months.
Elsewhere, it
appears that
Bayonne’s audacious bid
to lure Australia fly-half Matt Giteau will
end in failure.
Read More... |
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07 December 2008
Racing
Metro ’92 reclaimed the Pro D2 lead on Sunday as the
top three sides all lost in the latest round of
league matches.
The ambitious Paris club snuck back into pole
position courtesy of their losing bonus point at FC
Auch Gers, something that proved beyond the
pre-weekend leaders Aurillac as they tumbled
at relegation-threatened Beziers.
Beziers’
surprise 25-16 win was undoubtedly the shock result
of the weekend as they registered only their third
success of a disappointing campaign.
The home side were already six points to the good –
courtesy of two Thomas Pochelu penalties – when
Jonathan Bousquet went over for an 11th-minute
try.
Pochelu kicked the extras to leave the stunned
visitors 13-0 down, and the fly-half added two more
penalties to ensure the hosts maintained half-time
superiority.
Read More... |
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07 December 2008
Clermont
Auvergne put a smile back on the face of French
rugby when they beat reigning Heineken Cup champions
Munster 25-19 at the Stade Marcel Michelin on Sunday
afternoon.
Brock James was
the Clermont hero, scoring all 25 points in the
crucial Pool 1 encounter as Les Jaunards repeated
last year’s group win over the Munster. The
Australian fly half kicked six penalties and ran in
a second-half try as the Top 14 outfit rallied from
16-9 down just before half-time.
James and his
Irish counterpart Ronan O’Gara traded two penalties
apiece in the opening skirmishes before Munster
hooker Marcus Horan crashed over for the game’s
first try on 25 minutes.
O’Gara converted
from the corner to give the visitors a seven-point
cushion before a pair of James penalties either side
of the interval reduced that back down to one.
Then, seven
minutes into the second half, James made the game’s
telling play, beating two tackles to touch down for
the hosts as they regained the lead.
Read More... |
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06 December 2008
Three times
champions Stade Toulouse were France’s only winners
on a miserable day for Top 14 sides in both the
Heineken Cup and the European Challenge Cup.
Last year’s
runners-up turned on the style to dispatch Newport
Gwent Dragons 26-7, but there were defeats for
Castres, Perpignan and Stade Francais – the latter
in front of a Heineken Cup record crowd of 76,569.
But while
Castres and Perpignan were expected to lose - away
to Leinster and Leicester Tigers respectively –
Stade Francais’ 15-10 defeat to Harlequins was a
hammer blow to the Paris club’s European
aspirations.
Ewen McKenzie’s
side started brightly enough - twice being denied an
opening try by television replays in the first five
minutes – but their momentum ran dry once Quins had
weathered the initial storm.
The huge crowd
had been royally entertained with the pre-match
razzmatazz, but it was the English visitors who were
sitting pretty (though not in pink) as tries from
Tom Williams and Jordan Turner-Hall saw them open up
a 12-0 lead after 25 minutes.
Read More... |
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06 December 2008
Biarritz
outscored hosts Cardiff Blues by two tries to nil,
but still went down 21-17 in their Pool 6 Heineken
Cup clash.
The metronomic
boot of Kiwi full-back Ben Blair proved their
undoing as the competition’s leading scorer kicked
five out of six penalty attempts to rattle up
another 15 points.
Biarritz put
their Top 14 struggles behind them as they began the
match in dynamic fashion, taking the fight to their
hosts as they put Cardiff under early pressure.
Their reward was a 19th-minute try when
Takudzwa Ngwenya broke from deep before switching
inside for international centre Damien Traille to go
over in the corner.
Julien
Peyrelongue added the conversion to put Biarritz 7-0
up as the group leaders were shocked into action.
A Blair penalty
soon reduced the arrears but Biarritz were unlucky
not to add a second try when speedster Ngwenya
knocked on after chipping through.
Peyrelongue and
Blair then exchanged penalties before Blues fly-half
Nick Robinson dropped the first of his two crucial
drop-goals.
Read More... |
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05 December 2008
Another frenetic
weekend of Heineken Cup matches gets underway
tonight, with French sides Montauban and Biarritz
both in action, before the big guns of Stades
Toulouse and Francais enter the fray on Saturday
afternoon.
This is the
crucial third round of matches in both the Heineken
Cup and European Challenge Cup, with reversed
fixtures following next weekend as the battle for
quarter-final berths hots up.
As ever, we at
FRC will be keeping you up to date with all the
matches and results, as well as putting our
collective battered neck once more onto the chopping
block with a full set of predictions.
Last week’s Top
14 upsets made us look like turkeys, but hey, that’s
what sport is all about right?
Sale Sharks v
Montauban, Pool 1, 20.45, Friday
Montauban, who have
narrowly lost both their games so far in their debut
Heineken Cup season, face another tough challenge
when they travel to England’s Sale Sharks.
The Manchester
side, which won in Clermont in the opening round,
will be doubly keen to get the result following
yesterday’s news that French director of rugby
Philippe Saint-Andre will be stepping down at the
end of the reason – possibly to coach Top 14 side
Toulon.
Read More... |
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05 December 2008
|
The journeyman pro |
In the first of his exclusive
weekly columns for FRC, Pau captain Paul Dearlove
gives us an insight into the life and times of a
professional rugby player in France's Pro D2. We welcome
Paul to the site, and look forward to his tales from the
boot room and beyond. If you want to know more about this
Paris-born, South African reared, Australian educated,
former Glasgow Warriors No 8 - and let's face it, you don't
get many of those - then check in for his regular ramblings
as Pau strive to regain their place in the elite Top 14.
A full(er) cv of Paul's career to date is at the bottom
of this article, but I'm sure the best way to learn about
the man is to read his own words. Enjoy, The Editor.
The Unknown
Soldier -
By Paul Dearlove
On a bright March day last year
this young(ish) Australian had the honour of touring
the D Day beaches in Normandy and was not only made
acutely aware of the courage it would take to deal
with real fear, but also realized how many
gravestones remember soldiers younger than me - and
also those ‘known only unto God’. This type of
experience is only part of what makes a professional
rugby player's life in France so amazing.
Read More...
|
|
Bourgoin’s
deteriorating season continued in freefall with the
news Tarcisse Romer has resigned from his post as
director general at the Top 14 club.
Romer, who
joined the club in October 2007, tendered his resignation to
Bourgoin president Pierre Martinet on Wednesday and will now
leave the Top 14 strugglers following their weekend clash
with Worcester Warriors in the European Challenge Cup.
It is just
the latest blow in a troubled season for Bourgoin, who have
been fighting to hold it together both on and off the pitch.
Romer’s
resignation follows the recent departure of sporting
director Eric Catinot and comes on top of serious financial
worries for Bourgoin.
Martinet
has already had to deal with a player delegation unhappy
with the current situation, and now the club is also facing
the very real possibility of relegation despite a stunning
away win at Castres at the weekend.
Read More... |
|
03 December 2008
France’s big guns -
Toulouse and Stade Francais - are both at home in the
Heineken Cup, looking to continue their 100 per cent winning
starts with games against Newport Gwent Dragons and
Harlequins respectively.
The latter Pool four
clash is already certain to enter the record books with the
ambitious Paris club hosting a European game at the Stade de
France for the first time. More than 65,000 tickets have
already been sold, guaranteeing it eclipses the current
Heineken Cup record attendance of 44,112 – also set by Stade
when they hosted Sale at the Parc des Princes in 2006/7.
Flamboyant president Max
Guazzini is laying on Moulin Rouge dancers, a medieval joust
and cheerleaders for the huge crowd, with 20,000 pink flags
also being given away to ensure the carnival atmosphere.
If it is anything like
the colour-drenched Top 14 play-off between Toulouse and
Clermont then it will be an occasion to savour for players
and fans alike.
Quins director of rugby
Dean Richards is certainly looking forward to the “fantastic
occasion” but said his players would be focused on following
up earlier victories against Ulster and the Scarlets.
Read More... |
|
by Johnny Lidgate 03 December 2008
|
Free-wheeling: Stade Toulouse |
We at FRC
wanted to know just why French giants Stade Toulouse are
consistently regarded as the best team in Europe, so we sent
special correspondent Johnny Lidgate along to the
Ernest-Wallon to find out why. Here's what he thought...
One club stands above all
others in European rugby.
They are three-time
Heineken Cup champions - a record - and 17-time champions of
France, also a record.
They are the Rouges et
Noir from the Ville Rose and to the Anglophone ear even
their nickname has a certain cachet compared to the
sub-American monikers - Force, anyone? - of say, the Super
14.
I write, of course, of
French aristocrats Stade Toulousain.
The city of Toulouse
nestles in the heart of French rugby's heartland, the south
west of the country.
Read More... |
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