Top 14 - Round 9 Preview
31 October 2008
Pride is the theme of this
weekend’s Top 14 matches with another mouth-watering set of
fixtures ready to get rugby fans salivating.
First up there’s personal
pride with Tana Umaga’s struggling Toulon travelling to
Montauban in tonight’s opening clash at the Stade Sapiac.
Then, on Saturday, there’s
regional pride with Biarritz hosting Bayonne in the first
Basque derby of the season.
There’s also wounded pride
with leaders Stade Francais looking to pick up the pieces
after last weekend’s home loss to defending champions
Toulouse. They travel to last year’s runners-up Clermont,
themselves still smarting after an unexpected home defeat by
Montauban.
Then there’s home pride,
with buoyant Toulouse ready to show off the return of
prodigal son Freddie Michalak when they play host to Brive,
while Castres will de doing likewise with their new signing
– All Black Chris Masoe – before Saturday’s home game with
Montpellier.
There’s also professional
pride with bottom-of-the-table Mont-de-Marsan entertaining
Perpignan in the hope of adding to their lonely victory so
far this season, or even just managing to cross the try line
– something they’ve only done on five occasions to date.
Finally there’s dented
pride. That’s me, after a shocking set of predictions last
week saw me return only 3/7 correct, a woeful slump after
successive 6/7s. At least that shows, contrary to some
people’s opinions, that Top 14 is far from predictable.
Montauban v Toulon
(18.30, Stade Sapiac, 31/10/08)
The Stade Sapiac will be
rocking tonight for the visit of struggling Toulon and it’s
hard to see anything but a home win if the hosts can
reproduce the type of rugby that saw them triumph 30-25 at
Clermont last week.
Their financial worries
continue off the pitch but the players have responded
magnificently on it and gave new president Raymond Barriere
a display to remember as they ran in four tries against last
year’s runners-up.
Toulon, by contrast, are
sliding fast after three successive defeats and have a
mounting injury list that was further extended with the
double loss of international locks Santiago Dellape and
Esteben Lozada this week. Throw in the dismissal of forwards
coach Jean-Jacques Crenca, the continuously mounting
pressure on Umaga and a millionaire owner dismayed with his
investments and you have the recipe for another tough
weekend for the visitors. The only good news is the
inclusion of South Africa lock Ross Skeate, set to make his
debut alongside fellow countryman Joe van Niekerk.
Verdict: Montauban win.
Castres v
Montpellier (14.30, Pierre Antoine, 01/11/08)
Castres may be deep in the
relegation mire as they lie worryingly in 13th position but
last week’s away win at Toulon will have boosted flagging
confidence, together with the knowledge they have been
competitive in almost every game they have played. Indeed,
their aggregate points of -33 is better than their
seventh-placed visitors (-39), underlining the belief they
are not far away from a profitable reversal of fortune. The
arrival this week of All Black flanker Chris Masoe will
further boost morale, although he won’t be playing on
Saturday, while Montpellier’s woes are mounting after a home
defeat by Bourgoin last weekend. At least they can call on
the services of scrum half Julien Tomas after completing his
suspension.
Verdict: Castres win.
Dax v Bourgoin
(14.30, Maurice Boyau, 01/11/08)
Bourgoin registered only
their second win of the campaign with last week’s surprising
19-12 triumph at Montpellier, but Dax have improved vastly
since their opening games and go in to this match looking
for a third successive home win, after dispatching Bayonne
(27-17) and Biarritz (30-18). Thomas Lievremont’s side have
shown a togetherness in adversity that Toulon must be
envious of, and will be looking for a fourth win this season
to further ease their relegation fears.
Both teams go into this
match level on 14 points, but Bourgoin were hit by injury
news this week when it was confirmed that international prop
Olivier Milloud requires further surgery on his troublesome
Achilles.
Dax will be without
Argentinian wing Lucas Borges after he picked up an ankle
injury that has also ruled him out of his nation’s November
internationals.
Verdict: Dax win.
Mont-de-Marsan v Perpignan
(14.30. Guy Boniface, 01/11/08)
This one looks a dead cert
on paper as basement club Mont-de-Marsan play host to a
Perpignan side riding high in third place despite an injury
curse that has seen them play half a dozen different people
at fly-half this season. It is almost as if the Gods have
decided no-one shall have the chance of an extended run at
No 10 until Dan Carter arrives in December, with Nicolas
Durand the latest to suffer after concussion against Dax
last week. Les Montois are now five points adrift at the
foot of the table – that’s a point for every try they have
scored this season. They have already conceded 227 points in
eight games – that’s 28 per game on average – while the
travelling Catalans have the second best defence in the
league after Toulouse. That should all add up to more
away-day joy for Perpignan despite the loss of Scottish
scrum half Chris Cusiter with a broken thumb.
Verdict: Perpignan win.
Toulouse v Brive
(14.30, Ernest Wallon, 01/11/08)
The giant red and black
machine of Toulouse appears to be waking after its summer
slumber, scraping a brace of victories in the Heineken Cup
before demoralising early leaders Stade Francais with a
crushing 26-13 win at the Stade de France last weekend.
Key players are returning
from injury – including Clement Poitrenaud in recent weeks –
and the return of Freddie Michalak can only enhance
confidence as the defending champions roll ominously on.
Coach Guy Noves is spoilt for riches in possibly Europe’s
strongest club back-line, with Byron Kelleher set to return
on Saturday after a week’s rest. Brive, as always, will come
looking to play a running game, but a sell-out crowd at the
Ernest Wallon will demand a handsome home win to follow last
week’s epic demonstration of how to spoil a party.
Verdict: Toulouse win.
Clermont v Stade
Francais (16.30, Marcel Michelin, 01/11/08)
This is probably the
hardest match of the weekend to call with both teams
smarting from home defeats last weekend. Stade Francais had
appeared unbeatable in running up nine successive wins but
Toulouse were simply too good for Ewen McKenzie’s outfit and
must have cast some doubts into the players’ previously
uncluttered minds.
Clermont, meanwhile, are
having a season to forget so far after suffering four
defeats in their opening eight games. This was supposed to
be the year they finally shed their ‘perennial bridesmaids’
tag, but on current form it would be a miracle if they even
made the play-offs this time.
Home wins are an absolute
must for that to happen, so last week’s 25-30 reverse to
Montauban was a disaster. Handling errors under pressure
cost them dearly, something Stade will be only too happy to
exploit if they repeat on Saturday.
The visitors have recalled
Geoffroy Messina but will have to make do without
Argentinian prop Rodrigo Roncero, who has an injured elbow,
while Clermont welcome back lock Thibaut Privat, prop Davit
Zirakashvili and backs Anthony Floch and Benoit Baby. They
could also include Argentinian back row Alejandro Campos,
currently on trial at Les Jaunards and called up by the
Pumas this week.
Verdict: Stade Francais
win.
Biarritz v Bayonne
(20.30, Aguilera, 01/11/08)
This is so much more than
fifth playing fourth, this is the Basque derby and there
won’t be a spare seat anywhere at the Stade Aguilera as
Biarritz do battle with their upstart neighbours Bayonne.
Only six kilometres
separate the two clubs’ stadiums but in recent years the
playing gulf has been vast with Biarritz on a run of five
successive wins against their closest rivals. This season,
however, Bayonne have surprised many by maintaining their
excellent start and they currently lie fourth, two points
ahead of Les Biarrots.
The visitors go into
Saturday evening’s clash on the back of four successive
victories but history is not on their side, having won just
three times in 60 years at the home of their hosts.
Remarkably, Bayonne are fourth with six wins from eight
despite an aggregate points difference of -11 and they will
have to be extra vigilant on Saturday as they attempt to
negate the threat of flying winger Takudzwa Ngwenya, the
league’s joint top try-scorer with six.
Biarritz could include
their latest signing, South African prop Nicolaas Pretorius,
who arrived from AMD Valke Falcons on Tuesday.
Verdict: Biarritz win.
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