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25 August 2008
Defending champions
Toulouse have had a
quiet off-season followed up with an understated and
businesslike pre-season as they seek to go one step better
than last year – i.e. to add the Heineken Cup to their
domestic triumph.
They
will inevitably start as hot favourites, with perhaps the
most intrigue focused on who will form their number one
half-back pairing from the quartet of Ellisalde, Kelleher,
Michalak and Skrela.
A
trouble-free trouncing of neighbours Colomiers gave little
away before a 19-12 victory in Toulon underscored their
strength thanks to tries from Greg Lamboley, Bertus
Swanapoel and Yannick Nyanga. It also, momentarily at least,
overshadowed the Sonny ‘Bill’ Williams media circus.
Their sheer depth of quality is unquestioned but others,
notably Clermont,
Stade Francais and
perhaps newcomers
Toulon will be clinging
to the hope that complacency, injuries or a freakish lack of
form may open the door for others to challenge.
Clermont’s
quest will depend on overcoming two hurdles – namely
physical and mental following last year’s play-off defeat to
Toulouse, their ninth unsuccessful tilt at the championship.
To
ready themselves for this year’s campaign Les Jaunards
decamped to America for their pre-season training camp,
culminating in a 37-14 victory against the USA’s national
side in South Carolina with tries from Elvis Vermeulen,
Mirko Lozupone, Benoit Baby, Emmanuel Etien and Julien
Malzieu. They then completed their friendly programme with a
14-5 victory at home to Guinness Premiership outfit
Northampton thanks to tries from Gonzalo Canale and Brock
James, last year’s top points scorer.
Stade Francais,
the third of the ‘Big Three’ opted for high altitude
training in Tignes and just one friendly, which they won
29-16 in Perpignan, as new coach Ewen McKenzie concentrated
more on in-house preparation than a series of warm-up
matches.
The
loss of returning lock David Auradou for three months (with
a shoulder injury) will be a blow but the signing of NRL
star Mark Gasnier has bolstered an already impressive squad.
Biarritz are
determined to put in an improved showing on last year’s
disappointing form and victories over Pau and Leicester
Tigers have set them up for the new season. The latter was a
72-point thriller with the French club winning out 37-35 as
they ran in five tries courtesy of prop Edward Coetzee,
centre Laurent Tranier (2), American winger Takudzwa
Ngwenya and replacement hooker Benoit
Denoyelle.
Big-spending
Toulon opened up by
trouncing local minnows Carqueiranne-Hyères before being
brought back down to earth with a 12-19 home defeat against
Toulouse, despite tries from prop Mathieu Larrouy and centre
Tusi Pisi. A 27-32 home defeat against Saracens, in front of
nearly 9,000 spectators, confirmed their competitiveness
with new-signings Jerry Collins and Williams both in action.
Of
the so-called ‘lesser lights’
Montauban have perhaps been the most
impressive in pre-season, beating Dax and Bourgoin at home
before drawing 9-9 at
Brive, although
Bayonne will also be buoyed by their form
after recording wins against English sides Saracens and
Gloucester, the latter a convincing 30-9 triumph.
Montpellier have
had a mixed warm-up, losing 15-10 to Mont-de-Marsan but then
beating Sale Sharks 42-21 despite the absence of
internationals Fulgence Ouedraogo, Louis Picamoles, Francois
Trinh-Duc and Justin Marshall. Frederico Todeschini (2),
Jean-Matthieu Alcalde, Thierry Brana, Olivier Sarramea and
Bruce Douglas provided the tries with Todeschini adding an
impeccable six out of six conversions. A low-key win over
Italian club Viadana completed their friendlies.
Castres opened with
a defeat to Scottish side Glasgow before going away to
Perpignan and registering an impressive 6-10 win. They then
followed up with another victory, this time over Italian
club Calvisano.
Relegation favourites
Mont-de-Marsan caused
an upset when they beat Montpellier 15-10, much to the
delight of coach Marc Del Maso, while a more regulation win
over Padova continued to build much-needed confidence in
light of what is likely to be a tough season ahead.
Perpignan’s
pre-season has been less productive with an opening draw
against Sale followed by an away defeat at Castres (10-6)
and a home loss to Stade Francais (16-29), which also saw
centre David Marty depart early with an ankle injury.
Bourgoin are
another club who have struggled in pre-season with a turgid
3-3 draw against Grenoble followed by defeat against
Montauban and a less-than-impressive win over minnows
Bourg-en-Bresse.
But
that’s as nothing compared to the form of
Dax
as Les Landes slumped to defeats against Wasps (3-13),
Montpellier, Union Bordeaux-Bègles and Tarbes. Coach and
former captain Thomas Lievremont will surely have his work
cut out to save them from a relegation battle this year.
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