Top 14: Napolioni Nalaga named Player of the Year; Montpellier coaches face the sack

Fijian winger Nalaga, 23, was voted Top 14’s Player of the Year – succeeding Stade Toulousain’s former All Black Byron Kelleher – while Dusautoir was named French Player of the Year.

Top 14 Table  / Top 14 try-scorers / Top 14 Results / Top 14 Fixtures

Nalaga ran in 21 tries for ‘Les Jaunards’ last season, beating his own record set the previous campaign when he managed 18. He also scored an additional three in the Heineken Cup.

The powerful winger, who scored a weekend double against Bayonne to move joint-top of this season’s charts with five, was also named in the LNR’s ‘Dream Team’.

Dusautoir’s award caps an excellent 12 months for the 27-year-old, during which he captained his country to a 1-1 drawn series in New Zealand over the summer. The 26-time capped international has been a model of consistency for both club and country over the past couple of seasons, a level of performance that helped earn him Monday’s accolade.

The Top 14 ‘Dream Team’ featured five foreign players in all, with Nalaga joined by club colleague Brock James (Australia), Stade Toulousain pair Patricio Albacete (Argentina) and Kelleher (New Zealand), and Toulon captain Joe van Niekerk (South Africa).

Stade Toulousain players dominated the team, with eight representatives, while champions Perpignan had just one player included – French centre Maxime Mermoz – despite winning their first championship in 54 years.

They did at least pick up the award for Top 14's 'Best Coaching Staff', with Oyonnax doing likewise in ProD2. Other award-winners included Christophe Berdos (Best Referee), Xavier Sadourny (ProD2 Player of the Year) and Fabien Pelous (Price Thierry Gilardi Award)

Dream Team XV: 1 Fabien Barcella, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 3 Benoit Lecouls, 4 Fabien Pelous, 5 Patricio Albacete, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 7 Joe van Niekerk, 8 Imanol Harinordoquy, 9 Byron Kelleher, 10 Brock James, 11 Napolioni Nalaga, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 13 Yannick Jauzion, 14 Cedric Heymans, 15 Maxime Medard.

Montpellier’s coaching staff are reportedly close to being sacked following their latest defeat, a 12-30 home reverse by Stade Toulousain on Saturday.

That result left Montpol 13^th in Top 14, three points adrift of 12^th-placed Bayonne after losing six of their opening nine games, and their last three in succession.

That is unacceptable according to Radio RMC, with president Thierry Perez now considering the futures of coaching trio Didier Bes, Jean-Philippe Lacoste and Warren Britz.

Reports in France say Perez handed the coaches an ultimatum before Saturday’s defeat, after which neither he nor his coaches were prepared to speak.

Perez may be swayed by the impressive turnaround in form of Stade Francais after they sacked Ewen McKenzie and Christophe Dominici, and the president has long been linked with a desire to bring in former Stade Francais coach Fabien Galthié. The pair have become friends in recent years through their work together on LNR committee’s, prompting speculation that a more professional partnership could be in the offing.

Saturday’s home defeat also brought bad news on the injury front, with Argentine Juan Figallo being ruled out of their forthcoming European Challenge games after damaging knee ligaments.

Elsewhere, Bourgoin captain Julien Frier is weighing up the possibility of becoming the club’s CEO as it continues to stabilise after its early season traumas. Their weekend home win against SCA Albi lifted Bourgoin up to eighth, an unforeseen high given their proximity to bankruptcy just two months ago.

Frier’s on-field leadership has been crucial to their recent good form, and now it appears he could also become an off-field leader too. The 35-year-old admitted he was considering his playing future, with one possibility that he retires at the end of the season and accepts a place on the new board.

Frier was instrumental in the current squad taking a 17% wage cut to help save the club €1m this season, and believes that entitles the players to have a greater say in how Bourgoin moves forward.

Basement club SCA Albi, meanwhile, are currently trialling two American internationals - prop Matekitonga Moeakiola and lock Jon Der Giessen - as they seek to strengthen their injury-ravaged squad.

Former All Black legend Jonah Lomu is reportedly in the best shape of his life as he prepares for his playing comeback with Fédérale 1’s Marseille-Vitrolles.

The ex-international has apparently shed 31kgs since getting back in the gym and is keen to be more than a famous has-been when he returns to the pitch.

“I have nothing to prove to anyone,” he told L’Equipe. “I’m doing it for me and Braylee [his son]. I want to show that with determination I can still be a good rugby player. I want him to see his dad on the field, not just in an old book of rugby,” said Lomu.

“The most important thing for me was to return to the tope level physically, as I was in 1995 and 1999. I am now very close to that level,” he added.