Top 14 Play-Offs: Stade Toulousain
and Clermont Auvergne favourites to progress
07 May 2010
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Who can stop Toulouse?
Photo: Colin Spiro |
Top
14 Play-Off Quarterfinals:
Clermont Auvergne v Racing-Métro 92
Stade Marcel Michelin, May 7, 21.00
Stade Toulousain v Castres
Le Stadium, May 8, 16.30
Clermont Auvergne play host to Racing-Métro 92
tonight in the first of the weekend’s two play-off
quarterfinals, with the winners progressing through to a
semi-final against in-form Toulon.
‘Les
Jaunards’ will start the match as overwhelming favourites,
owing to their home advantage, their superior league form -
they finished third as opposed to Racing’s sixth place – and
their recent history.
Clermont
should certainly be used to the big stage having made it
through to the last three Top 14 finals, but they are yet to
shed their unwanted ‘chokers’ tag after losing all three.
Indeed, the Michelin backed club has lost all 10 of its
final appearances to date and has yet to lift the cherished
Bouclier de Brennus.
Pierre
Berbizier’s Paris upstarts may be the new kids on the block
– in recent history anyway – but if it came to a
‘show-me-your-medals’ competition they would win hands down
having been crowned French champions five times. Three of
those triumphs were admittedly more than 100 years ago, and
the last in 1990, but what Clermont would give for just one
of those.
Vern
Cotter’s team oozes quality and class throughout its line
up, but both sides have sprung selection surprises
(gambles?) in their biggest games of the season so far.
Intriguingly, both teams will be fielding positional novices
at full-back, with Clermont opting for club skipper Aurélien
Rougerie and Racing for Jonathan Wisniewski.
It
appears there are contrasting reasons for the two decisions,
with Cotter deciding to put winger Rougerie in the No 15
shirt so as to accommodate his in-form centres – Marius
Joubert and Gonzalo Canale – and wingers – Napolioni Nalaga
and Julien Malzieu. Rougerie has at least played at
full-back at stages this season, but his selection has
pushed the exciting Anthony Floch onto the bench.
Berbizier’s decision to field Wisniewski at full-back is
reportedly a tactical move to counter the threat of Clermont
fly-half Brock James, with Springbok Francois Steyn stepping
into Wisniewski’s usual fly-half position. Steyn has played
at No 10 for South Africa, but this will be his first start
for Racing since joining this season.
Steyn’s
half-back partner will be Jerome Fillol – preferred to
Wasps-bound Nic Berry – while Berbizier also has the vastly
experienced Andrew Mehrtens on the bench should he need to
reshuffle. Racing’s centre pairing of Henry Chavancy and
Andrea Masi will be fully tested by their Clermont
counterparts, but the Parisians lose nothing in terms of
class out wide with the ever-green Fijian Sireli Bobo and
former Stade Francais winger Julien Saubade completing the
back line.
French
icon Sebastien Chabal takes up his usual number eight
position, with former France skipper Lionel Nallet
partnering Argentine Santiago Dellape in the second row.
Clermont
were forced into a late reshuffle of their front row after
hooker Mario Ledesma failed to recover from a knee injury.
His place is now taken by Benoit Cabello.
One of
Clermont’s strengths this season has been their hugely
impressive back row, and it’s in that area that this match
could be won as Julien Bonnaire, Alexandre Lapandry and
Elvis Vermeulen go up against Jacques Cronje, Jonny Leo’o
and Chabal.
Place-kicking is also likely to be a key
factor in the result, with Clermont’s James still haunted by
his Heineken horror show against Leinster – when his wayward
efforts saw 20 points squandered in a match they only lost
by one. Cotter has backed his man this week – “Brock is a
tough-as-teak competitor,” he said – but the Kiwi coach will
have been delighted that France scrum-half Morgan Parra has
recovered sufficiently from a shoulder injury to take his
place in the starting XV, thus giving him an excellent
fall-back option.
Racing
will use Wisniewski for most of their goal-kicking attempts,
although Steyn will take on the longer-range efforts. His
drop-goal proficiency could also prove telling.
Having
said all that, Clermont must still remain favourites to
progress through to the semi-finals, with the hosts having
lost just once at home all season – and that back in
November to Biarritz.
The
other quarterfinal takes place on Saturday afternoon with
Heineken finalists Stade Toulousain entertaining
Castres. Once more the home side must start as strong
favourites, but that is not to say Castres are without hope.
Strangely, this tie is a re-run of the last game of the
regular season – which Stade won 25-17 – but one cannot read
too much into that result alone. Stade effectively hold all
the aces, with 17 titles already to their name and form
surely on their side too after having seen off Leinster last
weekend to progress through to their sixth Heineken Cup
final.
However,
the effort involved in that victory and the kudos that head
coach Guy Noves has accorded to European glory this season
could yet play into Castres’ hands. Noves and club captain
Thierry Dusautoir have both spoken of their preference for
Heineken glory over domestic success this season if pushed
to chose, and there is little doubt that Stade will rotate
their squad on Saturday in order to rest weary legs and keep
key players fresh for the final clash with Biarritz.
That
means that semi-final Man-of-the-Match David Skrela is
likely to sit out the game, while winger Cedric Heymans
could also be rested after picking up a slight shoulder
injury. But if Castres thought those two absences might
weaken the Stade line up then a quick look at their
prospective replacements is enough to send shivers down the
spine of joint coaches Laurent Labit and Laurent Travers.
Jean-Baptiste Elissalde may still be feeling his way back
after injury but his quality is unquestioned, while former
Montauban winger Vilimoni Delasau has been terrorising
French defences for years now.
Noves is
also likely to rotate number eight Shaun Sowerby, with Louis
Picamoles coming in, while there could be several other
changes from the starting XV which so impressed against
Leinster.
So,
there’s no doubting the quality, but what about energy
levels and commitment? No players will go in trying to
protect themselves from injury – and possibly missing out on
a Heineken final – but it remains to be seen what last
weekend’s match has taken from their reserves.
Castres
really have nothing to lose after surprising many –
including themselves – by getting this far. Victory would be
a bonus after a long arduous season, although players and
coaches alike have naturally been talking a good game this
week. They go into the match having lost four of their last
five games, but a fortnight’s break will at least have given
them the chance to recharge fading batteries.
The
close proximity of these two sides geographically will also
ensure that derby rivalries are vented to the full, with
Castres’ best chance of success perhaps lying at the feet of
Romain ‘Robocop’ Teulet, their ever-dependable goal-kicker.
Their
success this season has been built on team spirit, a hugely
competitive pack and some inspirational individual
performances. Former All Blacks flanker Chris Masoe has
arguably been Top 14’s Player of the Season, and it will
require another massive effort from him and his often
under-rated colleagues to pull off what would be one of the
biggest shocks of the year.
A
semi-final against defending champions Perpignan awaits the
winners, but for now it’s all about Saturday afternoon as
35,000 spectators pack into Le Stadium once again to hear
the Toulousain drums urge their heroes into action.
*
Toulouse have confirmed they have signed Argentine
scrum-half Nicolas Vergallo from Dax on a one-year deal.
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