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Top 14, r8 preview - Bragging rights
up for grabs as France readies for titanic weekend
25 September
2009
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Key man: Stade Toulousain
fly-half Frederic Michalak
Photo: Michael Paler |
It's difficult to know where to
start with our round eight preview with so many potentially
massive games to choose from.
For instance, which is the
standout fixture? Is it the re-match of last year's Top 14
final between Perpignan and Clermont Auvergne, or is it the
heavyweight clash between Stade Toulousain and Stade
Francais? Both would vie for top billing on any normal
weekend.
Top 14 Table
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Top 14 try-scorers
/
Top 14 Results
/
Top 14
Fixtures
And if that isn't enough to get
your rugby taste buds salivating then how about Toulon's
visit to fellow play-off hopefuls Biarritz, or Brive's
must-win home game against Castres, the surprise package of
Top 14 so far in 2009/10?
Then there's always the French
debut of Springbok super boot Francois Steyn, who flew in
earlier this week to join his Racing-Metro team-mates ahead
of their home match with Montpellier.
Elsewhere, there's plenty of
parochial interest surrounding the respective battles
between Montauban and Bourgoin, and basement club SCA Albi's
continuing quest for their first win of the season as they
host Bayonne.
It certainly could be a
benchmark weekend in the current campaign, especially with
the league becoming increasingly cramped in terms of the
points differential between teams at the bottom and top. As
an example of this 10th-placed Brive could climb to fifth
spot if results go their way, while Stade Francais - down
and seemingly out just two rounds ago - could move up to
third if they win in Toulouse. Bring it on, we say.
Previous round-ups:
Round 1 /
Round 2 /
Round 3 /
Round 4 /
Round 5 /
Round 6 /
Round 7
Top 14, Round 8 fixtures
(Current league position in brackets)
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Brive (10th) |
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Castres (6th) |
Stade Amédée
Domenech,
25/09/09, 20.35 |
Brive's 12-15 home loss to
Biarritz last weekend sent the Limousin club tumbling to an
unexpected and lowly 10th position, an unacceptable
situation for a club whose ambitions have been backed by
heavy investment. Dropped points have become the bane of
their season so far, but as FRC columnist Steve Thompson
admitted this week the margin between success and failure
has been minimal. They outscored Montauban by three tries to
one but lost, and but for some missed kicks could have
victories over both Biarritz and Clermont too. To that end
they should be buoyed by the return of first-choice fly-half
Andy Goode for Friday's encounter against a Castres still
which has still only lost once so far this campaign. New
signing Nicolas Jeanjean is still awaiting league clearance
before he can play, and there are also fitness concerns over
winger Vili Waqaseduadua. There was absolutely nothing
between these two teams last year with both league matches
resulting in draws - and the odds on a third successive tie
are probably worth having a punt on - but Brive head coach
Laurent Seigne has been laying down the law in training this
week as he seeks to initiate a turnaround. Intriguingly,
Brive are on exactly the same number of points (14) as after
seven games last season, offering hope of a similar outcome
rise up the table.
Last season:
Brive 16 Castres 16
Castres 11 Brive 11
Verdict: Brive win
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SCA Albi (14th) |
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Bayonne (8th) |
Stade Municipal
d'Albi,
25/09/09, 19.30 |
The 2009/10 campaign is
already proving a daunting challenge for SCA Albi, with the
newly-promoted club having lost all six of their games back
in the top flight so far. Scoring has been their main
problem to date, with their humble total of 55 almost half
that of nearest rivals Racing-Metro 92 (who have 105). They
have generally been competitive in most games, but last
weekend's 8-40 home rout by Clermont set alarm bells ringing
as 'Les Jaunards' ran in six tries. Bayonne arrive with the
third most potent attack in the league - and Top 14's
leading try-scorer in young winger Benjamin Fall - and
Richard Dourthe's side will be keen to try and register a
maiden away win, especially with a trip to Clermont looming
in Round 9. Albi's problems have been compounded by an
extraordinary injury list - 17 players out at the last count
- but Top 14 waits for no-one these days as it becomes
increasingly competitive. Going in to this weekend there are
just eight points between 13th-placed Racing and
fifth-placed Biarritz, but worryingly for Albi they are
already nine points adrift at the foot of the table. Unless
they can turn that around soon their season will be over
almost before it has begun.
Last season: SCA Albi were in ProD2
Verdict: Bayonne win
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Perpignan (2nd) |
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Clermont Auvergne (1st) |
Aimé Giral,
26/09/09, 14.15 |
Memories of last season's play-off final,
which Perpignan won 22-13, are still fresh in the minds of
both teams, and the defending champions must be favourites
to triumph again as they welcome Vern Cotter's team down to
the Catalan coast. Perpignan have gone more than a year
since their last home defeat and go into Saturday's clash
with the added incentive of knowing victory would see them
end the weekend as the new league leaders. Clermont should
certainly arrive in confident form though, on the back of
three successive wins and having run riot in Albi last
weekend. Captain Aurélien Rougerie misses the trip due to
"personal reasons" but the Cotter can count once more on the
returning trio of Julien Malzieu, Julien Bonnaire and Marius
Joubert - who all impressed on their comebacks last week.
Last season:
Perpignan 20 Clermont Auvergne 16
Clermont Auvergne 29 Perpignan 9
Verdict: Perpignan win
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Racing-Métro
92 (13th) |
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Montpellier
(11th) |
Stade Olympique,
26/09/09, 14.30 |
The arrival this week of
Springbok super boot Francois Steyn could not have been more
timely for Racing, who find themselves uncomfortably
positioned in the relegation zone despite a generally
impressive return to Top 14. Part of their problem has been
a lop-sided fixture list - a major factor in them losing
five of their last six games - but Steyn's arrival coincides
with a run of six home games in their next eight league
matches, beginning with Montpellier on Saturday. Their
visitors have been a Jekyll and Hyde outfit so far this
season, with bullish home form (including notable wins over
Perpignan, Biarritz and Toulon) matched by insipid
performances on the road. Last week's 26-3 reverse at
Bayonne was their fourth in four away outings and there's
little to suggest Saturday's trip to Paris will prove any
more fruitful.
Last season: Racing-Métro
92 were in ProD2
Verdict: Racing-Métro
92 win
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Biarritz (5th) |
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Toulon
(4th) |
Sports Aguilera,
26/09/09, 14.30 |
Both Biarritz and Toulon
celebrated excellent league wins in round seven - away to
Brive and at home to Stade Toulousain respectively - so this
match represents another opportunity to impress as two of
this year's play-off hopefuls go face-to-face. The Basques
will obviously start as favourites due to their home
advantage and they have been an improving force of late as
they slowly get back to full strength. Totemic stars Imanol
Harinordoquy and Dimitri Yachvili are now both back in
action, while fly-half Valentin Courrent is benefitting from
an injury-free run at last. How much last week's battles
took out of the respective teams remains to be seen, but
Toulon head coach Philippe Saint-Andre has opted to rotate
his starting XV, with prop Laurent Emmanuelli, hooker
Sebastien Bruno and centre Mafileo Kefu all rested for the
trip, while both Pierre Mignoni and Jonny Wilkinson expected
to start on the bench. Furthermore, inspirational captain
Joe van Niekerk is also a doubtful starter.
Last season:
Biarritz 19 Toulon 12
Toulon 10 Biarritz 5
Verdict: Biarritz win
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Montauban (9th) |
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Bourgoin (12th) |
Stade Sapiac,
26/09/09, 14.30 |
Montauban's 28-9 defeat at
Perpignan last weekend was their first defeat in five games
and Marc Raynaud's team will be looking to bounce back with
a home win against lowly Bourgoin. Their visitors have lost
all three of their away games so far this season - conceding
102 points in the process - so form would indicate another
testing journey for last year's European Challenge Cup
finalists. Home wins will be the key to their survival this
season, and with SCA Albi at home next weekend it could be
that they keep their powder dry on Saturday.
Last season:
Montauban 18 Bourgoin 14
Bourgoin 25 Montauban 15
Verdict: Montauban win
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Stade Toulousain (3rd) |
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Stade Francais (7th) |
Stade de Toulouse,
26/09/09, 16.25 |
Last, but by no means
least, we have the titanic battle of the Stades - Toulousain
and Francais. Usually this match is seen as a clash between
potential champions but both sides have struggled for form
and consistency so far this campaign. Strangely, given that
Stade Francais sacked their coaches just three weeks ago,
the Paris club come into this fixture with the better form,
having collected an impressive 10 points from 10 in their
past two games under the new stewardship of Jacques Delmas
and Didier Faugeron. Having said that, Toulouse haven't lost
a home league game since April 2009 and last year took great
pleasure in doing the double over their rivals. Head coach
Guy Noves has been in typically whimsical mood this week,
referring to be drawn on whether he will recall former All
Blacks scrum-half Byron Kelleher, or if French full-back
Maxime Medard will be fit enough to play. He would clearly
love both at his disposal as they seek to ignite a season
that has already seen them lose three of their opening seven
games, including last week's 18-13 reverse against Toulon.
The hosts have switched the match venue to the 37,000
capacity Stade de Toulouse and a sell-out crowd will, as
usual, be baying for Parisian blood. This will be the first
away game for Delmas and Faugeron, a daunting prospect
indeed as they look to maintain their initial momentum.
Last season:
Stade Toulousain 15 Stade Francais 11
Stade Francais 13 Stade Toulousain 26
Verdict: Stade Toulousain win
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