Top 14, r5 preview - Clermont and Toulouse go toe-to-toe; Toulon rest Wilkinson

05 September 2009

Tiredness and squad depth will come heavily to the fore this weekend as Top 14 readies itself for its third round of fixtures in just eight days.

The likes of Stade Toulousain and Clermont Auvergne - who come face to face at a sold out Stade Michelin - have been able to rest players due to their squad sizes, but how will smaller clubs such as Montpellier and Bourgoin cope with such a heavy burden?

There's no doubt the clash between Clermont and Toulousain is the pick of the games and Guy Noves' team will be out to make a point after going down 19-9 to Les Jaunards in last year's play-off semi final.

Noves had to call the cavalry on Wednesday as replacements Byron Kelleher, Patricio Albacete and William Servat helped overcome a dogged Bayonne, but Clermont boss Vern Cotter resisted the temptation to play star fly-half Brock James as they lost 26-21 at Toulon.

The latter enter the weekend as joint leaders with Toulousain, but a tricky away tie at Montauban could test their unbeaten start - especially with coach Philippe Saint-Andre opting to rest captain Joe van Niekerk and fly-half Jonny Wilkinson.

Elsewhere, Castres host Montpellier as they get back to rugby after missing the last two rounds of matches due to the 'swine flu' epidemic, while battling Bourgoin travel to Bayonne as they seek an improbable third successive win.

Round 1 review: Brive lead Top 14 after Thompson try sets up bonus point win
Round 2 review: Stade Toulousain crush Brive; Montpellier stun Perpignan
Round 3 review: Wilkinson's boot fires Toulon up to third; Perpignan beat Toulouse
Round 4 review: Toulon and Toulouse share top spot as Stade Francais crash again

Brive will be thankful of a home game against bottom club SCA Albi after a tough start to the campaign, while two other unlikely strugglers - Biarritz and Stade Francais - go head-to-head on the Basque coast.

Finally, defending champions Perpignan travel to the capital to take on Racing-Métro 92, who should be boosted by the return of star players Lionel Nallet and Sébastien Chabal - who were both rested for the defeat at Bourgoin.

The table should become considerably clearer after Sunday's matches, which will effectively mean those clubs having played all five matches will have completed nearly 20% of their official league programme.

Top 14, Round 5 fixtures (Current league position in brackets)

Castres (6th)

Montpellier (8th)

Stade Pierre Antoine, 06/09/09, 14.30

Playing fatigue certainly won't be a problem for the Castres squad after their last two games were postponed, but what state the players are in remains unknown following their encounter with 'swine flu'. Remarkably, they still remain sixth despite having played two fewer matches than most sides, and they go into Sunday's match as the only club still boasting a 100% win record after earlier victories against Biarritz (a) and Bourgoin (h). Montpellier, for their part, travel in good shape after home wins against Perpignan and Biarritz, although their away form has been less convincing with defeats at Brive and Stade Francais. The latter was arguably a match they could have won, before fading badly in the last 30 minutes. French internationals Francois Trinh-Duc and captain Fulgence Ouedraogo have both been rested for the trip, as has scrum-half Julien Tomas, who picked up a slight knee sprain against Biarritz on Wednesday.  
Last season:
Castres 26 Montpellier 31
Montpellier 21 Castres 23
Verdict: Castres win

Clermont Auvergne (4th)

Stade Toulousain (1st)

Stade Marcel Michelin, 06/09/09, 21.00

Stade Toulousain boss Guy Noves has conformed to type this week by playing down his side's victory chances on Sunday, but no-one at the current league leaders will have forgotten last year's play-off semi-final defeat against Clermont. And having already gone down narrowly at Perpignan last weekend Noves will be keen to try and steal what could be a crucial away win on Sunday. It was with that in mind that he rested so many players on Wednesday, although a poor first 50 minutes forced him to raid his star-studded bench to avoid an unforeseen hiccup. Having said that, he will definitely be without injured trio Clément Poitrenaud, Maxime Médard and Maleli Kunavore, while hoping that Frédéric Michalak has shrugged off the rustiness that plagued his performance in midweek. Clermont coach Vern Cotter can call on Mario Ledesma, Thomas Domingo, Alexandre Audebert, Alexandre Lapandry and Brock James back after they were rested against Toulon, and Benoit Baby is also fit again and in the squad again.
Last season:
Clermont Auvergne 16 Stade Toulousain 6
Stade Toulousain 20 Clermont Auvergne 13
Verdict: Clermont Auvergne win

Bayonne (12th)

Bourgoin (7th)

Stade Jean Dauger, 06/09/09, 14.30

A week ago it would have seemed foolish to say Bourgoin would be the form team of these two heading into Sunday's clash, but the financially strapped club arrive on the back of successive home wins against Biarritz (22-17) and Racing-Métro 92 (17-13). Bayonne, conversely, lost both their games during the same period, although they did enough on Wednesday to grab a hard-earned defensive point at Stade Toulousain. Coach Richard Dourthe saw enough positives in that match to head home happy - or relatively anyway - but he knows his team will be facing a Bourgoin side buoyed by survival, two wins and the unblocking of 12 player licences. One of those, Albert Vuli Vuli, celebrated by scoring a debut try against Racing on Wednesday and confidence - in such short supply just eight days ago - is now sky high after their recent exploits. This will be Bayonne's first game at the Stade Jean Dauger this season after they played their previous 'home' game against Stade Francais in San Sebastien, northern Spain.
Last season:
Bayonne 61 Bourgoin 10
Bourgoin 9 Bayonne 13
Verdict: Bayonne win

Montauban (13th)

Toulon (2nd)

Stade Sapiac, 06/09/09, 14.30

Confidence must be sky high at Montauban after their incredible 40-35 win at Stade Francais on Wednesday, and player tiredness should also not present too much of a problem as they had last weekend off following postponement of their home match with Castres. Marc Raynaud's men may still lie in 13th place but they have played a game less than most sides. They will also be delighted they have emerged with five points so far having faced up to the mighty trio of Stade Toulousain, Clermont Auvergne and Stade Francais. Toulon coach Philippe Saint-André has decided to rest club captain Joe van Niekerk, England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson and Scottish full-back Rory Lamont as he seeks to employ a British-style rotation policy.  Fellow Scot Philip Fitzgerald has been named skipper for the day, with Tom May starting at inside centre after being on the bench for Wednesday's home win against Clermont. Sebastien Fauqué gets his first start at fly-half in Wilkinson's absence, forming a half-back combination with Australian Matt Henjak. Flankers Juan Fernandez Lobbe and Joe El Abd are also notable absentees from the starting XV as Saint-André rotates his squad ahead of next week's trip to Montpellier. The coach has yet to confirm his replacements, although Jamie Robinson, Tim Ryan, Kris Chesney, Ross Skeate and Sinoti Sinoti all likely to be on the bench. 
Last season:
Montauban 42 Toulon 20
Toulon 33 Montauban 20
Verdict: Montauban win

Brive (11th)

SCA Albi (14th)

Stade Amédée Domenech, 06/09/09, 14.30

Just one win and three tries from their opening four games is a poor return for Brive after their summer spending, although they can at least point to an unfavourable fixture list that has seen them take on Stade Toulousain, Perpignan and Clermont Auvergne. What they need now is a solid home win to get confidence back up, so the visit of bottom of the table Albi could not have been better timed. Eric Béchu's team will certainly be no pushovers, but if Brive can rediscover the form that brought them a 30-9 opening day win against Montpellier then they should have too much for their visitors. Alexis Palisson will definitely be absent after picking up an injury against Perpignan on Wednesday, and Andy Goode is doubtful with gastro-enteritis.
Last season: SCA Albi were in ProD2
Verdict: Brive win

Racing-Métro 92 (5th)

Perpignan (3rd)

Stade Olympique, 06/09/09, 15.00

Pierre Berbizier's side welcome champions Perpignan to town with their major signings Lionel Nallet and Sébastien Chabal both refreshed after being rested for Wednesday's narrow loss at Bourgoin. The Parisians have won their only home match to date this season - 18-9 against Bayonne - but Perpignan will present a severe test of their Top 14 credentials. The title holders have a number of players absent injured, with David Marty (intercostal), Damien Chouly (bruised arm), Christophe Manas (calf), Kisi Pulu (ankle) and Gerrie Britz (back) all left at home. Jacques Brunel can, however, welcomes back Olivier Olibeau, Nicolas Durand, Jean-Philippe Grandclaude, Maxime Mermoz, Jean-Pierre Perez and Gregory Le Corvec, while  Jerome Porical is also in the squad for the first time this season. Young scrum-half Gilles Bosch has been included after injuries to David Mélé and Nicolas Laharrague.
Last season: Racing-Metro 92 were in ProD2
Verdict: Perpignan win

Biarritz (9th)

Stade Francais (10th)

Parcs des Sports Aguilera, 06/09/09, 17.00

You would have got long odds on this match pitting ninth against 10th back at the start of the season, but such has been the erratic form of both that they go into this match with just one win apiece after four rounds of the 2009/10 campaign. Castres, Bourgoin and Montpellier have all got the better of the Basques already this season and there's every chance that Stade Francais could join that group if only they can start defending. Ewen McKenzie's team have been the side to watch so far for the neutrals with points rattling in with gay abandon at both ends - they have both the division's best attack (124 points) and worst defence (126 points). They will undoubtedly have been stung by Wednesday's shock home defeat by Montauban, and McKenzie pulled no punches afterwards when he labelled their defence as 'catastrophic'. Biarritz have their own problems after three defeats in four, but at least they welcome back two genuine stars with Imanol Harinordoquy set for his first start of the season, while England World Cup winner Iain Balshaw is back after missing the last two games with a niggly groin. 'Les Biarrots' have already lost at home to Castres and won't want to double that tally so early in the season, but Stade will arrive intent on attacking once more in a game that could prove to be the closest of the weekend.
Last season:
Biarritz 13 Stade Francais 32
Stade Francais 12 Biarritz 16
Verdict: Stade Francais win

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