Top 14: Round 1 preview - All eyes on Wilkinson as French rugby prepares to sizzle

13 August 2009, by Colin Spiro

It seems like only yesterday that Perpignan unleashed wild Catalan celebrations by lifting the 2008/9 Bouclier de Brennus but here we are again, ready and salivating at the prospect of another season of passion-filled Top 14.

The summer’s soaring temperatures have been matched by ever-rising anticipation and what better place to kick it all off than in front of arguably France’s most fervent supporters as Toulon take on Stade Francais at the compact cauldron that is the Stade Félix Mayol?

Top 14 Table 2008/9 / Top 14 Transfers / ProD2 Transfers / Top 14 Fixtures 2009/10 / Pre-season friendlies

The world and his wife is surely aware by now that Mourad Boudjellal broke the bank to bring over English rose Jonny Wilkinson, but there’s so much else to capture the imagination in round one too.

How will defending champions Perpignan go in their opening fixture as holders? Bayonne at home will be a testing start, especially for a misfiring Perpignan who have suffered successive home defeats in a shortened pre-season. Captain Nicolas Mas is also absent through injury to add to their concerns.

And how about perennial bridesmaids Clermont Auvergne? Was last year’s final defeat – their third in succession - the straw that finally broke the camel’s back, or will it finally be 11^th time lucky for the Michelin backed wannabes. They begin their campaign with a tricky away trip to Bourgoin.

What of Stade Toulousain? So disappointing at the business end of 2008/9 and mired in a fly-half curse that has already seen four potential No 10s struck down before the season has even begun. Montauban would not be coach Guy Novès’ ideal start, especially with the hosts under new management this season as Marc Raynaud steps into the hot seat.

Elsewhere there is also an intriguing first-day match-up between the division’s two newcomers with play-off winners SCA Albi entertain big-spending Racing-Metro 92, who ran away with the ProD2 title last season.

Basque hopefuls Biarritz are harbouring serious title aspirations again after a fallow 2008/9 and have a favourable opening game at home to Castres, while Brive’s “Little Britain” enclave will take on Montpellier in the weekend’s final match on Saturday evening.

It all adds up to a mouth-watering prospect in what could be the most keenly contested Top 14 season in years. The expanded play-off system – from four to six teams – will ensure competition to the wire, and with so many foreign imports now plying their trade here the interest levels will be unprecedented on a global scale.

Let the (fun and) games begin!

** Last season’s position in brackets

Toulon (9th)

Stade Francais (4th)

Stade Félix Mayol, 14/08/09, 20.45

‘Wilko fever’ may have consumed Toulon – and indeed much of France – but Philippe Saint-André’s team will be out to show they are more than just a one-man band when they play host to Stade Francais in Top 14’s glitzy curtain-raiser. The world’s media attention will understandably be trained on how Jonny Wilkinson copes with his first competitive match in 10 months, but the acquisition of nine other internationals underlines the ambition of Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal. No-one expects the club to struggle as they did last year, and an opening-round win against the glamour boys of Stade Francais will set them on their way nicely as they target a top six finish. ‘House Full’ signs went up at the Stade Félix Mayol many weeks ago, and the only concerns for Saint-André are the injury-enforced absences of inspirational captain Joe van Niekerk and ever-improving centre Sonny Bill Williams. The latter’s omission could pave the way for former Cardiff Blues star Jamie Robinson to make the starting XV. Fellow new signings Sébastien Bruno, Kris Chesney, Jawad Djoudi, Laurent Emmanuelli, Juan Martin Lobbe, Tonga Lea’aetoa, Dewald Senekal, Rory Lamont, Christian Loamanu, Clément Marienval, Pierre Mignoni and Tom May are also in the squad.

Ewen McKenzie’s Parisians have also recruited widely during the off-season but they jet in to town severely handicapped by mass absentees due to a combination of injuries, suspensions and unavailabilities (as a result of internationals requiring five-weeks’ rest between seasons). Scotland’s Simon Taylor is out with a broken foot, Italian captain Sergio Parisse is serving his ban for eye-gouging and Mathieu Bastareaud has only just returned to training after his troubled summer, while internationals Lionel Beauxis, the Bergamasco brothers, Sylvain Marconnet, Julien Arias, Pascal Papé and Dimitri Szarzewski are all ruled out. Hugo Southwell and Ollie Phillips are also both injured. They will still be able to include the likes of new signings James Haskell, Julien Dupuy, Benjamin Kayser, Tom Palmer and Rayno Gerbo – together with established stars like Mark Gasnier - but McKenzie conceded that this match presents an opportunity for less experienced squad members to impress. The loss of Juan Martin Hernandez to Natal Sharks has also left them thin at fly-half, and Brian Liebenberg is set to start there on Friday with first-choice Beauxis obliged to complete his statutory rest period. Argentine international prop Rodrigo Roncero will captain the side – as he did in last week’s 20-20 friendly against Bourgoin – as he seeks to make amends for being sent-off during last season’s feisty 19-13 victory at the Stade Felix Mayol.

Last season: Toulon 13 Stade Francais 19 /  Stade Francais 22 Toulon 12
Verdict: Toulon win

Biarritz (5th)

Castres (12th)

Sports Aguilera, 15/08/09. 16.00

Optimism is high at Biarritz this summer, and not just because of the unbroken sunshine and gnarly surfing. The city’s rugby team is also looking in fine fettle on the back of major squad surgery and three successive warm-up wins. Biarritz president Serge Blanco has certainly caught the mood and said the Basque side was starting with a clean slate having emerged with Heineken Cup qualification from a difficult 2008/9 season. “It feels jus like 10 years ago when I first took over the presidency,” said the Biarritz and France legend. “In that time we won three league titles [2003, 2005, 2006] and reached the final of the European Cup. Now we have a new project and we are building it around new men.” Two of those “new men” are English, with former World Cup winner Iain Balshaw and ex-England sevens international Ayoola Erinle having joined from Gloucester and Leicester Tigers respectively. They are among 12 new signings at the club, and have helped Biarritz to an impressive show of pre-season form – including a bruising 22-14 home win over Stade Toulousain. That victory came at a cost, however, with Imanol Harinordoquy now sidelined for three to six weeks with an ankle injury. As for Castres, they will be out to party-poop as new coaching duo Laurent Travers and Laurent Labit hope to erase the memories of last season’s dismal showing.

Last season: Biarritz 32 Castres 17 / Castres 9 Biarritz 10
Verdict: Biarritz win

Bourgoin (11th)

Clermont Auvergne (12th)

Stade Pierre Rajon, 15/08/09. 16.00

All eyes will be on France international and former Bourgoin favourite Morgan Parra as he returns to his previous club on his debut for Clermont Auvergne following his summer transfer.  Parra is likely to start on the bench as he continues his rehab from the shoulder injury which ruled him out of France’s summer tour, but he is still bound to get a warm reception at the Stade Pierre Rajon. Fellow new signing Kevin Senio – acquired from Castres – will probably begin at No 9, but Parra is still relishing his return. He also believes that Clermont can overcome the psychological scars inflicted by their third successive final defeat – this time at the hands of Perpignan. “I think the players have done their grief and now there are new players who have come in and brought a certain freshness because they have not lived through that,” said Parra. “We must return to the finals and this time win it,” he added. Clermont are definitely without France winger Julien Malzieu and also have doubts over Benoit Baby (injured quadricep) and Davit Zirakashvili. Bourgoin will be without former Stade Toulousain full-back Florian Denos (injured hamstring) and are also waiting on the fitness of back row Sylvain Nicolas. There was better news though for Karena Wihongi, Tim Cowley, Tone Kopeliani, Coene Basson and Yann Labrit, who have all been cleared to play.

Last season: Bourgoin 23 Clermont Auvergne 30 / Clermont Auvergne 57 Bourgoin 23
Verdict: Clermont win

Montauban (10th)

Stade Toulousain (12th)

Stade Sapiac, 15/08/09. 16.00

Stade Toulousain are another club to be hit hard by the statutory rest period for internationals, with Maxime Médard, Florian Fritz, Cédric Heymans, Vincent Clerc, Thierry Dusautoir and Romain Millo-Chluski all ruled out for their trip to Montauban. Club captain Jean Bouilhou and new signing Census Johnston are also unavailable, but it is the position of fly-half which is causing Guy Novès the biggest headache following a string of injuries to his potential No 10s. Neither David Skrela nor Jean-Baptiste Elissalde has taken any part in pre-season – indeed, the former is out until Christmas following surgery – while Frédéric Michalak (hamstring contracture) and rookie Jean Doussaint (broken nose) have both picked up injuries in the past 10 days. That leaves international centre Yannick Jauzion as the most likely starter, in half-back partnership with former All Black Byron Kelleher. That could still be a potent enough combination for the 17-times champions to begin 2009/10 with a win against Marc Raynaud’s men. The statistics certainly back them up with Stade having won on their last seven outings to the Stade Sapiac. You have to go back to 1984/5 for Montauban’s last home win against Toulouse (16-12 if you’re interested).

Last season: Montauban 10 Stade Toulousain 41 / Stade Toulousain 9 Montauban 6
Verdict: Stade Toulousain win

SCA Albi (-)

Racing-Métro 92 (-)

Stade Municipal d'Albi, 15/08/09. 16.00

Albi coach Eric Béchu is under no illusions about his team’s ambitions this year. “Albi’s goal is very simple. It is to finish in 12^th place and therefore avoid relegation. That’s it,” he said. With Top 14’s lowest budget - €8m - Béchu is necessarily placing his trust in inward development, but he also recognises the importance of players such as experienced back row Vincent Clément, a player he described as “clearly the soul of the squad”. Béchu added: “He is the master, the leader. Vincent is very important in the life of the group.” The coach conceded that Racing would start as overwhelming favourites for the match – especially following their summer of high-profile recruitment – and said the Parisians would be even stronger than the team which beat them twice last season. “This is not a gift. It is anything but a smooth start,” he reflected. Racing coach Pierre Berbizier will be keen to put down an early marker and still has the core of the squad which ran away with the ProD2 title last year.

Last season: SCA Albi 14 Racing Métro 26 / Racing-Métro 22 SCA Albi 9
Verdict: Racing-Métro 92 win

Perpignan (1st)

Bayonne (7th)

Stade Aimé Giral, 15/08/09. 16.25

It took 54 years for Perpignan to win their seventh French championship but they’ll be hoping the wait isn’t so long for title No 8. Their lack of transfer activity has been interpreted as faith in the current squad but the pressure of being champions is entirely different to that of merely being a contender. Coach Jacques Brunel – who suffered a heart attack on June 12^th and has since given up smoking – has admitted as much. “It is the perception of our opponent that is going to change. They will be more determined than before,” he said this week. Try scoring has been their problem in pre-season as they lost both of their friendlies – at home to AC Brumbies and Racing-Metro 92 – but camp confidence remains high despite the results. Indeed, Perpignan need only look back 12 months to seek solace, as they failed to win any of their warm-up matches then either. Captain and prop Nicolas Mas is out injured, but they should still have too much for Bayonne.

Last season: Perpignan 38 Bayonne 10 / Bayonne 13 Perpignan 19
Verdict: Perpignan win

Brive (6th)

Montpellier (10th)

Stade Amédée Domenech, 15/08/09. 16.25

Outsiders may deride Brive as “Little England” following further Red Rose recruitment in the summer, but there is an undoubted air of confidence this season at the 1997 Heineken Cup champions. Shaun Perry, Jamie Noon and Riki Flutey have arrived to supplement the resident England internationals of Andy Goode and Steve Thompson, but it could be flying winger Vili Waqaseduadua who captures the headlines this season. Flutey is ineligible due to his summer Lions’ duty, and Montpellier will similarly be without Fulgence Ouedraogo – who was away with ‘Les Bleus’. The departed talent of Louis Picamoles – now at Stade Toulousain – is bound to be missed but Montpol do travel with their other French international – fly-half François Trinh-Duc.

Last season: Brive 28 Montpellier 18 / Montpellier 9 Brive 22
Verdict: Brive win

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