Top 14: Round 2 preview - Brive get early test of play-off hopes at Stade Toulousain

20 August 2009

The off-field financial dramas of Bourgoin have dominated the headlines this week so it will be good to get back to the actual rugby as Top 14 enters round two this weekend.

Bayonne get the ball rolling this time around, with Stade Francais again providing the Friday night opposition as Top 14 spreads its wings into northern Spain.

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

Bayonne have opted to take the match to Real Sociedad's Estadio Anoeta in San Sebastien, and the Basque club is hopeful of a 35,000 sell out crowd as Top 14 confirms its growing appeal.

Elsewhere, table toppers Brive travel to 17-time champions Stade Toulousain for an early test of their lofty ambitions, while Jonny Wilkinson's Toulon are at home again, this time to newly promoted Racing-Métro 92 as Sébastien Chabal & Co roll in to town.

Defending champions Perpignan travel to a Montpellier side that confirmed pre-season fears of a difficult campaign by crashing 30-9 at Brive last weekend, while Biarritz will be looking to bounce back from a shock home defeat by Castres when they play host to SCA Albi.

Round one review: Brive lead Top 14 after Thompson try sets up bonus point win against Montpellier

The weekend's final match features two teams who couldn't have had a more contrasting opening round, with buoyant Castres at home to a Bourgoin team currently unsure of their very existence. New Castres coaches Laurent Labit and Laurent Travers have clearly shaken up the lethargy which so afflicted the club last season, and there will be no room for sentiment against Bourgoin despite the present financial malaise surrounding the 2008/9 European Challenge Cup finalists.

Top 14, Round 2 fixtures (Current league position in brackets)

Bayonne (11th)

Stade Francais (7th=)

Estadio Anoeta, 21/08/09, 20.35

Bayonne coach Richard Dourthe was seething after last week's 28-20 defeat at Perpignan, blaming the loss on the combined factors of ill-discipline and wayward place kicking. "It's bullshit and not professional," he blasted after the Basques let slip a potentially crucial defensive bonus point. That may sound overdramatic after just one game but Bayonne missed out on Heineken Cup qualification on mere points difference to Brive last season - a fact Dourthe rammed home to his players during a tough week of training.

Scrum-half Cédric Garcia missed with four of his six attempts at goal and has paid the penalty, so to speak, by being dropped in preference for new signing Benat Arrayet. The 29-year-old fly-half, who arrived in the summer from relegated Mont-de-Marsan, has been practicing his kicking in the unfamiliar surrounds of San Sebastien's Estadio Anoeta this week and will be hoping to lift Bayonne's overall kicking success rate from a woeful 53% last season. Only Toulon (44%) and Montpellier (51%) had worse records, although the former have signed Jonny Wots-his-name to improve their own ratio. Dourthe can also call on returning internationals Rémy Martin, Julien Puricelli, Craig Gower and new signing Salvatore Perugini, although not Filimone Bolavucu who must observe another week's rest. Gower will start at fly-half, with Martin at No 6, Puricelli at No 8 and Perugini on the bench.

Stade are also boosted by international returns with Pascal Pape, Sylvain Marconnet, Mauro Bergamasco, Lionel Beauxis and Julien Arias all available for selection after being forced to rest against Toulon last week. Mathieu Bastareaud is once again in the squad - having come on as a sub last weekend in Toulon - as are England internationals Tom Palmer and James Haskell as Ewen McKenzie's Parisians look to build on last week's draw. Twenty-two-year-old winger Romain Raine is unavailable though, having sprained his right knee at Toulon, and is now likely to be sidelined for up to six weeks.

The match will make history as the first Top 14 game to be held outside of France as Bayonne capitalise on their popularity across the border in northern Spain. It is not, however, the first time a French club has played at the Estadio Anoeta, with Biarritz having hosted Heineken Cup matches there before. Indeed, Stade Francais' new signing Julien Dupuy will enter the pitch as the only player with previous experience of the stadium.

Last season:
Bayonne 31 Stade Francais 27
Stade Francais 35 Bayonne 8
Verdict: Bayonne win

Clermont Auvergne (3rd)

Montauban (9th)

Marcel Michelin, 22/08/09. 16.00

Montauban inflicted Clermont's only home defeat of the season in last year's campaign but it's difficult to see a repeat of that shock result, despite Marc Raynaud's team coming within a whisker of downing Stade Toulousain in the opening round. It ended up being Montauban's solitary away win of their Top 14 season - to add to the freakishness of the result - and Clermont will be determined to make amends this time around at the Stade Marcel Michelin. France's perennial runners-up took a while to get going at depleted Bourgoin last week but when they did eventually find their rhythm it was to devastating effect as they ran in three tries in seven match-changing second half minutes.

Unsurprisingly, it was the old double act of Napolioni Nalaga (two tries) and Brock James (four conversions, two penalties and a drop-goal) which dominated their scoring, but there was also an impressive showing from Scottish debutant Jason White, following his summer move from Sale Sharks. Vern Cotter's men do have a few injury concerns though, with Martin Scelzo and Kevin Senio the latest to join a growing crock list that already features internationals Julien Bonnaire, Marius Joubert, Benoit Baby and Julien Malzieu. That could mean a first start for French scrum-half Morgan Parra.

Montauban have their own availability concerns with the DNACG blocking six player licences last week, ruling out the likes of Andrew Henderson, Emmanuel Etien, Mirko Lozupone, Alejandro Campos, Joel Koffi and Maxime Le Bourhis.

Last season:
Clermont Auvergne 25 Montauban 30
Montauban 19 Clermont Auvergne 19
Verdict: Clermont Auvergne win

Stade Toulousain (6th)

Brive (1st)

Stade Ernest Wallon, 22/08/09. 16.00

Not many people would have backed Brive to be travelling to Toulouse as early season leaders but the ambitious Limousin club thoroughly deserved their lofty perch after systematically taking Montpellier to the metaphorical cleaners on Saturday night. Italian fly-half Luciano Orquera orchestrated the win with a 20-point display that also included Brive's crucial third try - thus securing the bonus point - and the 27-year-old is set to start again in the continued absence of England international Andy Goode. In truth, Brive could have doubled their try tally against a disappointing Montpellier, with new scrum-half Shaun Perry also enjoying a fine game on debut as he injected pace and verve behind a dominant pack.

But dispatching a weak Montpellier side and travelling to face 17-times champions Stade Toulousain are two vastly differing challenges, and Brive's play-off ambitions will be given the sternest of tests as they prepare for a three-game series that could shape their season - after Stade Toulousain they take on Clermont Auvergne (at home) and Perpignan (away) on successive weekends. Skipper Alix Popham returns after missing the Montpellier - and could start - but South African winger/centre Ronnie Cooke is out for two weeks after breaking a rib. Scott Zimmerman (torn pectoral) and Fabien Domingo (sprained ankle) are also absent, and the full-back Alexis Palisson is doubtful with a bruised shoulder.

Stade, for their part, somehow conjured a last-ditch win at derby rivals Montauban and there was much talk about defiant team spirit after their 17-16 win. There was also the usual grumble or two from gnarled coach Guy Noves, with the world and his wife seemingly to blame for his unnecessary fitness gamble on Frédéric Michalak. The international outcast will have to sit out this weekend's action as he nurses his strained hamstring but Toulouse do at least have a raft of internationals back at their disposal as they seek to continue their unbeaten home run, which stretches back to April 2008 in Top 14 - when they lost 23-11 to Clermont Auvergne.

Last season they were pushed mighty close by Brive at the Stade Ernest Wallon, but handed out a lesson in attacking rugby up at the Stade Amédée Domenech as they routed the Brivistes 42-10. Indeed, over the last six seasons they have averaged 38 points per game against the current league leaders.

Last season:
Stade Toulousain 21 Brive 15
Brive 10 Stade Toulousain 42
Verdict: Stade Toulousain win

Montpellier (14th)

Perpignan (4th)

Yves du Manoir, 22/08/09. 16.00

Montpellier are an admirably run club espousing commendable realism but 2009/10 looks like it could be a testing campaign for the Mediterranean side. Last week's 30-9 mauling at Brive underlined their problems, with a weak pack continually exposed both at set plays and in the loose. An extremely tough opening nine fixtures has also conspired to put the heat on, with defending champions Perpignan in town this weekend before successive games against Stade Francais (a), Biarritz (h), Castres (a), Toulon (h), Bayonne (a), Racing-Métro 92 (a) and Stade Toulousain (h) to follow. Gulp. It's not beyond the realms of possibility to see Montpol still without a win at the end of that lot and their mood will have been further darkened with news that former England flanker Magnus Lund - who missed last week's defeat in Brive - is set to be out for 4-5 weeks with a torn calf, and that they'll be further denied the services of the injured trio of Eugène Van Staaden (internal ligament damage on left knee), Jérôme Vallée (broken toe) and Olivier Sarraméa (dislocated finger). Montpellier fans will, I'm sure, disagree with my gloomy prediction but the key to their survival this season could be the amount of losing bonus points they accrue.

Perpignan, on the other hand, will travel bolstered by the return of their internationals and self-confident after a pragmatic opening-day win. In a continuation of last season's functionality they have learned the key ingredient present in all champions, namely grinding out results even when not at their best. The Catalans may not have the star signings of say Toulon or Racing-Métro, but what they do have is a tight-knit squad which now has justifiable belief in its own abilities. 

Last season:
Montpellier 3 Perpignan 5
Perpignan 50 Montpellier 13
Verdict: Perpignan win

Biarritz (13th)

SCA Albi (10th)

Sports Aguilera, 22/08/09. 16.00

Just when you thought it was safe to mark down 'Les Biarrots' for a sustained title challenge the Basques returned to last year's woeful mid-season flakiness and got downed 24-12 at home to Castres in their opening fixture. The absence of injured duo Imanol Harinordoquy and Dimitri Yachvili appears to rip the heart from this fickle side but a sound rollicking and the visit of a spirited but limited Albi side should present the ideal opportunity to begin making amends. President Serge Blanco wrote off the defeat as an unwanted "accident" and maintained faith in the coaching set-up, but another failure will surely force hard questions to be answered. American winger Takudzwa Ngwenya remains unavailable following his summer's international commitments, but Damien Traille and Fabien Barcella are both welcomed back.

Albi travel with the specific aim of trying to pick up a defensive point and there was enough in their opening home defeat by Racing-Métro to suggest they will be no pushovers this season. That, however, doesn't mean that all is rosy with Eric Béchu's team and the real challenge this year will be how they deal with the constant struggle for survival. A trip to the Parcs des Sports Aguilera is usually a daunting prospect, but Castres' surprise win there last weekend does at least offer hope. Béchu, however, will be only too aware that the Basques will be looking to make amends and will have counselled his team against a possible backlash. 

Last season:
SCA Albi were in ProD2
Verdict: Biarritz win

Toulon (7th=)

Racing-Métro 92 (5th)

Stade Félix Mayol, 22/08/09. 16.25

The hullaballoo surrounding Jonny Wilkinson may have marginally subsided following last weekend's 17-point debut, but there's no doubting Toulon will continue to write the headlines throughout what's shaping up to be a fascinating season. Having drawn at home to Paris giants Stade Francais the Cote d'Azur plays host to the capital's other aristocrats this weekend, with Top 14 newcomers Racing-Métro rolling in to town. The French rugby media is billing it as a showdown between the clubs' respective coaches - former France internationals Philippe Saint-André and Pierre Berbizier - but it could equally be seen as a battle of Top 14's nouveaux riche, backed by the unfettered wallets of presidents Mourad Boudjellal and Jacky Lorenzetti. Boudjellal had originally hoped to play the game at Olympique Marseille's Stade Velodrome, but the game had to be switched back to the Stade Mayol following an accident which killed two people prior to a Madonna concert there last month. The subsequent loss of income may be a blow, but Toulon's intimate and intimidating ground could prove more of an asset to the home side come Saturday afternoon.

On the player front club captain Joe van Niekerk makes a welcome return for Toulon after missing the 22-22 home draw with Stade Francais and grizzled English forwards Kris Chesney and Joe El Abd have also both made the 26-strong squad. Rory Lamont, Wilkinson and Tom May - who all made their Toulon debuts against Stade - are also included, with Australian Matt Henjak set to start at scrum-half because of Pierre Mignoni's injury.

Racing are set to continue with France captain Lionel Nallet skippering the side, but whether Sébastien Chabal starts or comes off the bench - as he did in last week's away win at Albi - remains to be seen. Toulon did the double over Racing these teams met - back in ProD2 in 2007/8 - with the Mediterranean club winning 31-17 at home and 21-15 away.

Last season:
Racing-Métro 92 were in ProD2
Verdict: Toulon win

Castres (2nd)

Bourgoin (12th)

Stade Pierre Antoine, 22/08/09. 20.35

Rejuvenated Castres undoubtedly produced the result of the weekend with their impressive 24-12 win at Biarritz in round one and the two Laurents (Labit and Travers) have clearly instilled a new dynamic at the club that so struggled last season. A home game against financially crippled Bourgoin presents a further opportunity to boost morale and it could just be that they sit astride Top 14 by the end of the weekend, although they will have to do it without former All Black Chris Masoe who is out injuring his knee in training on Thursday. The new coaches are keen on the collective, rather than a star-laden approach, and look to have successfully imported their Montauban blueprint as they seek to restore Castres' stock.

But what of Bourgoin? They have been denied the use of 14 squad members, are without a president and subject to a takeover bid that could see them merge with ProD2's Lyon OU - lose the use of the Stade Pierre Rajon to boot. Morale must be low at a club that already seen its two homebred starlets depart in the summer - Yann David to Stade Toulousain and Morgan Parra to Clermont Auvergne. And yet despite this chaotic backdrop they still managed to lead Clermont 10 minutes into the second half last weekend, registering three tries in the process as they temporarily defied the odds. The fact they ran out of steam after an hour was telling though, and with Castres on a high following their own opening-day win it could be a hard evening's graft at the Stade Pierre Antoine in Top 14's final game of round two. The only glimmer of light for the visitors came late on Friday when the DNACG gave the green light for props Anauld Tchougong and Vincent Pelo to both play.

Last season:
Castres 9 Bourgoin 23
Bourgoin 31 Castres 23
Verdict: Castres win

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