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Top 14, r6 preview - leaders Bayonne
face test of credentials; Pressure on for Toulon
10 September 2010
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Superb start: Racing Metro
fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez
Photo:
Michael Paler |
Round 6 of Top 14 kicks off
tonight (Friday) with early pace-setters Bayonne at home to
defending champions Clermont Auvergne as the Basques get
another test of their so far unexpectedly good form.
Top 14 Fixtures 2010/11
But the top-of-the-table clash
- Clermont are third - is merely the aperitif before another
potentially gourmet feats, culminating in Saturday evening's
re-run of last season's Heineken Cup final as Biarritz host
Stade Toulousain.
Top 14 League Table 2010/11
In between there should be
plenty of tasty morsels to satisfy Top 14 fans as Toulon go
in search of their first home win of the season - against SU
Agen - while injury-hit Perpignan have a chance to bolster
their lowly standing (10th) when they welcome basement
dwellers Bourgoin.
Leading scorers in Top 14 2010/11
Elsewhere, Stade Francais
entertain Brive looking to pass 40 points for the fourth
successive time at their new home of Stade Charléty, while
across Paris Racing-Métro 92 have the opportunity to climb
into the top six as they take on La Rochelle. Finally, but
not least, fourth-placed Montpellier are at home to
fifth-placed Castres, with both teams technically capable of
leading the league come Saturday night.
It once more adds up to a
fascinating set of fixtures as Top 14, incredibly, nears the
the quarter mark in terms of games played during the regular
season.
Top 14 Transfers 2010/11 /
Top 14 Club by Club guide for 2010/11
Previous round-ups:
Round 1
/
Round 2 /
Round 3 /
Round 4 /
Round 5
Top 14, Round 06 fixtures
(Current league position in brackets)
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Bayonne (1st) |
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Clermont Auvergne (3rd) |
Stade
Jean Dauger,
10/09/10, 20.45 |
Each season throws up a
surprise high flyer and this weekend should shed more light
on whether Bayonne can fulfill that role in 2010/11. Four
wins from five is certainly an impressive enough start -
especially as two of those victories have been away - and
the Basques have the further opportunity to throw down a
marker tonight when they host defending champions Clermont
Auvergne. The good news for Bayonne is that former All Black
flanker Troy Flavell is back in their squad after injury,
along with full-back Pepito Elhorga and Italian
international Craig Gower, while in-form fly-half Benjamin
Boyet is again at No 10. He will find himself up against
Tasesa Lavea, who starts for 'Les Jaunards' in place of
Brock James (who is on the bench), while the visitors will
also have to make do without the injured quartet of Morgan
Parra, Marius Joubert, Brent Russell and Willie Wepener.
Kevin Senio comes in for Parra, while the exciting Anthony
Floch starts at full-back with captain Aurélien Rougerie and
Gavin Williams in the centres. Bayonne head coach Christian
Gajan will have to watch the match from the stands after
picking up a 40-day touchline ban for comments made to the
referee and assistant referee during the club's opening day
win at Toulon. Half of the ban is suspended, meaning he can
get pitch-side again after September 29th.
Last season: Bayonne 22 Clermont Auvergne 13
Verdict: Bayonne win
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Montpellier
(6th) |
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Castres (4th) |
Stade
Yves du Manoir,
11/09/10, 14.30 |
After resting many of his
players for their away defeat at Clermont the Montpellier
coach Fabien Galthié has restored his first-choice XV for
the visit of dogged Castres. That means a return to the
starting XV for players such as Francois Trinh-Duc, Fulgence
Ouedraogo and impressive Argentine signing Martin Bustos
Moyano as Montpellier try to continue their positive start
to the new campaign. The Clermont loss followed successive
victories over Racing, Perpignan and Stade Toulousain, so
Castres will travel wary of their hosts' potential. So far
this campaign they have won three out of three at home and
lost both of their away games, but the manner of their
defeat 40-34 defeat at Stade Francais suggests they are more
than capable of winning on the road. The ever-reliable boot
of Romain Teulet will surely need to fire if they are to
register their first away victory of the season at the Stade
Yves du Manoir, while former Agen winger Rupeni Caucaunibuca
could be an interested spectator for the away side if
rumours in the French press are to be believed.
Last season: Montpellier 15 Castres 0
Verdict: Montpellier win
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Toulon
(11th) |
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SU Agen (13th) |
Stade
Félix Mayol,
11/09/10, 14.30 |
One would not have
believed before the season began that Toulon would go into
this match still seeking their maiden home win of the
campaign, and hovering just above the drop zone, but such
has been their fragility to date they know they simply have
to beat Agen to avoid an extremely poor start turning into
disaster. Bayonne and Racing-Metro have both come and won at
the previously fortress-like Stade Félix Mayol, and the home
side's stuttering form has been further compounded by a
mounting injury list. Scrum-half Fabien Cibray is the latest
to pick up a serious injury - cruciate ligament damage
requiring a six-month lay-off - and it seems president
Mourad Boudjellal will sanction a further dip into the club
kitty by Philippe Saint-André as the Cote d'Azur side seeks
to finally kick-start its season. Long term injured Charles
Orioli, Jean-Philippe Genevois and Christian Loamanu remain
sidelined, while Australian centre Mafi Kefu will also be
out for a month after picking up a 30-day suspension for his
fourth-minute red card against Brive last weekend. The
further injury-enforced absence of Matt Henjak leaves Pierre
Mignoni as Toulon's only fit No 9, although there is better
news for Saint-Andre with the returns of Dean Schofield and
Fotu Auelua. England winger Paul Sackey is also recalled
after being rested for the Brive encounter, and he will be
desperate to finally open his try account. Agen arrive full
of mental fortitude after their stunning comeback against
Perpignan last weekend, but their away form has been poor so
far this season.
Last season: SU Agen were in ProD2
Verdict: Toulon win
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Perpignan
(10th) |
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Bourgoin (14th) |
Stade
Aimé Giral,
11/09/10, 14.30 |
Perpignan are one of a trio of big-name clubs
which currently find themselves at the wrong end of the
table - Toulon and Biarritz are the others - so a home game
against basement dwellers Bourgoin could not come at a more
opportune moment. Try-scoring, or the lack of it, has been
the Catalans main problem this season so Saturday's match
against a team which has lost four out of five presents the
ideal opposition to get back on track. Perpignan have
admittedly been badly hit by injuries, so the return of
Damien Chouly, Gavin Hume and Adrien Plante will also be
happily welcomed. Bourgoin travel having seen a change of
presidents during the week - with 79-year-old Gaston Maulin
stepping aside - but whether this precipitates a change of
on-field fortune remains to be seen. Stepping out at the
Stade Aimé Giral can be a forbidding experience, although
Montpellier have already shown that anything is possible if
you can free yourself to play an attacking game. Sadly,
Bourgoin do not appear to have the same quality that
Montpellier possess, so it looks like being another testing
afternoon down Catalan country for the Isere side.
Last season: Perpignan 49 Bourgoin 20
Verdict: Perpignan win
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Racing-Métro 92
(7th) |
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La Rochelle (12th) |
Stade
Yves du Manoir,
11/09/10, 14.30 |
Bayonne may have taken the
majority of the early season plaudits but Racing, for me,
have perhaps made the most impressive start to 2010/11. Four
of their five games so far have been away from home -
including a hugely impressive win at Toulon - and if Pierre
Berbizier's side can polish off Top 14 newcomers La Rochelle
they should find themselves in the top four come the end of
Saturday. Sébastien Chabal has been rested, but Lionel
Nallet, Jonathan Wisniewski - the leading scorer in Top 14
so far this season - and Francois Steyn all return after
missing last weekend's narrow away defeat at Castres. But
Racing will start with Argentine Juan-Martin Hernández at No
10 after the Puma impressed on his own return from injury,
while winger Benjamin Fall remains sidelined. Steyn starts
at full-back with Jerome Fillol at scrum-half. La Rochelle
were stuffed 50-3 at Stade Toulousain in their previous
match, and it could be another tough afternoon for the
'Maritimers' as they take on 'Les Francilliens'. It will
also be worth keeping an eye of referee Christophe Berdos,
who takes charge of Racing for the first time since his
controversial and widely castigated performance in their
play-off defeat against Clermont at the end of last season.
Berbizier was incandescent with rage after that match, and
made no effort to disguise his continuing enmity towards
Monsieur Berdos in the French press this week.
Last season: La Rochelle were in ProD2
Verdict: Racing-Métro 92 win
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Stade Francais
(5th) |
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Brive (8th) |
Stade
Charléty,
11/09/10, 14.30 |
Stade Francais have
amassed 40 points or more in each of their previous three
home games this season, but head coach Michael Cheika will
be happy to settle for any win on Saturday after last
weekend's disappointing performance (and defeat) away to
Biarritz. In-form full-back Hugo Southwell misses out due to
injury, and likewise hugely influential scrum-half Julien
Dupuy, so Cheika brings back Noel Oelschig to start
alongside fly-half Lionel Beauxis. Brive, meanwhile, arrive
bolstered by last weekend's bonus-point home win over Toulon
a Dupuy's place-kicking will be missed, but Stade have been
in prolific try-scoring form, with Dimitri Szarzewski, Ollie
Phillips, Sergio Parisse and Mathieu Bastareaud all having
crossed three times each. The free-scoring quartet are all
in the starting XV against Brive, with along with England
duo James Haskell and Tom Palmer as the Parisians seek to
bounce back from defeat in Biarritz last weekend. Brive
travel with confidence high following their comprehensive
home victory against Toulon on Sunday, although Ugo Mola has
re-jigged his half-back pairing with Shaun Perry starting at
No 9 and Mathieu Belie moving to fly-half. Brive's recent
record in Paris does not bode well, but their forwards have
been impressive so far this season and a defensive bonus is
not beyond their hopes. especially with in-form Alexis
Palisson posing a constant threat from full-back.
Last season: Stade Francais 44 Brive 16
Verdict: Stade Francais win
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Biarritz (9th) |
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Stade Toulousain
(2nd) |
Parcs des Sports Aguiléra,
11/09/10, 16.25 |
This may be a re-run of
last season's Heineken Cup final but Biarritz will know they
must make home advantage count if they're not to slip to
their fourth defeat of a stuttering campaign. Last weekend
they ground out a dull but essential home win against Stade
Francais and they will happily settle for more of the same
against Stade Toulousain. Iain Balshaw again starts at
full-back with the Lund brothers - Erik and Magnus -
reunited in an experienced pack that also features Imanol
Harinordoquy, Jerome Thion and Sylvain Marconnet. Dimitri
Yachvili will again marshal his troops from scrum-half, as
well as kick at goal, while speedster Takudzwa Ngwenya is
due a try or two. The visitors will be without Grégory
Lamboley, Yann David and Yoann Maestri, but their
willingness to run the ball remains undimmed following a
generally positive start to 2010/11. Last weekend they
amassed 50 points against La Rochelle and it seems that new
backs coach Jean-Baptiste Elissalde is making a favourable
impression. A slimmed down Byron Kelleher is also champing
at the bit following the arrival of Nicolas Vergallo, and
the youngster Nicolas Bézy is also beginning to confirm his
burgeoning reputation.
Last season: Biarritz 26 Stade Toulousain 10
Verdict: Biarritz win
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