Top 14, r7 preview - Bayonne enter the lions' den; Biarritz seek to continue winning run

17 September 2010

Top 14, Round 07 fixtures (Current league position in brackets)

Stade Toulousain (3rd)

Bayonne (1st)

Stade Ernest Wallon, 17/09/10, 20.45

A trip to Toulouse is always a valid litmus test for teams wishing to prove their worth, and so it will be with Bayonne at the Stade Ernest Wallon tonight. The Basques arrive as surprise league leaders after six rounds, but with five wins from six no-one can say they are not there on value - for now at least. Whether they are still at the summit come Saturday night depends how they fare tonight, and they will be up against a Stade Toulousain side still smarting from last weekend's 25-20 defeat at Biarritz. Guy Noves lost Sylvain Nicolas and William Servat during that defeat, and has also chosen to rest centre Florian Fritz by bringing in Clément Poitrenaud and moving Top 14's leading try-scorer Maxime Médard to full-back. Vincent Clerc and Cédric Heymans start on the wings, with Byron Kelleher and David Skrela making up a formidable half-back pairing. Yannick Nyanga continues his playing comeback by partnering Thierry Dusautoir and Shaun Sowerby in the back row, while Patricio Albacete and Romain Millo-Chluski are the starting locks. Louis Picamoles is available again after injury and is on a strong bench that also features young fly-half Nicolas Bézy, Vilimoni Delasau and Fritz. Bayonne will give a first start of the season to Sebastien Fauqué, in place of the rested Benjamin Boyet (who is on the bench), but other than that they have put out their strongest possible side with the likes of Pepito Elhorga, Julien Puricelli, Troy Flavell and Craig Gower all in the starting XV.    
Last season: Stade Toulousain 21 Bayonne 17
Verdict: Stade Toulousain win

Perpignan (11th)

Stade Francais (8th)

Stade Aimé Giral, 18/09/10, 14.30

Perpignan go into this match against Stade Francais nestled uncomfortably in 11th position despite winning at home last weekend against Bourgoin. However, it was the margin of victory (27-20) against the league's basement club that again raised more questions than answers. The Catalans have failed to fire so far this season and welcome a dangerous Stade Francais side that itself is seeking to put down some sort of marker after losing at home to Brive last weekend. Scoring tries has been Perpignan's main problem so far this campaign with the 2009 French champions managing just six in six games so far in 2010/11. That is in stark contrast to Stade, who have been running them in from all over the park as they've amassed 20 in the same period. That is just one less than leading scorers Stade Toulousain - and seven better than next best Racing-Métro - but the Parisians are currently being undone by ill-discipline and poor defending. They have the fourth worst defence - having conceded 154 points - so head coach Michael Cheika will no doubt have been addressing that issue during the week. They are also now without Argentine international Juan Manuel Leguizamon for nearly three months after his 80-day ban for eye-gouging against Stade Toulousain, which should at least mean regular first-team action for James Haskell. They go into this match with both Ollie Phillips and club captain Sergio Parisse having run in four tries apiece this season and I reckon they must just sneak it down in Perpignan. The return of fit-again Julien Dupuy could also be crucial as his goal-kicking was instrumental to their initial good start to this campaign.     
Last season: Perpignan 44 Stade Francais 23
Verdict: Stade Francais win

Castres (10th)

Brive (7th)

Stade Pierre Antoine, 18/09/10, 14.30

Brive travel to Castres this weekend for the latest in a daunting run of fixtures that has already seen them take on Racing, Perpignan, Clermont, Bayonne, Toulon and Stade Francais - and it doesn't get any easier with Stade Toulousain due in town next weekend. bearing all that in mind Ugo Mola's mean have done remarkably well to have already recorded three victories - including last weekend's win at Stade Francais - so they will at least travel with confidence, if also with weary legs. Castres are proving old-skool French at present with three home wins matched by three away defeats, but Brive have shown they will not be cowered by anyone this season, especially with their much-improved pack. The loss of scrum-half Shaun Perry is a blow, possibly paving the way for the debut of recent Argentine signing Agustin Figuerola.     
Last season: Castres 35 Brive 10
Verdict: Castres win

Racing-Métro 92 (2nd)

Bourgoin (14th)

Stade Yves du Manoir, 18/09/10, 14.30

Top spot beckons for Pierre Berbizier's impressive squad if they can beat Bourgoin, especially if they can add an attacking bonus into the deal. That would be just reward for an excellent start to the season that has already seen them win four out of six games, including twice on the road - at Toulon and Brive. Last weekend they dispatched Top 14 newcomers La Rochelle, but it did come at a price with the thigh injury that has sidelined Juan Martin Hernández for 15 days. Fortunately for Berbizier he has a more than adequate replacement in the shape of Jonathan Wisniewski, who is currently riding high as Top 14's leading scorer (with 83 points). Bourgoin showed signs of improvement with last weekend's defensive bonus at Perpignan, but that still can't hide the fact they are at the foot of the table after just one win from six. They will take heart from the fact they pulled off a shock one-point win in Paris last season - ending Racing's long winning streak in the process - but as repeat result would surely be expecting too much. Sébastien Chabal will be out to impress against his former club, and anything other than five points would be considered a failure by Berbizier's team.    
Last season: Racing-Métro 17 Bourgoin 18
Verdict: Racing-Métro win

La Rochelle (12th)

Biarritz (9th)

Stade Marcel Deflandre, 18/09/10, 14.30

In-form Biarritz travel to La Rochelle looking to build on their recent successive home wins against Stade Francais and Stade Toulousain, but the Basques will have to buck a worrying habit if they are to make that three wins in a row - they have lost their last nine away league games! That is a shocking record for the Heineken Cup semi-finalists and one that La Rochelle will be seeking to exploit on Saturday. The 'Maritimers' have won two of three home games so far in their debut season in Top 14 - beating Castres and Bourgoin - and only lost narrowly to Toulon (13-15) after Benjamin Dambielle missed a last-minute penalty. Dambielle will be missing on Saturday after his red card last weekend, and Biarritz are proving a tougher nut to crack after the recent appointment of Imanol Harinordoquy as club captain. The scrum, as ever, has led the way, but they will be without influential number nine Dimitri Yachvili (69 points so far this season) as he has been rested in preference for youngster Adrien Ayestaran, in partnership with fly-half Julien Peyrelongue. Iain Balshaw continues at full-back, with speedsters Takudzwa Ngwenya and Ilikena Bolakoro out wide. The Lund brothers are again in the starting XV too. Discipline will be key for the home side on Saturday if they are to record another victory at the Stade Marcel Deflandre. They could certainly do with a boost after three successive defeats.    
Last season: La Rochelle were in ProD2
Verdict: Biarritz win

Toulon (6th)

Clermont Auvergne (5th)

Stade Vélodrome, 18/09/10, 16.25

Marseille's impressive Stade Vélodrome provides the suitably grandiose setting for this clash of two of France's most ambitious clubs. Big-spending Toulon have struggled to hit their straps so far this season but last weekend's 41-10 drubbing of SU Agen hinted that the much-changed squad could be gelling at last. Fly-half Jonny Wilkinson was instrumental to that rout as he ran in two tries among a match haul of 21 points, and the England international is likely to be crucial to Saturday's outcome again. Toulon have had their fair share of injuries so far this season - with Dean Schofield the latest to be sidelined - but they know they simply cannot afford a third home reverse after earlier defeats against Bayonne and Racing. Those both came at their usual home of the Stade Félix Mayol so Philippe Saint-André's side will take heart from the fact they are unbeaten in the league at the Vélodrome after wins there against Perpignan, Stade Francais and Stade Toulousain in the last two seasons. But French champions Clermont will have no fear about running out in Marseille either as they also have a 100% win record there after play-off victories against Stade Toulousain and Perpignan (in 2008 and 2009). If Toulon needed any further incentive for beating Clermont they need only look back four months to their 29-35 defeat after extra-time in last season's play-off semi-final, although both sets of coaches have been keen to stress that match will have no bearing on Saturday's outcome. Toulon will once more be without Matt Henjak (injured) and Mafileo Kefu (suspended), but club captain Joe Van Niekerk could start after successfully coming off the bench against Agen. Clermont are bolstered by the returns of Morgan Parra and Thibault Privat, but must still make do without injured duo Julien Pierre and Marius Joubert.    
Last season: Toulon 26 Clermont Auvergne 21
Verdict: Toulon win

SU Agen (13th)

Montpellier (3rd)

Stade Armandie, 18/09/10, 20.45

Agen may go into this match as the league's 13th-placed club but the Top 14 newcomers have won both of their home games to date and will be looking to make that three out of three with the visit of Montpellier on Saturday night. Their problem is that Fabien Galthié appears to have galvanized the Med team since his summer arrival, and Montpol will go out looking for their fifth win in six games at Agen. That run includes the ground-breaking victory at Perpignan that appears to have given them so much self-confidence, and another win here would consolidate their top three position. France fly-half Francois Trinh-Duc has been instrumental to their recent good form, but so has that of Argentine utility back Martin Bustos Moyano and exciting young centre Geoffroy Dumayrou. Agen have been sidetracked of late by the ongoing Rupeni Caucaunibuca saga, so this match offers a welcome chance to get back to what they do best - namely playing attacking rugby. It's their defence which has proved the problem so far, with their concession of 19 tries and 180 points making theirs the most porous in the division.    
Last season: SU Agen were in ProD2
Verdict: Montpellier win

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