Top 14, round 14: Perfect 10 for Toulouse, but Biarritz Olympique and Toulon lose again

04 January 2009

Toulouse 34	Montpellier 0
Bayonne 13	Castres 13
Stade Francais 56	Dax 15
Clermont 32	Toulon 5
Mont-de-Marsan 16	Montauban 13
Bourgoin 15	Biarritz 14
Brive 15	Perpignan 18

The top two of Toulouse and Stade Francais both recorded resounding home wins to start the New Year, but the real story of round 14 was at the other end of the table.

Basement club Mont-de-Marsan beat Montauban 16-13 to record their third successive home win, while troubled Toulon slumped to yet another thumping – this time 32-5 away to Clermont, for whom Napolioni Nalaga scored an incredible four tries.

Those two results, combined with Castres’ draw at Bayonne on Friday night (see report) and Bourgoin’s 15-14 home win against sliding Biarritz, left just seven points separating the bottom six clubs as the battle to avoid relegation sizzled in the winter sun.

Mont-de-Marsan’s deserved defeat of Montauban was arguably the pick of the results with the league’s bottom team continuing their recent revival as their fight for Top 14 survival gathered increasing momentum.

Marc Giraud’s sixth-minute try set them on their way, with Yannick Lafforgue adding the conversion and two penalties as they powered into a 13-3 half-time lead.

Montauban battled back after the break and set up a grandstand finish when number eight Fabrice Soldan went over 10 minutes from time to leave it 16-13.

But the hosts held out for only their fourth win of the campaign, leaving the visitors to rue five missed kicks, including four from Fabien Fortassin.

Les Montois are now just one point behind 13^th-placed Toulon, who continued their miserable form with a 32-5 pasting away to Clermont.

The writing was on the wall when Nalaga cruised over for the opening try after 14 minutes and though Toulon defended gamely at first it was clear there was nothing in this game for them except pride.

Clermont dominated up front and out wide, with fly-half Brock James enjoying the freedom afforded by his rampant pack. Nalaga added his and Clermont’s second five minutes before the interval, and it was game over when full-back Anthony Floch added a third just minutes later.

Toulon, already trailing 20-0, then lost Australian scrum-half Matt Henjak with a broken nose and Yoann Maestri to a yellow card before Nalaga completed his hat-trick in the 66^th minute.

Henjak’s replacement Norman Jordaan did manage to pull a try back for Toulon eight minutes from time, but Nalaga (who else?) had the final word when he dived over in the corner for his fourth try to complete the rout.

The bonus-point win enabled Clermont to leapfrog Bayonne following their home draw with Castres, but Toulon are now just one point off the foot of the table and have lost all seven of their away games.

Biarritz are another team on a serious downward spiral following their sixth successive league defeat – and their eighth in all competitions – as they lost 15-14 away to Bourgoin.

In what could be a crucial result come the end of the season, the home side registered only their second win at the Stade Pierre Rajon thanks to 15 points from the boot of fly-half Benjamin Boyet.

Biarritz had their chances, especially when winger Philippe Bidabe gave them an early 5-3 lead after his 13^th-minute try, but they couldn’t close the match out and were frustrated right at the death when Dimitri Yachvili missed a long-range penalty with the final kick of the game.

The defeat means Biarritz are now well and truly engaged in the relegation battle as they are level with Dax on 26 points, and only seven points now separate the bottom six clubs.

Dax might have held vague hopes of escaping with a losing bonus point from Paris, especially after Lucas Borges’ early try helped them into a surprise 7-3 lead, but it proved a forlorn wish as Stade Francais bounced back with a vengeance.

Juan-Martin Hernandez orchestrated the initial recovery with three penalties and a brace of drop-goals, before full-back Guillaume Bousses went over for their opening try four minutes before the break.

Hernandez missed the conversion but Lionel Beauxis – on as a substitute for the injured Julien Saubade – signalled his return from a lengthy lay-off with a whopping 50m drop goal on the stroke of half-time.

At 23-10 Dax were still theoretically in the match, but two tries in the opening six minutes after the restart soon put paid to that. Stephane Glas scored first after a sweeping attacking move, before Hernandez himself cruised over following an interception 35m out.

Bruno Hiriart pulled another try back for the game visitors – briefly threatening Stade’s attacking bonus point – but the home side finished with a flourish as Matthieu Bastareaud, Alexandre Albouy and Brian Liebenberg all went over in the closing 10 minutes as they won out 56-15.

The afternoon’s final match saw Toulouse gain revenge for their opening day defeat in Montpellier as they in five tries in their 34-0 victory.

Number eight Gregory Lamboley started the ball rolling when he stormed over after just nine minutes, with scrum-half Byron Kelleher adding a second just before the half-hour.

Yannick Jauzion ran in Toulouse’s third to seal the bonus point after an hour, with Kelleher adding his second of the game (and seventh of the season) just six minutes later.

Florian Fritz completed the rout five minutes from time, after some exquisite work from Clement Poitrenaud.

The win was Toulouse’s 10^th in succession in the league – equalling Clermont’s Top 14 record – and their 14^th in all competitions as the continue to sweep all before them.

Stade Francais remain three points behind, while Perpignan kept pace with the leaders when they squeezed to an 18-15 victory at Brive on Sunday evening.

Missed kicks, again, proved crucial - this time with Brive's English fly-half Andy Goode the player to rue his inaccuracies.

Goode went into the game as the league's highest points scorer (with 151) but failed to land his first three attempts, and then - with a draw beckoning - missed yet again with the final kick of the game.

Inbetween he did manage four penalties and a drop-goal, but his early profligacy proved crucial as Brive were forced to play catch-up throughout.

Dan Carter, his opposite number, had no such problems as he succeeded with all four penalties, adding to Jerome Porical's monster drop-goal and a second-half penalty from 50m.

The win keeps Perpignan three points behind Stade Francais and seven points ahead of Clermont, while Brive remain in sixth spot courtesy of their losing bonus point.

With Toulouse and Stade Francais at one and two, and newcomers Toulon and Mont-de-Marsan at 13 and 14 one could argue the league is pretty much as predicted – but it’s what’s going on in between that is proving most intriguing. Biarritz, Castres and Bourgoin fighting for Top 14 survival? Brive and Bayonne pushing for a top four finish? Looks like the second half of the season could be a real cracker.

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