Top 14 - Round 15 Preview
08 January 2009
The big
freeze descended on France this week and the icy chill of
relegation – and all that encompasses – is beginning to
dominate the thoughts of a few unsuspecting clubs.
Foremost
among those is Biarritz, the five-times French champions and
kings of Europe as recently as 2006. Serge Blanco’s beloved
Mediterranean club have lost eight games on the trot and
have to go back to October for their last league win – and
that against bottom side Mont-de-Marsan.
This
weekend they travel to fellow Top 14 strugglers Castres in a
game that could have crucial consequences come the end of
the season, while Toulon – another club in seeming freefall
– are also up against it as they journey to Brive.
Up at
the other end Toulouse, Stade Francais and Perpignan will
all be expecting wins – against Dax, Mont-de-Marsan and
Bourgoin respectively – while the battle for fourth place
sees Clermont (current incumbents) travel to Montpellier,
with Bayonne (the unlikely wannabes) going to Montauban.
It’s all
set for another fascinating set of fixtures – presuming the
weather allows – as Top 14 heads inexorably towards the
business end of the season.
Dax v Toulouse (09.01.09,
Stade Maurice Boyau, 20.35)
Thomas
Lièvremont’s Dax must be cursing a fixture list that has
pitted them against France’s ‘big two’ in the opening rounds
of 2009, and they welcome leaders Toulouse on Friday night
on the back of a 56-15 thumping in Paris last week. Their
visitors are on an ominous roll of form that has seen them
win their previous 14 matches, including 10 on the trot in
the league, and it’s difficult to see anything other than a
continuation of that run at the Stade Maurice Boyau.
Toulouse welcome back John-Baptiste Elissalde into their
squad, with the suggestion he could play at fly-half, and
Guy Noves is set to rest international centre Yannick
Jauzion ahead of next week’s Heineken Cup clash with
Glasgow. Flanker Thierry Dusautoir is absent with a broken
nose, but such is Toulouse’s depth they are still likely to
field a full compliment of internationals. Dax’s Jannie
Bornman will also be absent, with a back problem that could
see him sidelined for up to six weeks.
Verdict: Toulouse win
Perpignan v Bourgoin (Stade
Aime Giral, 10.01.09, 14.30)
Bourgoin’s crucial home win against Biarritz last week
lifted them up to 11th place, but a trip to
third-placed Perpignan could bring a harsh reality check.
All Black fly half Dan Carter is desperate to open to his
try-scoring account for the Catalans – having been narrowly
denied in the away win at Brive on Sunday – and his
increasing familiarity with new team-mates is likely to be
enhanced further in a match the home side really should win
with ease. Perpignan go into the game one point behind Stade
Francais despite having won a match more than the Paris
club, and they will be hoping to correct a disappointing
return of just three bonus points so far this season.
Verdict: Perpignan win
Mont-de-Marsan v Stade
Francais (Stade Guy Boniface, 10.01.09, 14.30)
Bottom
against second-top looks a mismatch on paper but
Mont-de-Marsan will go into this encounter buoyed by a
remarkable run that has seen them win their last three home
games – against Dax, Clermont and Montauban. A fourth
consecutive victory seems unlikely against a team which has
scored more points than any other so far this season, and
which is also now bolstered by the return of the influential
Lionel Beauxis. Stade, who will have to make do without the
services of injured winger Jean Saubade, have averaged more
than 40 points in their last three games and Les Montois
will surely consider it a sizeable triumph if they can
somehow squeeze a losing bonus point at the Stade Guy
Boniface. That alone could be sufficient to see them finally
haul themselves off the foot of the table, at Toulon’s
expense – incentive enough as they continue their valiant
fight against what seemed almost certain relegation just a
few weeks ago.
Verdict: Stade Francais win
Montauban v Bayonne (Stadium
Sapiac, 10.01.09, 14.30)
Bayonne
may have surprised many by ending 2008 in a potential
play-off position (4th) but the Basque club have
been struggling to maintain their impressive start of late
and travel to Montauban looking for their first league win
since trouncing Montpellier 42-9 back on November 22.
Predictable league defeats against Toulouse and Stade
Francais sandwiched home and away losses to Saracens in the
European Challenge Cup, and they followed up last week with
a frustrating 13-13 home draw with lowly Castres. Now they
travel to the Stadium Sapiac to meet a Montauban side still
smarting from their 16-13 reverse against bottom club
Mont-de-Marsan. The visitors have run a tight ship this
season based on stout defence, but the mid-table chasing
pack is closing in – headed by Montauban themselves – as
they wait for the sturdy Basques to stutter in the run-in.
Verdict: Montauban win
Castres v Biarritz (Stade
Pierre Antoine, 10.01.09, 14.30)
Castres
showed enough last week – drawing 13-13 away to Bayonne - to
suggest 2009 could prove more prosperous than the latter
half of 2008, and they have another fine opportunity to
register crucial points when they host bereft Biarritz on
Saturday. The once mighty Basque giants – they won the
Championship as recently as 2006 – have been inexplicably
drawn into a relegation dog fight on the back of six
successive league defeats, and they go into this clash
having lost seven out of eight on the road so far this
season. Want-away captain Lionel Nallet continues to dither
over his Castres future – “I’d like everything to be
finalised before the Six Nations,” he said this week – but
Les Biarrots appear to be suffering from the “too good to go
down” syndrome that has a nasty habit of proving
irreversible once momentum builds. Defeat here, at the Stade
Pierre Antoine, would make it nine in a row for the
Mediterranean club (including two in the Heineken Cup), and
one has to go back to October’s victory over Mont-de-Marsan
for their last league triumph. To further compound their
problems former All Black scrum-half Justin Marshall appears
to be exit bound after refusing to go on as a late
substitute in last week’s defeat. “We will make a decision
about his future in the coming days,” said general manager
Denis Navizet.
Verdict: Castres win
Montpellier v Clermont
(10.01.09, Stade Yves Du Manoir, 16.30)
Clermont
have proved indifferent (at best) on the road so far this
season but travel to Montpellier buoyed by last week’s 32-5
home win against Toulon which featured four tries from
flying Fijian Napolioni Nalaga and finally saw them climb
into the play-off places after a tricky opening to the
campaign. Their form has been steadily improving in recent
weeks – helped by the return of inspirational captain
Aurélien Rougerie – and they were further boosted this week
by Marius Joubert, Benoit Baby, Loic Jacquet and Alexandre
Audebert all signing contract extensions. Montpellier go
into this match having lost three of their last four league
games and knowing that a victory is imperative to avoid them
becoming embroiled in an unwanted relegation battle.
Verdict: Clermont win
Brive v Toulon (10.01.09,
Stade Amédée Domenech, 20.35)
The big
freeze descended on France this week and nowhere has the icy
chill been felt more than in Toulon. The aspirational
“arrivistes” finally sunk into the bottom two last week
courtesy of their latest thrashing – this time 32-5 at
Clermont – and Tana Umaga’s shambolic charges have won just
once in the league since the end of September. That is
nailed on relegation form unless a swift turnaround can be
affected, and the club moved this week to try and halt the
slide by naming former Springbok Joe van Niekerk as their
new captain. Erstwhile leader Jerry Collins now has
off-the-pitch concerns to further furrow his brow, while
outspoken president Mourad Boudjellal appears to have
developed a Good Santa-Bad Santa persona in a bid to
motivate his highly paid but under-achieving stars. ProD2
surely beckons unless the slide can be halted, and Brive
will be in no mood to let that happen as they continue their
drive for a top six finish.
Verdict: Brive win
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