The
build up to Friday’s late-night Paris showdown between
France and Wales has rightly dominated the press this week,
but over in Bourgoin it’s been all about the visit of Tana
Umaga and his travelling Toulon clan.
The
former New Zealand captain made his playing comeback in the
capital last weekend and is all set for another bite of the
cherry tonight as Round 18 of the Top 14 kicks off, sans
internationals of course.
Bourgoin
versus Toulon brings two of the five relegation candidates
face-to-face, but it is the lack of international players
that could have a telling affect on this weekend’s
proceedings.
Bourgoin
will have to make do without France scrum-half Morgan Parra,
but it’s the losses elsewhere which make for an intriguing
set of fixtures.
Stade
Francais travel to in-form Brive with no less than seven
first-choice players absent, while Toulouse, likewise,
entertain local rivals Montauban with almost half their team
away on international duty.
Of the
top four Perpignan look the least depleted with only two
absentees – both Scots – for their home visit of
Montpellier, while Clermont are four down as they host
Castres.
Mont-de-Marsan and Bayonne are relatively unscathed for
their clash at the Stade Guy Boniface, while Biarritz play
host to Dax without their totem Imanol Harinordoquy.
Who will
cope best remains to be seen, but it could be a good weekend
for Toulouse given Lièvremont's decision not to call on the
services of Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, David Skrela and
Frederic Michalak.
Bourgoin v Toulon (Pierre
Rajon, 27/02/09, 19.00)
Three
wins and a draw in their last six games have given Bourgoin
a timely lift up to 10th position, but their five
point lead over 13th-placed Toulon could be all
but wiped out should they suffer a home defeat tonight. For
that to happen Toulon would have to break a season-long
habit of losing on the road – nine out of nine so far – but
Umaga’s side have shown improvement of late and even
outscored Stade Francais by two tries to one in Paris last
week. Bourgoin will have to make do without scrum-half Parra
(with France), while injuries have also denied them the
services of lock Camille Levast, captain Julien Frier,
hooker Tone Kopelani and winger Jean-Francois Coux. Umaga,
meanwhile, continues his playing comeback tonight, alongside
the ever-improving Sonny Bill Williams, and a victory here
would set up Toulon nicely for their forthcoming run of four
home games out of five. The loss of Kiwi full-back Orene
Ai’i to injury is a major blow – he’s been their most
consistent player this season – but I’ve got a sneaky
feeling for Toulon to take the points.
Verdict: Toulon win
Brive v Stade Francais
(Amédée Domenech, 28/02/09, 14.15)
Brive
may be without fly-half Andy Goode but there won’t be a
better time to take on the Paris giants with seven of their
squad away on international duty. Goode’s deputy Luciano
Orquera proved himself with a match-winning display against
Biarritz last weekend – after coming on as a sub – and with
just one defeat in 12 they go into the crunch match with
momentum on their side. Victory at the Stade Amédée Domenech
will further consolidate their push for a top six finish,
and the Coujoux will take heart from Stade’s struggle to put
away Toulon last week. The visitors, meanwhile, will also
travel in good spirits – and on the back of a seven-match
unbeaten run – even if they will have to make do without
Dimitri Szarzewski, Sylvain Marconnet, Mathieu Bastareaud,
Sergio Parisse, Simon Taylor and the Bergamasco brothers.
They still have such talents as Juan-Martin Hernandez, Mark
Gasnier and their flying wingers Julien Arias and Julien
Saubade to call on. Should be a tight one.
Verdict: Brive win
Perpignan v Montpellier
(Aime Giral, 28/02/09, 14.30)
Perpignan will be desperate to get back to winning ways
after last week’s 19-13 defeat at Bayonne and Montpellier
should provide the ideal opponents. The crisis-riddled club
have won just three of their last 11 games in all
competitions – and two of those were at home to Toulon.
Their last away win was in Castres back at the beginning of
November and they will be further hamstrung by the triple
absence of Fulgence Ouedraogo, Louis Picamoles and Francois
Trinh-Duc. Perpignan, meanwhile, continue to try and come to
terms with life AC – After Carter – as Ignacio Mieres
settles into the cursed No 10 shirt for the Catalans.
Verdict: Perpignan win
Mont-de-Marsan v Bayonne (Guy
Boniface, 28/02/09, 14.30)
Early-season play-off candidates Bayonne finally got their
show back on the road last week with an impressive 19-13
home win against Perpignan - their first league win for
three months - and one would expect them to continue that
form as they travel to basement club Mont-de-Marsan. The
potential sticking point, however, is Les Montois’ refusal
to go down without a fight, especially at their beloved
Stade Guy Boniface. They have only lost once in their last
five home outings there, and even in that game they picked
up a hard-earned bonus point against Stade Francais.
Bayonne, by contrast, have only won three games on the road
and have not been victorious on their travels since they
beat Bourgoin 13-9 in mid-November. Neither side is affected
by international calls.
Verdict: Mont-de-Marsan win
Clermont v Castres (Marcel
Michelin, 28/02/09, 14.30)
Improving Castres will draw on fond memories of their 12-6
home win against Clermont back in September – one of only
two league victories on home turf this season – but Les
Jaunards are a different proposition at the Marcel Michelin,
and have found greater consistency of late despite last
week’s defeat at Toulouse. They also know victory is
imperative to stave off the mounting challenge for a
play-off spot from Brive, Montauban and season-long rivals
Bayonne. Castres, the division’s draw specialists, will be
looking to build on a recent turnaround that has seen them
pick up a vital 11 points in their last five games. Another
defensive bonus point would probably suffice at the weekend,
especially given the absence of Lionel Nallet, Sebastien
Tillous-Borde (both with France) and Romain Teulet
(injured).
Verdict: Clermont win
Biarritz v Dax (Sports
Aguilera, 28/02/09, 14.30)
Only
three places separate these two sides but the gap in form
over the past two months suggests a wider discrepancy than
that. Biarritz, despite losing narrowly in Brive last
weekend, have shown signs of revival since their shocking
pre-Christmas run, while Dax have lost eight of their last
nine games, including five on the spin in Top 14. Les
Biarrots may have only won two of their previous five league
games but they did manage defensive bonus points in the
other three, confirming their renewed competitiveness.
Harinordoquy and Fabien Barcella are both with Les Bleus -
while Italian Andrea Masi is still suspended – but Dax’s
woeful recent form does little to suggest optimism for the
visitors.
Verdict: Biarritz win
Toulouse v Montauban (Ernest
Wallon, 28/02/09, 20.35)
The
weekend’s final game sees defending champions and leaders
Toulouse entertain local rivals Montauban on Saturday
evening. The loss of seven players to the international
cause would seriously undermine most clubs, but such is
Toulouse’s strength in depth they will still be able to
field a half-back combination of Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and
David Skrela – a potent duo who many believe should have
been donning the blue shirt in Paris on Friday night. And
just in case you were in any doubt about their quality, they
can also call on the services of Frederic Michalak from the
bench. That, combined with the twin stats of Montauban’s
woeful away record – they have yet to win on the road in the
league this season – and Toulouse’s impervious home record,
would seem to point to victory No 15 for Guy Noves’ team.
Montauban will also be without Cedric Rosalen, who sustained
broken ribs in last week’s home win against Montpellier.
Verdict: Toulouse win
