Top 14, round 23 preview: Brive look to bounce back; 60,000 expected at Toulon

16 April 2009

Battle fatigue may be setting in but Brive need to haul themselves up by their boot straps as they seek one last push to secure Heineken Cup qualification for next season.

Top 14's form side over the winter months have faltered at the onset of spring and now find themselves in desperate need of a morale-boosting victory.

Their season-long effort to break into the top six has won many admirers, but a thumping home defeat by Stade Toulousain was followed by European heartbreak at Worcester - leaving that sinking feeling as they head into the final four rounds of league action.

Top 14 Table / Top 14 Fixtures

An away trip to derby rivals Clermont Auvergne beckons this weekend as they seek to repair a leaky defence that has suddenly conceded as many tries in their last two games (nine) as it had in their preceding 17 matches.

Elsewhere, Bayonne (at home to Bourgoin) and Biarritz (at home to Perpignan) go in search of wins that will keep their own European ambitions alive, while Toulon are expecting a 60,000 strong crowd for their 'home' game against leaders Stade Toulousain after switching venues to Marseille's Stade Velodrome.

Faltering Stade Francais will be keen to just get a win under their belts after four defeats in five, while the relegation-threatened pair of Dax and Mont-de-Marsan look to be playing out their final games in Top 14 as they take on Montauban (away) and Castres (at home) respectively.

It all adds up to another fascinating weekend of league action as Top 14 draws inexorably towards its close.

Biarritz v Perpignan, Sports Aguillera, 17/04/09, 20.35

Round 23 kicks off with a potential cracker of a match as in-form Biarritz entertain second-placed Perpignan knowing another victory will further enhance their prospects of Heineken Cup rugby next season. Both teams have enjoyed a week’s rest following their previous matches, but the mood within Les Biarrots’ camp should be buoyant after their hard-fought 19-15 win away to Basque rivals Bayonne. They have now won six of their last eight league games and are being driven forward by the outstanding form of internationals Dimitri Yachvili, Imanol Harinordoquy and Damien Traille. Perpignan, too,  are in good form as they travel on the back of five successive wins since their last defeat – also on the Atlantic coast when they went down 19-13 to Bayonne in February. Their end-of-season position in the top two seems secure, though, and a defeat here shouldn’t really alter that as third-placed Stade Francais are 10 points back. Damien Chouly, Marius Tincu and Ovidiu Tonita are all in line to return from injury for the Catalans, but Viliami Vaki is expected to be out for three weeks after spraining his ankle against Mont-de-Marsan. Magnus Lund and Pelo Som return for the hosts.
Verdict: Biarritz win

Stade Francais v Montpellier, Jean Bouin, 18/04/09, 14.30

Four defeats in five games has done more damage to Stade Francais’ pride than their play-off hopes – they remain eight points clear of fifth-placed Brive – but they will be desperate to return to winning ways at home to Montpellier. There was much talk of humility after their latest reverse – a 21-19 defeat by Clermont Auvergne at the Stade de France – and the Paris aristocrats will be doubly keen on a positive result this weekend as they also seek to avenge their 26-13 defeat at Montpellier back in November. Mercurial Argentine Juan Martin Hernandez could be included for the first time in six weeks to give an added boost. Montpellier, meanwhile, travel in hope more than expectation. Their season appears to be petering out quietly following four defeats in six – a run which has left them as one of the few clubs with little to play for over the remaining four rounds. The fact the last of their three away wins was back at the beginning of November hardly inspires confidence either. Louis Picamoles is injured and misses the trip, while Thierry Brana is still a week or two away from fitness, but Fulgence Ouedraogo – who signed a new contract this week – does travel. Stade Francais, meanwhile, have doubts over centre Mathieu Bastareaud and back row Pierre Rabadan, although Pascal Pape should return.
Verdict: Stade Francais win

Montauban v Dax, Stade Sapiac, 18/04.09, 14.30

Nothing but a five-point win will suffice for Montauban as they attempt to keep alive their slim hopes of Heineken Cup qualification. The eight-point gap to sixth-placed Bayonne looks insurmountable at present, but a bonus-point home win would set them up nicely for the visit of nervous Brive next week. Having said that, Montauban will have to improve considerably on their last showing – a 33-20 defeat at Toulon – if they are to stand any chance of success. Doomed Dax, though, should present the perfect opponents to kick-start that attempt with Thomas Lièvremont's men currently in the midst of a 10-match losing streak that has all but confirmed their relegation. They are now eight points adrift of safety and were crushed 43-6 by Bourgoin in their last match – a hammer blow to their survival hopes. Furthermore, Lièvremont has been slapped with a 20-day touchline ban. It all adds up to a woeful end to the season for a team that appeared relatively confident at the halfway point. Ticket prices have been slashed from €25 to €12 for this match and the following game against Brive.
Verdict: Montauban win

Clermont Auvergne v Brive, Marcel Michelin, 18/04/09, 14.30

Toulon against Stade Toulousain may attract the weekend’s largest crowd but there’s no doubting the key fixture this weekend – part II of the Clermont-Brive derby as fourth plays fifth. The hosts should be in fine spirits after breaking their 98-year Paris hoodoo, while Brive have it all to play for after a brace of painful defeats that threaten to derail their hugely promising season. While the 42-10 home reverse by Stade Toulousain was perhaps to be expected – although not by so wide a margin – their 29-18 loss at Worcester Warriors in the ECC was a major setback. Not only did it end their quest for silverware, it terminated one of their two possible avenues into next season’s Heineken Cup, making Saturday’s trip to Clermont all the more important. “Now we have to wake up and move on,” winger Alexis Palisson reflected this week. “Every match is a mini Championship where we will compare our results with Bayonne [three points behind] and Biarritz [five points back]… Now we need to break this downward spiral. We must finish in fifth place to ensure that our efforts are being rewarded,” he added. The poor recent form of misfiring fly-half Andy Goode is causing concern – he was hauled off before half-time against Worcester – and player fatigue appears to be taking its toll. Antonie Claassen is definitely out while Palisson himself is also doubtful for Brive. Clermont, on the other hand, appear to getting stronger by the week and go into Saturday’s match having amassed 176 points in their last four home games. They will be boosted by news that winger Julien Malzieu has signed a new contract, although they have fitness concerns over prolific fly-half Brock James. A sell-out crowd of 15,838 awaits, with coach Vern Cotter able to play any of Benoit Baby, Seremaia Bai or Brent Russell at 10 if James is deemed unfit. Of more concern to Cotter is the double absence of scrum-half Pierre Mignoni and back row Elvis Vermeulen.
Verdict: Clermont win

Mont-de-Marsan v Castres, Guy Boniface, 18/04/09, 14.30

The Top 14 party is drawing to a close for Mont-de-Marsan, but victory over Castres – who now look safe – could see them end above Dax as they seek to enjoy their last four games in the premier division. A run of five straight defeats has halted any realistic hopes they had of survival, but they will be keen to put in a competitive performance in what looks to be their penultimate home game in Top 14. Castres, by comparison, have driven themselves 12 points clear of the drop zone courtesy of four wins in their last six matches – the kind of form one expected of them far earlier in the season. Whether that allows them to play with the freedom of a team that is safe in its destiny, or relaxes them into an end-of-term sangfroid remains to be seen.
Verdict: Mont-de-Marsan win.

Bayonne v Bourgoin, Jean Dauger, 18/04/09, 14.30

Home defeat in the Basque derby finally ended Bayonne’s season-long impregnability at Stade Jean Dauger, but with three more home games in their remaining four matches they need to quickly re-assert their own self-belief. Nothing hurts like a derby reverse in front of your own supporters, so a home match against Bourgoin offers a quick route to partial redemption. But the visitors arrive on a high after registering three successive wins for the first time this season, and with the last of those their highly impressive 32-30 away victory at London Irish in the ECC. Their Top 14 status now seems assured with a 10-point cushion over Dax, and it could be that they save themselves for the upcoming ECC semi-final and the two subsequent home games to follow. Logic says that Bayonne need the points more to continue their own drive for Heineken Cup qualification.
Verdict: Bayonne win.

Toulon v Stade Toulousain, Stade Velodrome, 18/04/09, 16.30

The weekend’s final game will see a crowd of 60,000 watch struggling Toulon attempt to take a further step towards Top 14 survival as they entertain leaders and defending champions Stade Toulousain. Mourad Boudjellal’s gamble to take the match to Marseille’s Stade Velodrome has paid off in terms of ticket sales, but he freely admitted this week that it could play into Toulouse’s hands as the stadium is unlikely to replicate the intimidating atmosphere of the Felix Mayol. A defensive point would be a fair return for Toulon, and the news that Ross Skeate is back in the squad will be a welcome boost to Tana Umaga. As will Guy Noves’ confirmation that Yannick Jauzion, Cedric Heymans and Maxime Medard are all to be rested, along with the perennially fragile David Skrela. That could prompt a return to league action for long-term absentee Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, while exciting young centre Remi Lamerat is set for another run-out. The effects of their Heineken Cup hangover remain unknown, but it could just be that Toulon spring a surprise, with victory hardly essential for the visitors as they have already guaranteed their play-off berth. Toulon have been an improving team of late – as witnessed by two wins, a draw and a last-minute defeat to Perpignan in their last five games – and the burgeoning centre partnership of master and apprentice – Umaga and Sonny Bill Williams – is beginning to show real signs of flourishing.
Verdict: Toulon win

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