Top 14 Day 12

[Tony Manx]

[TABLE="width: 100%"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]22/11[/TD]
[TD]8:45 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]Toulon Rugby Club
BT Sport 01.00 UK time23/11/13[/TD]
[TD]Perpignan[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]23/11[/TD]
[TD]2:15 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]Bayonne[/TD]
[TD]Grenoble[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD] -[/TD]
[TD]2:15 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]Union Bordeaux-Begles[/TD]
[TD]Stade Flamingo[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD] -[/TD]
[TD]2:15 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]CA Brive-Corrèze[/TD]
[TD]Biarritz Olympique[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD] -[/TD]
[TD]2:15 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]Montpellier Hérault Rugby[/TD]
[TD]Castres Olympique[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD] -[/TD]
[TD]2:15 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]Stade Toulousain[/TD]
[TD]Oyonnax[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD] -[/TD]
[TD]2:30 p.m.[/TD]
[TD]ASM Clermont
BT Sport Live 13.00 UK time[/TD]
[TD]Racing Metro 92[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

The Top 14 returns after the first of its winter breaks with players, who are not playing in the Internationals or some silly friendly in Hong Kong, back from their sun filled trips to exotic climes fully rested and raring to go…………………….interestingly, BT Sports have no UK rugby on at all this weekend yet are not even bothering to take any matches from the Top 14!

It all kicks off on Friday night in the bear pit at Toulon where the visitors are USAP followed on Saturday with all matches kicking off at the admirably sensible time of 14.15 except Clermont who, for some very strange reason, delay their kick off for 15 minutes……presumably while Canal+ get their adverts in!!

Cannot see any away wins other than a possible win by the Parisiens in Bordeaux and guess that will make it easier for "The Gaston" to make his selection this week?

Genevois should be out of custody (after his Mike Phillipseque Saturday night out following the win against Racing) but whether he is there or not should be of no consequence as Brive look far too strong at home to let Biarritz pose too much of a problem……..a win for Bayonne and for UBB would leave Biarritz some 13 points or so adrift of safety!

 

[Big Ewis]

"Stade Flamingo" eh ? gonna run out of ideas soon though, chap ! GIVE IT UP !!!

I dunno who the hell will be watching Top 14 this weekend.....besides apparently you. France is hosting the Boers. But it's true that it's late at night, England stop playing that weekend and there aren't huge fixtures that day of int'l Rugby...

Looking forward to Toulon Perpignan, matches like these give us an indication some times of just how good a side is, and how much it really is in contention. I think Perpignan can manage a fine result there in Mayol.

 

[gaston le gaff]

you missing the TOP 14 so much as you have already posted another 11 days to go yet, or is Biarritz on some sort of extra summer time a week ahead of everybody else.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gaston cant predict so soon needs to think and then rethink and then more think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good to see another BO (Genevois) player hitting the sauce, is BO on some sort of suicide mission

 

[Tony Manx]

Good Lord................no wonder BT Sport not covering it this weekend then!!!

I am out of synch with time as travelling again and got my dates completely mixed up...........

Saw that Biarritz were back in training today and did not realise that there were two weekends off................poor old French players really do have it hard do they not?!!

PS at least I got it up before Big Ewis could this time!!!

 

[Big Ewis]

Good Lord................no wonder BT Sport not covering it this weekend then!!!

I am out of synch with time as travelling again and got my dates completely mixed up...........

Saw that Biarritz were back in training today and did not realise that there were two weekends off................poor old French players really do have it hard do they not?!!

PS at least I got it up before Big Ewis could this time!!!

oh I'll get you some day !!!!!

All home victories for sure, except as you've said the UBB Stade Francais...and quite possibly the Bayonne Grenoble, but I'm going to say all home victories with no exception.

 

[gaston le gaff]

At last, lets get back to the serious stuff, proper rugby by proper teams.
long live the TOP 14. will Rene Ranger and Robert Ebersohn be starting for Montpellier against Champions Castres, will have my first sighting tomorrow at training!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tony Manx]

At last, lets get back to the serious stuff, proper rugby by proper teams.
long live the TOP 14. will Rene Ranger and Robert Ebersohn be starting for Montpellier against Champions Castres, will have my first sighting tomorrow at training!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My thoughts exactly..............see some Irish guys complaining that Sexton has played too many games and that is to blame for his injury on Saturday.....what do they expect him to do to earn zillions of euro? Get wrapped in cotton wool to protect him for the H Cup?

He left Ireland to join the big boys did he not!!!!!

Bring it on..................!!

 

[gaston le gaff]

Exactly, they will never admit to it but so true they are all put in Cotton wool and saved for the H Cup and Internationals now they play in a real league with real commitment it starts to become tough, Jamie Roberts also prone to injuries and now out for a while. The Irish have no domestic league of importance thats why the players come here to test themselves against the best and a few €'s to boot.
I suppose i will be ripped to shreds for this but heh the truth is often the piece that hurts the most!!!!! but who cares we have a fantastic domestic league with loads of class players foreign and French which i prefer, having to playing Rabo week in week out would be not much fun..

 

[Tony Manx]

French imported players...

Interesting article on Rugbyrama....

http://www.rugbyrama.fr/rugby/top-14/2013-2014/goze-toulon-a-ete-le-club-avec-le-plus-de-jiff-sur-les-feuilles-de-match-l-an-passe_sto4010867/story.shtml.............

Where Paul Goze (President of the League and USAP) says that Toulon had the highest average number of French JIFF qualified players on the pitch throughout last season at 12.5 and Castres was one of the lowest!!

Who would have thought..........................

 

[gaston le gaff]

Training yesterday and met out new additions Rene Ranger, Robert Ebersohn and the new medical replacement for Chippie Figallo, Paea Fa'anunu weighing in at about 135/140 kgs a very solid Samoan prop, all muscle and little body fat (could be a handful) who can apparently play both positions, left and right, he has represented the All Blacks at under 20 and with 3 props missing cause Autumn Iternationals he could well be on the bench Sat against Castres, Ranger and Ebersohn could well be starting.
Predictions for Gaston will be all home wins this Sat with Montpellier hopefully sharing top spot with Toulon unless of course we get the bonus point and Toulon do not.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tony Manx]

I can only see two games that MAY provide an away win and they are at Bayonne and Bordeaux where Grenoble and Stade Flamingo are the visitors!

I believe that the home sides are too good for relegation and, while Stade may run their hosts UBB much closer than Grenoble, will have to go along with you on the predictions, Gaston!

These away teams wil be the only ones, with Biarritz, that will get defensive bonus points as Oyonnax and BO slip even futher away from safety........have to say that is the mind saying that but have a sneaky feeling way deep down that BO may just pull one out of the bag this week and next!!

 

[gaston le gaff]

Small mistake in my presentation of our new medical joker, Paea Fa'anunu after all he is not 135/140kgs he actually weighs in at 147kgs and 1.87 cms. Bigger is better who knows but he certainly looks a handful, glad he is on our team.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gaston le gaff]

Team to play Castres tomorrow afternoon ko. 14.15
1. Yvan WATREMEZ - 2. Mickaël IVALDI - 3. Barry FAAMAUSILI - 4. Mickaël DE MARCO - 5. Thibaut PRIVAT - 6. Kélian GALLETIER - 7. Alexandre BIAS - 8. Alex TULOU - 9. Benoit PAILLAUGUE - 10. François TRINH-DUC - 11. Yoan AUDRIN - 12. Wynand OLIVIER - 13. Anthony TUITAVAKE - 14. Rene RANGER - 15. Pierre BERARD

Les remplaçants:

16. Thomas BIANCHIN - 17. Na'ama LELEIMALEFAGA - 18. Robins TCHALE-WATCHOU - 19. Fred QUERCY - 20. Jonathan PELISSIE - 21. Robert EBERSOHN - 22. Anthony FLOCH - 23. Paea FA'ANUNU - See more at: http://www.montpellier-rugby.com/news/la-composition-pour-mhr-co#sthash.RK6F7tnY.dpuf One or two surprises but a team that should be good enough for the win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[racingmetro92]

[TABLE="width: 500"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]Clermont[/TD]
[TD]Racing-Metro[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1. Raphael Chaume[/TD]
[TD]1. Soane Tonga'uiha[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2. Benoit Cabello[/TD]
[TD]2. Virgile Lacombe[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3. Daniel Kotze[/TD]
[TD]3. Luc Ducalcon[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]4. Jamie Cudmore[/TD]
[TD]4. Juandre Kruger[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5. Julien Pierre[/TD]
[TD]5. Francois van der Merwe[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]6. Julien Bonnaire[/TD]
[TD]6. Camille Gérondeau[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]7. Alexandre Lapandry[/TD]
[TD]7. Antoine Battut[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]8. Fritz Lee[/TD]
[TD]8. Jacques Cronje[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]9. Thierry Lacrampe[/TD]
[TD]9. Sébastien Descons[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]10. Brock James[/TD]
[TD]10. Jonathan Wisniewski[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]11. Sitiveni Sivivatu[/TD]
[TD]11. Marc Andreu[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]12. Benson Stanley[/TD]
[TD]12. Fabrice Estebanez[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]13. Regan King[/TD]
[TD]13. Henry Chavancy[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]14. Noa Nakaitaci[/TD]
[TD]14. Adrien Planté[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]15. Jean-Marcellin Buttin[/TD]
[TD]15. Benjamin Lapeyre[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]16. Clément Andrieux[/TD]
[TD]16. Jérémie Maurouard[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]17. Vincent Debaty[/TD]
[TD]17. Davit Khinchagishvili[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]18. Loic Jacquet[/TD]
[TD]18. Karim Ghezal[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]19. Julien Bardy[/TD]
[TD]19. Bernard Le Roux[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]20. Ludovic Radosavljevic[/TD]
[TD]20. Laurent Magnaval[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]21. Mike Delany[/TD]
[TD]21. Benajmin Dambielle[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]22. Julien Malzieu[/TD]
[TD]22. Alexandre Dumoulin[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]23. Clément Ric[/TD]
[TD]23. Walter Desmaison[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

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[Tony Manx]

Menini Genevois Gomez-Kodela Lund E. Marie Guyot Molcard Harinordoquy (c.)
Lesgourgues Waenga Brew Baby Burotu Ngwenya Traille
Subs - Whittaker Synaeghel Lockley Roussarie Peyrelongue Gimenez Couet-Lannes Broster

Eight reasonable players for BO in the infirmary, including the newest recruit, Yachvilli, who injured his knee in training this week. However, they just cannot leave Traille out!!

He is probably best at 15 as good tackler when he gets there, a safe catcher, a huge kicker and it keeps him out of the centre where he blocks any movement to the wide outside………we do miss an attacking linking full back though when he plays there!

 

[Tony Manx]

Just watched the Toulon v USAP match and managed to get right the way through it although bored out of my mind!!!

Toulon were terrible, although they were deined the most obvious try by the video ref, with mistakes galore and no attacking threat. They were held easily with what was described as a team with 15 of their squad missing and could have lost had USAP had anyone who could kick simple goals.

If this is the standard of rugby, after two Saturday's holiday, then this week end should be given a miss..................the spectators in Toulon should be given their money back!

 

[Tony Manx]

Positive game going on at Clermont right now live on BT Sport or usual sources! Clermont 8 up at 10 miiutes!!

 

[Tony Manx]

Two great tries from Caballo (as a winger!!) and Regan King with great display from Fritz Lee in his second game at 8 sees ASM up to 23 points (even with two missed kicks from James)................Racing being hammered!!

 

[Tony Manx]

40-0 after 52 and Racing imploding under sime very skiilful play bt ASM and self destruction from Racing!!

 

[Tony Manx]

BIARRITZ WIN AWAY!!!!!! oh and Montpellier lose at home..............who would have thought that part from my sneaky feeling about BO that is!!!!!