Champions Cup - Pool 5, Round 1 (Treviso, Northampton, Ospreys, Racing Metro)

[TRF_Olyy]

Round 1 Fixtures

Live on Sky Sports

Live on Sky Sports/beIN
​

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

A diffiicult one for Racing first up if you look at the Premiership and Top14 logs; Saints pretty on top while Racing are bottom of the top contenders in France at 7th (though really we were robbed against SF on the weekend and should be in 4rth ahead of Montpellier).

Hopefully the ridiculous home advantage in Europe (particularly France) holds true and we sneak it. RM still a work in progress though IMO when it comes to structure/identity. Surely we'll do better in Europe than last year in what was something of a 'pool of death'.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Will be interesting to see whether Racing play any of their Welsh players, considering the rumours of them moving back to Wales mid-season.
While they've missed the initial squad-naming deadline they could still be brought into whichever region they play for, as an injury replacement if they don't turn out for RM before hand.

 

[big ginger 8]

Will Sexton be fit for this? I know people say he's been crap for Racing but that's a load of hyperbole, playing in Europe is also kinda his thing not least against NH!

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Don't know if Sexton will be available. I expect not for the first match though I'd certainly play him, Lydiate and Roberts if available. Dambielle has been solid but I have to say- and particularly since I am South African- I've been frustrated with RM92 playing Goosen at 15 of late.

 

[Big Ewis]

Racing nothing like what they were at this time last year. An absolute shame, shame, shame that last campaign, goddamn son...and this year they've got players who'll actually play for the club. Been one of my favorite teams to watch this year of ze french clubs, up front like dat backline. Unfortunately I'm guessing Teddy Thomas is very uncertain ? Hoping to see one of our best up-and-coming centers show what he made uuuuv. Alexandre Dumoulin. Been keeping that sac of sh...err I mean that colossal but utterly fkng useless Ramie Joberts on the bench. Man was it worth it giving that guy a flat opposite le Louvre...Dambielle the 10 been holdin' the cavalry fairly well in the Irish homeboy's absence so far, except from the tee.
Dat young buck Bok the goose has really sprung to life that last weekend and is startin to feel at home, good signs, nice. More than a huge boot all of a sudden.
And of course, Racing got little Brice this year...

No issues up front with a trademark and highly functional franco-Afrikaner pack, just the scrum...Saints seem like they've got a scrum don't they, and Ducalcon and Mujati can only do so much in there...oh and, regards of sympathy for the Italian club in there. Dey gon get ficked up the boot.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Oh, hi, Big E, the unbanned. Been too quiet here without the Ewis.

I was wanting to ask; do you know of a reliable website to get injury updates for the Top 14 teams?

 

[Tony Manx]

Oh, hi, Big E, the unbanned. Been too quiet here without the Ewis.

I was wanting to ask; do you know of a reliable website to get injury updates for the Top 14 teams?

Good question because the clubs tend not to say much!!!

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Good question because the clubs tend not to say much!!!

It's a bit frustrating to have to wait till the line-ups are announced every time. Good thing I'm not playing some form of Top XIV fantasy XV; I'd go bonkers.

 

[TheSaffycen]

My prediction on the Metro v Saints game-
Without seeing the lineups I can't say for certain but a few things-
Scrum Time: Normally the French whenever they play English teams they know they have the advantage up front, not this time. Saints have as big a pack as can be put out by nearly every team in Europe, and when they get front foot ball they are nearly impossible to stop. Players like Manoa, Lawes, Hartley keep coming around the corner and it's nearly always resulting in points.
In the backs: In Lee Dickson and Myler you have a very steady half back pairing which can both kick well and put their team in space. Myler was the top points scorer in the prem last year with 98, and his kicking has been incredible this year as well. Outside him you have Burrell and Pisi in the centres. Burrell at 6ft 3/109kg and George Pisi at 6ft 1/94kg might not be hard to guess what there strenghts are. They run like two trains all day but combined with quite quick hands on their day just cause teams too many problems. Outwide you have one of the best wingers in the world in George North, big strong not really much else to say. Ken Pisi (the little brother) has electric pace and has come on a lot more this year. At the back Ben Foden will always cause teams problems and will thrive on loose kicks.
Overall i believe that if this game is close after 60 minutes Saints fitness (watch the prem final last year) and power could be too much for Racing, but could struggle if Metro come and play like they have been in the Top 14. If someone would like to do something similar for Metro it would be appreciated as I have seen very little of them apart from highlights.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

For Racing, well a lot depends on if everyone is fit. Thomas for instance has been our form winger but I am not sure if he is fit after the weekend. Captain Szarzewski another question mark but that can just be due to me having precious little access to 'out-of-match' info. I don't think Sexton will be for these first matches but Dambielle has been good in general play getting the backline going. Since last year Racing has been.. opening up a tad. The defense is still mostly there and the general play kicking for territory accurate but we've added another arrow to our quiver IMO. Thanks in large parts to a mostly new backline featuring Dulin, Thomas, Goosen, Dumoulin; guys that like to have a go ball-in-hand. I think the fact that the likes of Jamie Roberts and Mike Philips are pretty much resigned to the bench should say something. At least for form if not proven class. The big big weakness here, and we've missed out against Paris this weekend because of it; 30% success at goal. You aren't going to win important matches if you can't put the points on the board. We outscored Paris 3 tries to 1 and, ref aside, the match was there to be won.

The pack is pretty settled and despite not having names that'll push for a world XV they are a good unit, a very good unit IMO actually. No weaknesses, but not the best in any given position. Just a well balanced pack of well balanced forwards who have had some time together as a unit. I'd say the team is hitting a bit of form so hopefully that shows in Europe... IF we can get some kicks over in between the poles. That's where Sexton might add a lot if he were available.

 

[gaston le gaff]

Oh, hi, Big E, the unbanned. Been too quiet here without the Ewis.

I was wanting to ask; do you know of a reliable website to get injury updates for the Top 14 teams?

It is something that is kept reasonably quiet in the TOP 14, we give a weekly list which was today to the journos present at the press training day but we never put the list on our website. but if you did not know FTD HAS A FRACTURED LEG!!!!! cant tell you anymore or i will be shot at dawn or tarred and feathered the French way!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Big Ewis]

Oh, hi, Big E, the unbanned. Been too quiet here without the Ewis.

I was wanting to ask; do you know of a reliable website to get injury updates for the Top 14 teams?

unbanned, but for how long ?!! I still think it was a conspiracy from the Engineers. You ever seen Promethe...never mind.
Nope I do not, haven't looked all that hard for it really...I've got loads of news feeds from most places I go online so I know about the injuries that matter for me. In fact that's part of why I'd made that thread in the General Rugby section.

My prediction on the Metro v Saints game-
Without seeing the lineups I can't say for certain but a few things-
Scrum Time: Normally the French whenever they play English teams they know they have the advantage up front, not this time. Saints have as big a pack as can be put out by nearly every team in Europe, and when they get front foot ball they are nearly impossible to stop. Players like Manoa, Lawes, Hartley keep coming around the corner and it's nearly always resulting in points.
In the backs: In Lee Dickson and Myler you have a very steady half back pairing which can both kick well and put their team in space. Myler was the top points scorer in the prem last year with 98, and his kicking has been incredible this year as well. Outside him you have Burrell and Pisi in the centres. Burrell at 6ft 3/109kg and George Pisi at 6ft 1/94kg might not be hard to guess what there strenghts are. They run like two trains all day but combined with quite quick hands on their day just cause teams too many problems. Outwide you have one of the best wingers in the world in George North, big strong not really much else to say. Ken Pisi (the little brother) has electric pace and has come on a lot more this year. At the back Ben Foden will always cause teams problems and will thrive on loose kicks.
Overall i believe that if this game is close after 60 minutes Saints fitness (watch the prem final last year) and power could be too much for Racing, but could struggle if Metro come and play like they have been in the Top 14. If someone would like to do something similar for Metro it would be appreciated as I have seen very little of them apart from highlights.

wow, Saints look tough as shhit, forgot they had some of those players...hmm...godrace, Speeding Metro.

Well to be as concise as possible like I said big pack the Racingmen but the scrum may be an advantage for the Holy ones, check out Rabah Slimani eating up Racing front row:


- Front row: Ben Arous promising kid, could be our very own French Cian Healy soon. Needs to scrummage better, but around the park he's good. Brugnaut a good scrummager also at LH. Ducalcon and Mujati are okay at TH. Virgile Lacombe is a very active, powerful forward at hooker.
- The Boer second row is awesome: Kruger the ambivalent one, smart, playful. VdM the huge lock.
- Backrow: They've got Le Roux, a regular, offers power. Gérondeau off the bench brings strength and athleticism. Lauret, the breakdown efficient, tackling speedster. Claassen is kind of like Kruger but as a no.8.
- Halfbacks: Machenaud on form this entire year and Mike Phillips brings his muscular self to SH. Dambielle the 10 has been solid, showed some creative passing. Goosen the young buck Bok buck and his huge boot, accurate drop goal/goal kicking has looked more at east now in France.
- Midfield: Roberts still in France ? Anyways Chavancy the local favorite huge dedication, strong frame but not a fancy center. Dumoulin the young, very promising center (powerful, good passer, good skill, Rugby brain) and that Laulaulau or wtvr I think still injured but very good they say.
- Back Three: Dulin is the best FB in the league, period. Along with absolute arrows on the sides, Marc Andreu, Thomas, Planté...Imhoff.

Racing have had flow this year. As stormaré dos mil ten said, yep, goal kicking an issue when your number one option there has been sidelined (and bittching about returning home..) the entire season...we'll see.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I don't know about the scrum. I mean, sure we've had trouble before and apparently the Saints have a great scrum but I have seen that it's pointless trying to predict which side will have scrum dominance beforehand as it's rarely a case of A is better than B is better than C and even then momentum can swing in the scrum just as with any other facet of play in a game and it's not as if Racing has a poor scrum to start with. Even then a game with good flow can see precious few scrums or more likely a poor ref could mean the scrum is an absolute lottery. Maybe I'm just trying to convince myself here. Anyway I'm not going to have restless sleep before the fact about the scrums. I feel kicking accuracy and discipline in defense will be far more important.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

​Shows you what I know; Sexton in. Racing nearly full strength. Pity about Thomas and Szarzewski though. Anyway, can't wait!

For Racing Métro:
15 Brice Dulin, 14 Juan Imhoff, 13 Alexandre Dumoulin, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Marc Andreu, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Antoine Claassen, 7 Bernard le Roux, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Francois van der Merwe (c), 4 Juandré Kruger, 3 Luc Ducalcon, 2 Virgile Lacombe, 1 Julien Brugnaut
Replacements:
16 Jeremie Maurouard, 17 Eddy Ben Arous, 18 Brian Mujati, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Camille Gerondeau, 21 Mike Phillips, 22 Johan Goosen, 23 Yoan Audrin

For Northampton:15 Ben Foden, 14 Ken Pisi, 13 George Pisi, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 George North, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Kahn Fotuali'i, 8 Samu Manoa, 7 Tom Wood, 6 Calum Clark, 5 Christian Day, 4 Courtney Lawes, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Dylan Hartley (c), 1 Alex Waller
Replacements:
16 Mikey Haywood, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Gareth Denman, 19 James Craig, 20 Phil Dowson, 21 Lee Dickson, 22 James Wilson, 23 Jamie Elliott

 

[Big Ewis]

Racing sticking their big guns out again for the Euro Cup. Sexton back after months of sulking and Roberts the giant skillless center. They go with Brugnaut in the front row as the more experienced, better scrummaging prop over Ben Arous. Rest of the pack is standard. Andreu Imhoff and Dulin back three, small but thunderous pace throughout. Too bad the Saint fans don't get to see Teddy Thomas first hand, injured for a little while. Phillips and Goosen for a bit of a suspect halfback pairing off the bench..
Allez les ciel et blanc.

 

[big ginger 8]

Yes fracturing your cheekbone is sulking, clearly...

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I assume Big Ewis was referring to transfer talks relating to Sexton rather than the injury.

 

[Big Ewis]

I assume Big Ewis was referring to transfer talks relating to Sexton rather than the injury.

dude, please. It's so much fun, don't ruin it for me !!
And maybe Goosen can finally play up to his reputation himself, tsk...

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

LOL but Goose has been living up to his reputation; remember I said in SA he is seen as mercurial and never built further on early promise. And hasn't been able to work on his weaknesses. Still a very young player though and TBF this is the longest run without injury he has had.