To 14 Day 26 - The Final Curtain

[Tony Manx]

[TABLE="width: 100%"]
<tbody style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">[TR="class: altrow, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]04/05[/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]14:45[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]Biarritz Olympique[/TD]
[TD]Stade Français[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"] - [/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]14:45[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]ASM Clermont[/TD]
[TD]Union Bordeaux-Bègles[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: altrow, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"] - [/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]14:45[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]Mont-de-Marsan[/TD]
[TD]Aviron Bayonnais[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"] - [/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]14:45[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]Montpellier Hérault Rugby[/TD]
[TD]Perpignan[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: altrow, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"] - [/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]14:45[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]Racing Métro 92[/TD]
[TD]Castres Olympique[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"] - [/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]14:45[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]Rugby Club Toulonnais[/TD]
[TD]SU Agen[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: altrow, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"] - [/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]14:45[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]Stade Toulousain[/TD]
[TD]Grenoble[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]


So the final act of the league season proper approaches with all game kicking off on a Saturday at 14.45....Oh, but for the whole season to be like that!!

The top 7 places are now settled with Perpignan securing the 7th and last H Cup place with their easy victory over BO....their last game is away to Montpellier who are seeking to sneak above Racing (who are home to Castres) into 5th place but I do not see any of the top 7 teams chaging positon when the dust settles.

So the only real possibility of change includes Stade Francais, Grenoble, Bayonne and Biarritz in the fight for 8 through 11 places and some vestige of pride after yet another dreadful season for all them other than Grenoble who should take a lot of pride in their performances during the season that saw them stay in the top 6 for a large part of the season.......

I think there will be home wins for all teams apart from Bayonne, who should take the spoils against MdM despite their having Wednesday off training due to it being the end of season adn May Day, and BO who will fall to Stade to complete a miserable season and I am saying no more other than I expect it to be even more miserable next season with the "leaked" list of signings and departures known to date.

 

[Tony Manx]

I have just seen that it will be Simon Shaw's last game for Toulon as contract not being renewed but is looking at offers from Aviva Premiership at grand old age of 40............Don''t you just love the guy that has half the number of caps for England that he deserved!!

 

[ZeFrenchy]

The top 7 places are now settled with Perpignan securing the 7th and last H Cup place with their easy victory over BO....

Well, that could, in theory, still go to SF.

I have just seen that it will be Simon Shaw's last game for Toulon as contract not being renewed but is looking at offers from Aviva Premiership at grand old age of 40............Don''t you just love the guy that has half the number of caps for England that he deserved!!

Isn't he playing the playoffs?

 

[Big Ewis]

A part from like 1 or 2 matchups, these all look like they could be pretty entertaining matches.

 

[ZeFrenchy]

The Toulon-Agen game will be interesting. The Agen players started a strike today (ok with the French stereotypes), so depending on whether that lasts, we may see the espoirs of the second-worst top 14 side against Toulon. Laporte, meanwhile, announced that Toulon would play as many 1st-choice as possible, so that they don't lose the rythm (Toulon won't be playing next week in any case).
As the espoirs (U23) are playing that same day, we may see a few "reichel" (U21) playing against the likes of Bakkies Botha and (for the first time) Ricky Elsom.
Toulon has two injured hookers, so it is likely that Chilachava will be the replacement hooker, with Ivaldi starting. The preliminary 24-man squad:

Forwards: Ivaldi, Chilachava, Chiocci, Sheridan, Hayman, Jenkins, Kubriashvili, Suta, Botha, Shaw, Rossouw, Elsom, Masoe, Armitage and Van Niekerk.
Backs: Durand, Michalak, Wilkinson, Mermoz, Messina, Bastareaud, Smith, Martin, Palisson.

Chiocci is likely to be playing with the U-23, and I think they'd be cray to risk playing Hayman, Sheridan, Botha or Wilkinson from the start. Armitage, Rossouw, Elsom and Michalak could use the game time.

 

[Tony Manx]

Well, that could, in theory, still go to SF.

Biarritz 52 points
Bayonne 53 poiints
Grenoble 54 points
Stade Francais 54 points
Perpignan 61 points
Montpellier 68 points

Last I heard, the Union were in talks with Agen managment @ 16.00 but have heard nothing since?

Lastly, you are right....he could still play another couple of games with them but this is the last in the league phase!!

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Yeah, 7th is sure to be for USAP, but SF may play H Cup instead, if they beat Leinster.

 

[Tony Manx]

Yeah, 7th is sure to be for USAP, but SF may play H Cup instead, if they beat Leinster.

Gotcha....of course, France cannot have more than seven teams and the winners of the Amlin are automatic.....sorry!

Would like to venture that USAP have got little to eff all chance in Dublin and will stick with my prediction of USAP for the H Cup next season!!

 

[gaston le gaff]

home wins for all, even Mont de Marsan could just beat Bayonne as they say farewell to the TOP 14 for at least a season, Agen stil in talks over bonus payments (meeting this morning)
Montpellier getting geared up for the last game of the season against USAP. Hopefully a 5 pointer as USAP have several injuries, and we have that very slender chance of having a play off at home, we win with 5 points, Racing beat Castres 4 pts and Castres get nothing will give us 4th place as Montpellier have a better average over Racing and Castres in the games played this season ,only just though, by 1 and 2 pts but even if that does not happen we have a barrage game away, against Castres Racing or Toulouse next week.
We have a full house + Sneaky Pete and the Moonshiners (rockabilly band) at half time cant wait the only people who will be safe will be the players as they will be in the dressing rooms and we will be submitted once againn to Audio Violence!!!!!!!!

 

[Big Ewis]

say, anybody got a nice link btw ?? (we don't have Canal + in Qatar !! all the other channels, just not this one...)

 

[Taranus]

Some very high scoring games, especially Clermont running in 9 tries. Play offs to be:

Toulouse v Racing
Castres v Montpellier

 

[Tony Manx]

So predictions, for once, totally accurate except forecasted a defeat for BO against Stade......in the event it was a bonus point win!!

However, to be fair to myself, Stade turned up with a team containing only 5 of the team that started their last home match against Racing and even Sackey managed to start his 9th game of the season! Biarritz were very good (against this second team like Clermont before them) with a try in the third minute putting them on their way to a very easy victory offset only by giving away two stupid tries early in the scond half.....

Heguy was brilliant in the loose, scrum and line out, the two wingers (Thomas and Zee) had so much time in scoring their tries that they each gave one try to the other having crossed the try line!! Imanol, when he was not suffering one of his three "serious" injuries, was with Erik Lund in total charge of the line out until Heguy went off when Ruffenbach started with two wild throws. Yach was good at 9 but then became sublime at 10 half way through the second half especially when he threw a pass behind his back for Imanol to canter over.

The game showed that BO play better with Traille on the bench and even better when Bosch manages to, at last, pass the ball instead of running selfishly up blind allies........mind you he will have plenty of time to watch how it is done sitting on Sarries bench next year 'cos cannot see where he will be fit on on the field!! Buruto in the centre had a very strong game attack wise but was shown up in defence.

Great end of term party that started at 11.00 am (and is probably still rocking) but it was against very, very poor Stade who went on holldiay last week I reckon!

Final word......sorry that Contempone went off at half time not to re-appear. He deserved the chance to get the standing ovation that Benoit August, an ex Stade player, got before the match commenced in his final season as a player for BO. Au revoir Benoit et Fillipe et bon chance!!

 

[Tony Manx]

Some very high scoring games, especially Clermont running in 9 tries. Play offs to be:

Toulouse v Racing
Castres v Montpellier

So that makes it

Clermont v Toulouse
Toulon v Castres in semi finals

and Toulon v Clermont in the Final with ASM the victors and H Cup champions!!

 

[psychic duck]

When was the last time Biarritz finished below their Basque neighbours Bayonne?

As Tony Manx says, their decline is likely to continue further next season considering the signings they have made. Doesn't seem that long ago though that they were thrashing Toulouse in the Top 14 final and had players like Philippe Bernat-Salles and Serge Betsen.

Anyway, since then, only Yachvili and Harinordoquy remain, virtually every other player in the team isn't as good as who they had there in 2005.

A shame they are declining though, as I prefer them to Bayonne who are a poorly run club, play crap rugby, and have ruined the talents of some good players.

 

[Tony Manx]

Thanks for the syympathy Duck.....Traille and Perylongue were also there in those halcyon days of 2005 but, unfortunately, so was Serge Blanco who is a wonderful man but pretty crap CEO in a professional era with too many other interests for the LNR, Hotels, Spas and shops.

I would say that only Yach has a few more seasons in him but as with Brusqe, Bidabet,, August and a few others, Blanco rewards longevity with more longevity and then too much longevity to the detriment of the class young players who come through but leave due to the glass ceiling. At the moment that is Lakafia on the bench too many times whilst Imanol creaks on......Lesgourges is getting more game time at 9 as they shift Yach to fill the 10 spot that they have failed to fill since they were forced to play more than a 9 man game.....

It is a long time since BO were behind Bayonne but, with the differential in budgets or apparent difference considering their payroll, BO better get used to it as it could happen more often now.

There is a growing, although small, swell of public opinion toward "Fusion" being a merger of the two sides which, economically, geographically and common sense dictates is the only way that the region is going to survive in the Top 14 with the the distinct possibility of Afflellou having other matters to occupy himself with rather than financing the AB's and no really big companies based in the area to fund the necessary larger budgets to compete. Howver, the supporters, more of Bayonne I would say, will fight this to the death!!

 

[Big Ewis]

took a look at the scores earlier...just wtf.

 

[gaston le gaff]

56 min in the Racing Castres match and our chance of a home 1/4 final tie went out of the window, just till then it all looked too good, so we now have to go to Castres and win, we have never lost a 1/4 final at Castres!!!!! so already the Gods could be with us.
Pure rugby at Montpellier 7 tries for MHR and 4 for USAP, end to end stuff for 80 mins, and then big party afterwards excellent Sat. Drickus Hanke 8 yrs at the club( retiring) Julien Tomas, 18 yrs at the club (Castres next season) both got massive standing ovations when they were replaced then a superb Tour d'Honneur by all the players Its 10 years since MHR came up into the then TOP 16, so the players of that team had a game before the official ko. great to see some of the players again...some still playing like Philemon Toleafoa (Lyon) As Castres have to play at thier own ground Pierre Antoine very small only 10,000, we have an excellent chance of going through to the semi's but will be a very tough Sat afternoon for Montpellier.

 

[Tony Manx]

Good luck me ol' mate but they have to start favourites! What is it about France? Having endured 5 crappy weather days to attend the last home games only to see Stade fail turn up with anything like a meaningful side and make Biarritz look like effing world champions, I stupidly started to drive back to Uk only to find every hotel with its restaurant closed until I got to Avranche where the dear old Ibis did not let me down and I would recommended it to anyone as I sit here and watch the snooker finals for 2.99 euro!!