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Top 14 2011/2012 season

Who will win the Brennus Shield this season?

  • Biarritz

    Votes: 2 16.7%

  • Castres

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Clermont

    Votes: 3 25.0%

  • Montpellier

    Votes: 1 8.3%

  • Racing Métro

    Votes: 3 25.0%

  • Toulon

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Toulouse

    Votes: 2 16.7%

  • Other (explain)

    Votes: 1 8.3%
  • Total voters
    12
  • Poll closed .
The Toulon-Agen match has been scheduled the 13th of december.
 
A shame about Cudmore. Clermont didn't play well in the H-Cup either, hopefully they'll bounce back. Biarritz's selections during the previous weekend give us indication that all of their top talent will be back for Top 14 when it resumes.
 
go to 2 minutes 50 seconds and 6 minutes 15 seconds on this video and you will be astonished that the defender on those clips has nearly 40 caps for England

[video=dailymotion;xmrnqt]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xmrnqt_resume-de-match-biarritz-montpellier_sport?start=488#from=embediframe[/video]
 
I think it will be a Black sunday at RM92 tomorrow, first the loss against Stade last week and now their third loss in Europe.
 
Amobokoboko said:
I think it will be a Black sunday at RM92 tomorrow, first the loss against Stade last week and now their third loss in Europe.
Click to expand...

Indeed. Their defence fell apart in the second half, missing more tackles than an army of eunuchs. Berbizier will not be a happy man.
 
Any news on line-ups for tomorrow nights game? I might wake up to watch it if Giteau makes the #22. And I've got nothing better to do because I'm sick at home.
 
Not seen the matchday 23, but he's been named on the list of 25 players they're selecting from, so it seems very likely he'll at least come off of the bench
 
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Sweet, I'm gonna wake up for this. I still haven't seen Junior Pelesasa playing for Agen! Also funny to see Giteau and Henjak back together, they played together right through their junior rugby and I think are best mates. Not to mention Pat O'Connor as well. Anyway, that could be 4 former Force players on the pitch :D
 
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Toulon cruised it and now move above Agen to take third place - still quite a way behind Toulouse and Clermont though. Anyone watch the game?
 
Drifted in and out of the 2nd half, looked a good game and Giteau was on good form

Sent from my HTC Incredible S using Tapatalk
 
Yea, Giteau looked good at 12, that was one of his better performances all year. I think he is going to enjoy France.

Toulon backrow was amazing as well.
 
Amobokoboko said:
Clermont did a great thing by winning yesterday.
Click to expand...

And Toulouse didn't do badly either. Bounced back from last weekend's home defeat in the HEC to shred Montpellier. Stade Francais heaped even more misery on Biarritz with Toulon struggling to beat Lyon.
 
Idd, still don't get it. Biarritz has a fine team but the results aren't what they supposed to be.
 
Amobokoboko said:
Idd, still don't get it. Biarritz has a fine team but the results aren't what they supposed to be.
Click to expand...

Biarritz decided against signing up some medical jokers during the World Cup to replace the missing players. They also had to get by longer than most other clubs due to France reaching the Final (5 players) and Argentina (2 players) reaching the Quarter Finals. Ngwenya was missing to RWC duty too.

Biarritz also had it tough because it games against weaker sides during the World Cup and then stronger one after it. This gave the liked of Agen, Castres and Brive wins that they should not have got. Since the return of players all three have fallen away. Castres haven´t won since round seven. The matches in bold were during the World Cup while the ones in red should have been wins. Three were loses and one a draw. So, thats 16 lost points (excluding bonus points) and also the 2 point win over Bordeaux-Begles should have been a bonus point win. Add them up and Biarritz, with its team together would now sit in eighth position on 32 points - just 2 points behind Racing Métro and Stade Français and three behind Castres.

Toulon 30-5 Biarritz
Biarritz 18-23 Agen
Toulouse 24-0 Biarritz
Biarritz 24-29 Perpignan
Bordeaux-Begles 11-13 Biarritz
Brive 32-7 Biarritz
Biarritz 15-15 Lyon
Clermont 41-0 Biarritz

I doubt Biarrtiz will be relegated. The club should get up to around 10th. Brive are dropping quickly and not playing better than Lyon or Bayonne so I´d tip them to be in the bottom two-three within 3 roudns from now. Bordeaux-Begles are so inconsistent - should´ve defeated Perpignan and were in charge yet got smashed in the secondhalf.
 
The top 10 best and worst signings of the Top 14 this season (from Midi Olympique)

The best signings

1. Timoci Matanavou – Toulouse
This lightweight Fijian looks like he should be playing Sevens but has proved a great finisher at the full game, being named best player in ProD2 last season and up a level in the Top 14 now for Toulouse he has scored 9 tries in 12 starts so far .

2. Luke McAlister – Toulouse
Despite his poor goal kicking which cost Toulouse the Harlequins match last week, his playmaking has been continually first class, should have been the All Blacks second choice fly half at the World Cup.

3. Steffon Armitage – Toulon
Replacing George Smith was never going to be an easy task, but Armitage has done a great job so far in Toulon who have improved on last season's poor display, could be being joined by his brother Delon for next season.

4. Felipe Contepomi РStade Fran̤ais
The leader of the Stade renaissance, he seemed to be past his best over the last couple of seasons whilst playing for Toulon, but at 34 he's found some fantastic form and led Stade into a good position to reach the playoffs.

5. Gerhard Vosloo – Clermont
Was one of the main players during the World Cup period when Clermont defeated Racing and Toulon away, now more of an impact player of the bench since Bonnaire returned but has done that well too.

6. David Smith – Toulon
A player who has always in my opinion been decent at Super Rugby level has done very well out wide for Toulon so far, is making up for the disappointing signing last season of Paul Sackey.

7. Alexandre Bias – Brive
Returned after beating cancer, and has been an ever present for Brive this season, all around the pitch he has been tackling like mad.

8. David Lyons РStade Fran̤ais
Hasn't done spectacular runs, but has reliably made enough metres for front foot ball, is playing at 6 this season for Stade as opposed to his usual 8 position.

9. Benjamin Kayser – Clermont
Not the best scrummaging hooker, but has done very well in the loose, good signing by Clermont especially considering his career looked as if it had gone off the rails being a reserve whilst at Castres and Stade Français.

10. Ricky Januarie– Lyon
Looks like his move away from the Stormers worked well for all parties, Januarie has been an ever present for Lyon, the slower European game meaning he can keep up whilst accomodating his giant belly.

The worst signings

1. Byron Kelleher РStade Fran̤ais
Went from the best scrum half in France at Toulouse to in just two seasons simply dreadful, looks like Bayonne saved themselves from another faded oldie last summer, the 35 year old has only started 2 matches and was terrible and is now third choice scrum half for Stade Français and could be on his way out early.

2. Joe Rokocoko – Bayonne
Looks like he's just there for the money and even admitted so in an "honest" interview, still only 28 and should have a lot to offer but is playing like a 36 year old winger at the minute, was so lazy this week against Castres and looked like he was jogging to attempt to stop Romain Martial scoring, players past their sell by date who just want to jog around the pitch belong in Japan not France.

3. Max Evans - Castres
Not been on good form for Castres, hasn't scored a try yet and constantly looks absent on the pitch, not made too many errors but you would be forgiven for not noticing he was on the pitch so far this season, he needs to get involved more.

4. Benǫt Baby РBiarritz
Has been simply awful, a constant stream of errors have come from him when the ball reaches the centres, has now unsurprisingly been dropped from the Biarritz side.

5. Willie Mason – Toulon
The rugby league convert was supposed to be the new Sonny Bill Williams but unlike SBW has not been at all impressive at Toulon, was so bad in his one match that he hasn't even played ahead of the kids team in the Amlin Challenge Cup side, a league return is now imminent.

6. C̩dric Heymans РBayonne
The form full back at the end of last season, but this season the 33 year old has looked past it as Bayonne seemed to have mastered the art of signing the wrong players just at the wrong time, Toulouse did well to get release Heymans and Kelleher at the right time for them.

7. Neemia Tialata – Bayonne
Had the potential to achieve so much, but is so lazy and is applying himself part time at scrums, his twitter buddy Sione Lauaki is lucky not to join him on this list as he has been another bad investment for Bayonne, the trio of Rokocoko-Tialata-Lauaki must go down as three of the worst value signings ever.

8. Jean-Baptiste Peyras – Montpellier
The IRB young player of the year for 2003 alongside Ben Atiga, but much like Atiga his senior career has fizzled out, has been very disappointing for Montpellier this season.

9. Paul Warwick РStade Fran̤ais
Was quite error prone when he played at fly half early in the season but for him to be on this list is a bit harsh as he's done okay more recently, I would have put Mark van Gisbergen - Lyon or Leroy Houston - Bordeaux-Bègles who have both been pants.

10. Dan Caprice – Biarritz
Biarritz played quite a lot of rubbish players during the World Cup period Caprice was one of them, another Sevens specialist Seremaia Burotu has also been totally dreadful too add Balshaw and Baby to that and you get an disaster of a backline.
 
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