Top 14 Day 24

[Tony Manx]

[TABLE="width: 100%"]
<tbody style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">[TR="class: altrow, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]12/04[/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]20:50[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]Castres Olympique[/TD]
[TD]Union Bordeaux-Bègles[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]13/04[/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]15:00[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]Montpellier Hérault Rugby[/TD]
[TD]Stade Toulousain[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: altrow, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"] - [/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]18:30[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]SU Agen[/TD]
[TD]Stade Français[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"] - [/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]18:30[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]Aviron Bayonnais[/TD]
[TD]Grenoble[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: altrow, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"] - [/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]20:40[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]Mont-de-Marsan[/TD]
[TD]Racing Métro 92[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]14/04[/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]14:15[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]USAP[/TD]
[TD]Biarritz Olympique[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR="class: altrow, bgcolor: #EEEEEE"]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"] - [/TD]
[TD="class: textcenter, align: center"]16:10[/TD]
[TD="class: textright, align: right"]Rugby Club Toulonnais[/TD]
[TD]ASM Clermont[/TD]
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Without doubt the biggest game of the round is to be held, not in Marseille but in Perpignan where BO must win to stand any chance of overhauling their hosts and take that 7th place which will lead to H Cup qualification for next season if a French team can win one of the cups and with 5 clubs into the semi finals,*after some superb showings in the quarters) there has to be a good chance of that.....

Toulon take on ASM but on wonders how much this game will tell us about the destination of either the H Cup (a final between these teams is still on the cards) or the Top 14 where they are the top two by some way. Already we hear ASM have changes to the team from last weekend's game with Rougerie, Nalaga, and Bonnaire among those to be absent. With tough semi fiinals coming next week and their home games for the play offs almost certain, cannot see them knockiing six bells of .... out of each other for basically pride?

Montpellier, Castres and Racing have their own battle to face to see who plays whom in the finals and Montpellier definitely have the tougher task with Toulouse at home but, I believe, have a decent record against them........

Home wins except for Stade France and Racing and a resurgent Biarritz who now have so much to play for that even their older players will turn up for this week!!

 

[Big Ewis]

obviously the Toulon ASM match a gargantuan one. Sucks all those guys will miss the game for ASM though...rugby calender is rugby's biggest and *****iest enemy. What problems it generates, dear Lord...
Less headline-like, Castres VS Bordeaux looks sweet !

 

[Tony Manx]

Less headline-like, Castres VS Bordeaux looks sweet !

Would agree......think Bordeaux have had an excellent first year and with Poux(pilier, Toulouse), Sa(pilier, Racing-Métro), Tuifua(3e-ligne, Newcastle), Lacroix(centre, Bayonne), Bernard(ouvreur, Castres), Luafutu(3e-ligne, Brive), Auzqui(pilier, Tyrosse), Graham(2e-ligne, Bayonne) expected to join them for next season can see they will be not fighting relegation........Whether they have enough to beat Castres at home, I do not think so!!

 

[gaston le gaff]

you forgot Fakate from Montpellier Tony.

 

[Tony Manx]

Can't be that good if you guys are letting him go!!

Only put in those that http://www.rugby-transferts.com/top-14/tableau-transferts-rugby-top-14.html says are done - not those that they say are likely such as Desmaison, Goosen, Guidicelli Malie, Lilomoiava, Fakate, Marais

 

[Big Ewis]

Would agree......think Bordeaux have had an excellent first year and with Poux(pilier, Toulouse), Sa(pilier, Racing-Métro), Tuifua(3e-ligne, Newcastle), Lacroix(centre, Bayonne), Bernard(ouvreur, Castres), Luafutu(3e-ligne, Brive), Auzqui(pilier, Tyrosse), Graham(2e-ligne, Bayonne) expected to join them for next season can see they will be not fighting relegation........Whether they have enough to beat Castres at home, I do not think so!!

meh...good scrum and some serious attacking ability....we'll see.

 

[psychic duck]

meh...good scrum and some serious attacking ability....we'll see.

Agree they are good attacking side with some good backs such as Lopez and Talebula. But their front 5 is awful and their scrum gets regularly destroyed is the whole reason they were in a relegation fight. A nice side to watch for a neutral Bordeaux though, I hope they do well.

 

[gaston le gaff]

home wins for USAP, Bayonne, Castres ,Agen away wins for Racing, Clermont and another tough match for Montpellier against the mighty Toulouse in front of a full house, even the p'tchouns are sold out (under 6's who are with club staff during the game and get player photos after the game brilliant...) Noves said this morning "that it would be a dream to beat Montpellier and it is really an impossible task " he is sounding more and more like Galthie, they could do a duo together "the crying bros"!!!!! would make no.1 within days.....

 

[Big Ewis]

Agree they are good attacking side with some good backs such as Lopez and Talebula. But their front 5 is awful and their scrum gets regularly destroyed is the whole reason they were in a relegation fight. A nice side to watch for a neutral Bordeaux though, I hope they do well.

oh hey it's my favorite enemy ! Yeah, I dunno...you must be right about the scrum, my bad. Again, I judged too quickly based on a couple of games where they looked good...
it's too bad this Bordeaux side was a near disaster to start off the season, and then really picked things up towards the end...that 41-0 (was it ?) over Toulon ! So unrepresentative of the rest of the year. But I certainly enjoy watching these boys, some true attack there...wish I'd have followed them earlier...

 

[Tony Manx]

Well Yoe, maybe you were right.....not a bad game but strange goings on.......Castres have a penalty given against them for a player faking being blocked on following up his kick (that has to be a first), they had a try disallowed for a forward pass exactly the same way as that given to the Sale Full back agaunst Gloucester by the TMO who adjudged it was not forward, Bordeaux had a player sin binned for a high tackle on Garvey when they were both falling over, and then Castres get a penalty try when the scrum was adjudged to have been turned by Boardeaux about 10 metres from the line.

All this makes the half time score 13 to 10.....Bordeaux have had all the atacking moments really but end to end stuff!!

Edit....Castres went to 20 and then 23 points before a spirited comoe back from Bordeaux culminating in a penalty from a scrum under the Castres post in the 81st minute......probably the right result!

Yoe...you were right, very tasty!!

 

[Tony Manx]

After an incredibly energatic first 15 minutes which promised much and where the ball was whizzing about non stop all over the place, the game between Montpellier and Toulouse subsided into mediocrity of mistakes with another inept dsplay by a Toulouse fly half. Beauxis was poor and must have missed 5 kicks including the last one to draw the game after a Fickou try, being the only real and worthwhile ST attack of the game, cancelled out a breakaway, but brilliantly taken, try from Nagusa.....with a hint of a forward pass to set it up and some very poor tackling attempts?

I imagine for a committed supporter of either team it could have been exciting but for the neutral, not very!!

Toulouse seem to be continuing in phase after phase of really going nowhere and when a defense moves up as quickly as MHL did, they are like rabbits when the headlights come on. One or two individual runs from Clerc and Poitrenaud livened it up but there was never any real support.....I fear for their chances in Les Barrages.

In contrast to Beauxis, I thought Fernandez played quite well but he is not Trinh Duc. However, you cannot fault MHL for the energy levels and just a shame that their handling was not of a higher quality! Tey could be the dark horse of Les Barrages..................

Lastly, Old Garces lets the game run doesn't he!! Rules.....play on!! Quite good really................

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Biarritz now officially out of contention for the playoffs.

Toulouse may reach the final game of the regular season under pressure, to clinch a home quarter final. Playing like this, they don't look like winning a third in a row, but when it's Toulouse and the playoffs, you never really know.

Finally, it sucks that Toulon and Clermont play on a Sunday. My deal with the missus allows me to spend basically all Saturday watching rugby, but on Sundays I have to take care of my family!

 

[Tony Manx]

Biarritz now officially out of contention for the playoffs.

Unoffically were in January!!

Toulouse may reach the final game of the regular season under pressure, to clinch a home quarter final. Playing like this, they don't look like winning a third in a row, but when it's Toulouse and the playoffs, you never really know.

Agree!!

Finally, it sucks that Toulon and Clermont play on a Sunday. My deal with the missus allows me to spend basically all Saturday watching rugby, but on Sundays I have to take care of my family!

Enjoy them while you have them "on loan".....they grow up very quickly and then you have all weekend to watch rugby!!

 

[gaston le gaff]

For the supporter of either MHR or Toulouse there was never more than 7 points in the game so very exciting, for sure there were mistakes from both teams probably more from Toulouse, but a massive performance by the MHR pack and good to see Steinkamp and Johnstone sent packing after only just starting the 2nd half.Well played the MHR front row. The MHR denfence was surperb just up to the last 2 mins when Frickou went over but Beauxis had an off off day with the boot and saved MHR's bacon as he missed a bucketful of points.The barrages are nearly done just need BO to beat USAP this afternoon and that is more or less it, then it will be all about positions and that will probablmy have to wait till the last day. but we have already 67pts and that is what we finished with last season so
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS.

 

[Tony Manx]

Interesting game but ultimately the lack of class in critical positions, and the mistakes that Biarritz repeated, and have made all season, meant that USAP, once they got over their own errors and despite being beaten in the scrum, ran out worthy winners by 33 to 28.

Bosch at 15 was a disaster again other than for a brilliant run when he actually passed the ball to Lakafia for a try. Yachvilli had one of his poorest games around the park and with the boot for some time and Imanol does what he does....including the "serious" injury for which Poite calls a stoppage in play only for him to arise and power the resulting scrum!!

USAP deserved this win (setting down a marker for the Amlin Final?) to keep up their challenge for Les Barrages which will, after a fairly easy game against Agen, come down to their last game against MHL!

Meanwhile, the Amlin final is all that BO have and with it their only chance for H Cup next season......although Leinster have to be overwhelming favourites in a fortnight in the fair City.

 

[Tony Manx]

Toulon v Clermont.....two of the best teams in Europe slugging it out to end 26 all.................Cannot see any other side in Europe matching these guys in the rest of the season other than perhaps Saracens besting Toulon at Twickenham.

Psychological victory for ASM as they were playing with at least 5 or possibly more first team "shoe ins" whereas Toulon went with full team.....Wilkinson was class today in tackles, breaks, runs, and kicking other than the last kick from 8 yards inside his own half right at the end which hit the base of the post......once saw Don Clarke convert a penalty from similar distance (on TV I hasten to add)....but he was using old boots and leather ball!!

Enjoyable game that really does not affect much but maybe gives ASM the edge in the two finals they are possibly going to be playing in the next 7 weeks!!

 

[jaunard06]

We defended well despite the lack of habits of some players, our new #10 did a really good game, I see him becoming number 2 behind James as Skrela never convinced.
I'm a little bit worry about the club having so many injuries now, while we're approaching money time...

 

[Big Ewis]

woohhh...glad Clermont avoids the defeat after all, that was close !!...can't wait to watch the full game though, only saw the last 10min yest. night, everybody says it's a hell of a match despite the disappointing score for both sides...Jonny just ain't 25 no more !

And Tony: unfortunately can't find the Castres UBB anywhere !!...