Top14 2006/2007

[An Tarbh]

Was a great game alright, Paris certainly got the rub of the green on some of M. Jutge's calls though. If Toulouse had played like that in Europe they'd still be in the competition. Good to see Baby on the comeback as well.

 

[DonBilly]

Paris and Toulouse was an unreal match, the best I've seen in ages. Huge collisions and 3 fantastic tries to boot.
[/b]

This was a great game for sure. Toulouse are coming back and they could have won, I think they'll win the Brennus shield this season. They will defeat Paris.

Anyway I think this was an excellent match for the players that will play next week-end for their nation. Many French players of course but also some Italian such as the Bergamasco brothers and Perugini.

 

[timouton]

Hello everybody, This is my first post.

I agree with you, it was a great game, Paris was very lucky, Toulouse was the best on this match. I think, they are now favourite to the “Bouclierâ€, Biarritz is slowing down, and Paris too. But after the Six nations, all can change.

Some pics of Stade de France ( 79 604 spectators :bravo: ), with Michel Delpech in guest star. And I thank Mr. Guazzini for this show.

<div align="center">

</div>

<div align="center">

</div>

<div align="center">

</div>

A small video after the victory : http://www.dailymotion.com/timtim77/video/..._ambiance-sf-st

PS : I’m sorry, my English is not very well, I will try to improve it for the next posts

 

[An Tarbh]

Welcome to TRF mate, was a great game alright, some nice pictures as well. The atmosphere must have been brilliant, seemed even better than for the international matches.

 

[Twickenham Rugby Football Cub]

i am really worried for toulouse cause now with michalak leaving for the sharks, next year who will play 10 for them cause i reall dont like the other guy, lol dont know his name, anyways toulouse really need to find the next best thing coming out of france rugby to fill in the boots of michalak cause other wise it will not be a bright future for them

 

[An Tarbh]

Would Baby be worth trying out at 10 or has he been tried there already?

 

[DonBilly]

Would Baby be worth trying out at 10 or has he been tried there already?
[/b]

Baby can play 10 and I think this is his main position in the U21 teams he was in. Next season he'll play for Clermont, I guess he'll replace with a different style Tony Marsh who will stop his career at the end of this season.

 

[O'Rothlain]

I wish I could see the Top 14 matches...especially Stade Francais. It's disapointing never to see domestic French rugby...

 

[danit]

I wish I could see the Top 14 matches...especially Stade Francais. It's disapointing never to see domestic French rugby...
[/b]

if you can get TV5 Europe (channel included in BSkyB package, fta on Astra1 and Hotbird) you can see Stade Français - Perpignan live next sunday 15.30cet, the semifinals (june 1-2) and the final (june 9) live as well

the whole Top14 season is available on Setanta

 

[O'Rothlain]

<div class='quotemain'>
I wish I could see the Top 14 matches...especially Stade Francais. It's disapointing never to see domestic French rugby...
[/b]

if you can get TV5 Europe (channel included in BSkyB package, fta on Astra1 and Hotbird) you can see Stade Français - Perpignan live next sunday 15.30cet, the semifinals (june 1-2) and the final (june 9) live as well

the whole Top14 season is available on Setanta
[/b][/quote]
Unfortunately not available within the US...even on Setanta. :cryy:

 

[danit]

<div class='quotemain'>
<div class='quotemain'>
I wish I could see the Top 14 matches...especially Stade Francais. It's disapointing never to see domestic French rugby...
[/b]

if you can get TV5 Europe (channel included in BSkyB package, fta on Astra1 and Hotbird) you can see Stade Français - Perpignan live next sunday 15.30cet, the semifinals (june 1-2) and the final (june 9) live as well

the whole Top14 season is available on Setanta
[/b][/quote]
Unfortunately not available within the US...even on Setanta. :cryy:
[/b][/quote]sorry O'R, didn't notice you're based in US...

btw TV5 US will broadcast SF-Perpignan next sunday (10.22 ET) and every sunday a Top14 hilite magazine called "Jour de Rugby" (1pm ET), so as the semis and the final live

TV5 US is available on Dish Network via satellite and various cable operators (timewarner etc.), see http://www.tv5.org/locaux/usa/ for more infos

 

[DonBilly]

The French Rugby fans will all be captivated by the matchs of the next two weekends. One could think that this is due to the test matchs versus the mighty All Blacks but not at all, actually most of these Rugby fans won't care about these test matchs. All their attenbtion will be on the Top14 Semi-finals and the Final one week later in Paris.

The first semi-final will be played on Friday evening in Bordeaux; Stade Français will face Biarritz Olympique. These two clubs have won the last five Brennus shields.

The second semi-final will be played in Marseille on Saturday late afternoon; Stade Toulousain will face the ASM Clermont. These two teams are the in-form teams and play a very attractive Rugby.

When not speaking about these final stages of the Top14 most of the French Rugby fans discuss about the relegation to ProD2 of two monuments of the French club Rugby i.e. Narbonne (which have just celebrated their 100th anniversary) and Agen (which will celebrate their 100th anniversary next year). These two team had always played in the elite division. ProD2 is becoming stronger and stronger, the average club budget has increased a lot. Clubs like Toulon, Paris (Racing Métro) or Lyon have budgets close to 10 Million â'¬ (approximately 6.5 Million £).

Once the Top14 winner has received the Brennus shield then the French fans will start thinking about the RWC and may then realize there have been two tests played versus New-Zealand.

 

[danit]

France is going to play in NZ with a 3rd-4th level experimental team and none seems really intersted in it in: the 2 games are going to be played in the early morning on a tour the FFR didn't want to play (and tried to cancel)

summer TM in the year of the RWC are absolutely stupid

Top14 semifinals are absolutely exciting

Biarritz didn't play a too good season but now they're in and dangerous as usual, Stade Français is affected by many injuries so, even if they ruled the league all year long, now they are not so sure to get to the final

but the real crunch is the 2nd semifinal: Toulouse is in great form and so is Clermont, some weeks ago the two teams played an outstding spectacular game and the match in Marseille promises to be a wonderful one (me, I'll be personally at the Velodrome: I have one more ticket I don't need, @DonBilly if you know someone who's interested just tell me)

the Top14 semifinals will be broadcasted live all over Europe by TV5 Europe fta, in UK and Ireland by Setanta, in France by Canal+

 

[DonBilly]

The two games were thrilling, Stade Français managed to defeat Biarritz Olympique and ASM Clermont won versus Stade Toulousain. All the Rugby fans are discussing about last week-end and excited about next week-end when the grand final is played (I'll be there).

 

[Darhf]

I'll be there too, but

:cryy:

 

[DonBilly]

The attendance of the Top14 increased of 8% this season compared to previous season. In ProD2 it increased of 46%!!

ProD2 is becoming more and more important. Clubs from Paris, Lyon, Toulon, Grenoble, Agen, Béziers, Narbonne will play the ProD2 championship. More and more of the ProD2 matchs are broadcasted on free to the air regional TV channels. Canal+ will start broacasting some of ProD2 nationaly next season.

 

[DonBilly]

Nice article from the NZ Herald:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/4/story....jectid=10444390

Rugby: French eyes on Paris, not Wellington
2:40PM Friday June 08, 2007
By Daniel Gilhooly

Stade Francais' Pieter de Villiers. Photo / Getty Images
The France-All Blacks test here tomorrow night will be little more than an entree for the majority of French rugby supporters this weekend.

The marathon French club season reaches its climax when Stade Francais play Clermont in the Top 14 final at a sold-out Stade de France in Paris on Sunday morning (NZ time).

French sports newspapers and websites this week have devoted more prominence to the final than the second test at Westpac Stadium, which will feature a French national team severely weakened by players who were forced to make club duty their priority.

There is a New Zealand interest in the final, with Clermont coached by Vern Cotter, the former Bay of Plenty mentor and assistant to Robbie Deans at the Crusaders.

In his side is New Zealand centre Tony Marsh, who will be playing his last game for the club he joined in 1998 before retiring.

Clermont are sentimental favourites because they have lost all seven previous appearances in the final.

An indication of the length of the French season is that Clermont's Australian first five-eighth Brock James has amassed 350 points this year.

The traditionally-strong Stade Francais have grown into arguably the world's richest club.

They hosted the All Blacks at a Paris training run last November, memorably presenting each of the tourists with a pink jersey

- NZPA
[/b]

 

[lezgueg]

Paris France's champion. !!!! Sorry for Clermont

 

[soundgarden]

yeahhh STADE FRANCAIS CHAMPION, great team and great coaching!!!

 

[tituslechmakus]

well its the same problem as in football ... the leagues are on Canal + (satellite) and it sucks a lot. you need to pay at least 60 Euro per month !!! pffff money money ....