Top 14 Preview: Round Five
Bernard Laporte will look to start his tenure at Toulon with victory over his former club, Stade Français, this weekend.
Bernard Laporte will look to start his tenure at Toulon with victory over his former club, Stade Français, this weekend.
Five-time French champions Biarritz will be out to gain their first win of a thus far disastrous start to the Top 14 campaign on Friday when they host Perpignan.
Clermont by contrast have made light of missing a heap of stars and are the only unbeaten club in the league. The 2010 champions host Bayonne and should have little trouble in continuing their fabulous start to the season.
Racing for their part will look to bounce back after defeat to Clermont last which saw them drop to seventh in the standings, seven points adrift of the leaders. They host newcomers Lyon.
Elsewhere, defending champions Toulouse travel Agen while Montpellier will be desperate to get their first win at home to Bordeaux.
Fixtures:
Friday, September 23
Biarritz v Perpignan
Castres v Brive
Clermont v Bayonne
Montpellier v Bordeaux-Bègles
Racing Métro v Lyon
Agen v Toulouse
Saturday, September 24
Toulon v Stade Français
Standings:
1 Clermont 17
2 Toulouse 14
3 Castres 14
4 Perpignan 12
5 Stade Français 11
6 Toulon 10
7 Racing Métro 10
8 Agen 10
9 Brive 7
10 Bayonne 6
11 Lyon 5
12 Bordeaux-Bègles 4
13 Montpellier 3
14 Biarritz 3
Previews:
Biarritz Olympique v USA Perpignan
Parc des Sports d'Aguilera, Biarritz
Biarritz – who were last in the second tier in the 1995/96 season – are bottom of the table with just one draw in their four matches but club president and French legend Serge Blanco is not ready to admit that the club is in a crisis.
However, defeat at the hands of old rivals Perpignan – who are fourth in the table, nine points ahead of Biarritz – could plunge them into just such a scenario.
“If we lose to Perpignan, we will then have something to be worried about,” Blanco told regional newspaper Sud Ouest.
Blanco, whose two-time European Cup finalists trail leaders Clermont by 14 points, claimed that their form had been affected by influential players such as Imanol Harinordoquy and Dimitri Yachvili being away at the World Cup, though other clubs have barely been affected by their best players being away.
“I recall that it is a World Cup year and we are playing matches during it without eight international players, and we are proud of that,” said the 53-year-old Venezuela-born Blanco, who was capped 93 times.
“But we also have several key players out injured and for that we are less proud as that is our responsibility.
“We have had to blood a lot of young players into the team, and that, I do not have any regrets about at all.”
Biarritz will fancy their chances against a Perpignan side that has ground out a few results, but failed to impress this season.
BO welcome back Australian full-back Dane Haylett-Petty. Erik Lund is back, but starts from the bench.
USAP have named South African centre Gavin Hume at fly-half. Sébastien Vaha'amahina, Bertrand Guiry and Kevin Boulogne are back from injury but start from bench. Rudi Coetzee is in midfield.
Biarritz: Biarritz: 15 Dale Haylett-Petty, 14 Iain Balshaw, 13 Philippe Bidabé, 12 Ilikena Bolakoro, 11 Daniel Caprice, 10 Julien Peyrelongue, 9 Yann Lesgougues, 8 Florian Faure (captain), 7 Tanguy Molcard, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Pelu Taele, 4 Jérôme Thion, 3 Sylvain Marconnet, 2 Arnaud Héguy, 1 Eduard Coetzee.Remplacements: 16 Romain Terrain, 17 Watremez, 18 Erik Lund, 19 Talalelei Gray, 20 Guyot, 21 Jean-Pascal Barraque, 22 Seremaia Burotu, 23 Albertus Buckle
Perpignan: Porical РBatlle, Cross, R.Coetzee, Sid РHume, Cazenave РJ.-P.P̩rez, Chouly, Le Corvec РTchale Watchou, Olibeau РBourrust, Delonca, Schuster. Remplacements: Taofifenua, Freshwater, Guiry, Vahaamina, Boulogne, Bosch, J.Michel, Brison
Prediction: Biarritz have been bad this season, but Perpignan haven't been great either. A first win is on the cards for the Basques. Biarritz by six points
Kick-off: 20:00 (18.00 GMT)
Referee: Jean-Luc Rebollal
Castres Olympique v CA Brive Corrèze
Stade Pierre Antoine, Castres
After a poor display on Day One, Castres have been on the up and up ever since. Victory in Biarritz followed by two big wins at home have moved les Tarnais into third place in the standings.
Wing Marc Andreu, is also in great form, having scored four and his club's nine tries so far.
Brive have struggled at home, but have done surprising well on the road. Injuries have not helped their cause however and shoulder surgery is set to sideline English fly-half Shane Geraghty for three to four months!
Brive also moved to resolve their shortage of front-rowers by signing veteran prop Pierre Capdevielle on a three month contract.
The 37-year-old played for Brive from 2001-09 before spending two seasons at English side Gloucester and returned to France in the summer, signing on at lower division outfit Tulle, a neighbouring town.
Brive are missing their two Georgian props Davit Khinchagishvili and Vasil Kakovin, both away on World Cup duty, while Pat Barnard, Pablo Henn and Victor Laval are all injured.
Scrum-half Alexandre Albouy returns for Castres as is centre Pierre-Emmanuel Garcia. Still out injured are Georgian prop Anton Peikrishvili, scrum-half Thierry Lacrampe and wing Vincent Iñigo, who broke a rib against Agen.
Castres: Teulet РP.-G.Lakafia, Bonnefond, Cabannes, Andreu РTal̬s, Albouy РCaballero, Masoe, Malonga РS.Murray, Rolland РWihongi, Bonello, ForestierRemplacements: Rallier, M.Coetzee, Capo Ortega, Bronman, Kockott, P.Bernard, Denos, Kruger
Brive: Caminati, Namy, R.Cooke, Mignardi, Galala РSpedding, B̩lie РBias, Ledevedec, Hauman РMela, Uys РBarozzi, Natriashvili, Capdevielle.Remplacements: Acosta, Poirot, Dubarry, Caisso, Luafutu, Pejoine, Noon, Cardinali
Prediction: This should be an straightforward win for the hosts. Castres by fourteen points
Kick-off: 20:00 (18.00 GMT)
Referee: Sébastien Minery
ASM Clermont Auvergne v Aviron Bayonnais
Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin, Clermont Ferrand
A young and inexperienced Clermont side gained an impressive 22-11 victory away at Racing-Metro last weekend which had coach Vern Cotter eulogising about their performance.
It's hard to see les Jaunards coming unstuck at home this weekend considering that Bayonne have never won in Clermont-Ferrand in 18 attempts!
The hosts should be boosted by the return of experienced prop Vincent Debaty.
Sione Lauaki will not face his former team, the Bayonne loose forward is ill. The Basques are also without Troy Flavell who has been suspended for punching. Hooker François Da Ros is out injured.
Clermont: Buttin –