After a long season, top class rugby is back – with this, and the Rugby Championship kicking of this weekend – and with so long since even that Lions Tour win, it barely feels as if last season has truly left us. That must be unbearable for the long suffering Les Jaunards faithful that follow Clermont year in year out – as the men in yellow played much of last year’s best rugby for us but once again fell before the line (although ‘on’ the line would have been much more appropriate) – but their quest for silverware glory is just one of many fascinating subplots towards this season’s action.
The season for the Top 14 is basically a two part event; The actual league table which sees six teams go through to the playoffs, and then said playoffs which truly decide the winner, culminating in the grand finale. For the strongest league in Europe, last season’s win for Castres was a shock of giant proportions for a club that was absolutely dwarfed in comparison to the sides around them, but it proves a point about European League rugby in general – the playoffs are the only thing that counts, as obvious as it sounds.
In the last few years the league winner, second or third has had a monopoly on the finishing trophy and class does come through but last year Toulon and Clermont made it to the Heineken Cup final and finished 11 points clear of the rest – Clermont just topping the table due to an extremely tight pair of games between the two resulting in a last minute home win and 26-26 draw at Montpellier in the reverse fixture – but Clermont could never shake a Heineken Cup hangover when being thrashed by Castres in their ‘home’ semi-final – and Toulon were much second best in the final, being beaten more comprehensively than the scoreline suggested despite Steffon Artmitage’s late try
What’s been said so far all sounds horribly condescending to Castres – who produced wonderful performances and were the deserved winners, along with being the only side to beat Clermont and Toulon last year – it’s nearly impossible to see them retaining their title this time around with so much strength in depth along the top sides.
Toulon have added yet more to their already chock full squad, which is why the Heineken Cup winners are clear favourites to take the Grand Final. Already blessed with one of the biggest and baddest packs in European rugby, the addition of Leicester’s Martin Castrogiovanni – one of Italy’s most revered rugby players of recent times – is a fantastic addition that could improve one of the best scrums in the club games – is a huge boost and statement, while the arrival of former All Blacks lock Ali Williams is arguably an upgrade over Nick Kennedy given his years of top level international experience, giving Bakkies Botha an equal partner in the second row while latecomer Emmanuel Felsina is highly rated enough to have come from the lower ranks of Massy and Pays d’Aix RC to land a spot on the squad here.
However it’s the backline addition if anything that is a real source of excitement and intent. In Drew Mitchell Toulon have one of Australia’s finest players of recent times, able to play either the wing or or fullback, who has 63 Australia caps including several tri Nations and two World Cups – he scored seven tries in 2007 - who brings new pace to the wing or another dimension at fullback, although Toulon outdid even themselves when landing Bryan Habana, the great South African winger and world cup winner still so fast that he raced an Airbus A380 as early as June. Both of them will be aiming for Europe, but bring a new dimension to the bigger games later in the season and brilliant pace for a side that is often happy to use force first despite having a large pool of attacking talent to pick from.
With an easy Heineken Cup pool they’re going to be engaged with keeping their title late into the season and that might catch up with them late on, but they’ve got a bigger squad than last year to pick from and it may not be enough to stop them late on this season even through the pure exhaustion that just stopped them last year could well be a factor once again.
Clermont beat Toulon in the regular standings last year and didn’t lose to the in the regular season but after losing the Heineken Cup final to their regular rivals, were emotionally and physically drained and in hindsight, sitting ducks for Castres in the semis. Arguably playing the best rugby of anyone in Europe last season – and topping the defence and attacking stats here over even Toulon – but the worry is that they came home empty handed after another year of gradual improvement in the Heineken – they reached the final after being knocked out in such heartbreaking fashion the year before – and despite their 2010 title, have regressed in their knockout stage results and have fallen short in every playoff or knockout stage since then.
Vern Cotter is responsible for turning the club into what it is today and has worked this side into a golden generation but his anger at not taking silverware last season was clear and so was his frustration with some key players; “We are lacking leaders when it comes to decisive matches. That weakness must be taken care of immediately”, putting much of the blame on fly-half Brock James for the Heineken Cup defeat, saying: “He is responsible on the pitch for the direction of the game and we were not very happy with him in the match with Toulon” .
Given that James played an integral part in Clermont’s two tries for the final those statements clearly reveal an underlying disappointment and insecurity Cotter had with the club and the decision to come back for another year seems like one that was possibly made in haste after a bold announcement he was going to coach Scotland.
However there are still huge positives. The backline that Clermont boast is one of the most explosive in Europe, with Fofana and Rougerie responsible for tearing defences including Toulon’s apart at times last season, while Parra runs the line like France’s best scrumhalf, which he clearly is. Nalanga and Sivivatu are a deadly wing combination, and Noa Natkataci too is good enough for any knockout game, while Bonnaire, Vosloo and Hines are just some of the names that give Clermont the pack go forward for the offloading game they play to some effect; Although this will be the last season for quite a few of those mentioned and the golden generation could well have reached it’s peak last year.
I have no doubt that Clermont are well capable of taking the trophy that they so desperately deserve to send Cotter off in style, but the two front challenge beat them last year and it could do the same again this time around, while their Heineken Cup is surely the main aim. A price of 3/1 is tempting or the new season, but at the same time they’re a much better bet in the regular season only if you think they can keep pace and edge out Toulon, which will be more difficult this season than last.
11 points behind the top two last season, Toulouse are at a crossroads. The once undisputed kings of Europe still pack a punch but are no longer the equal of Toulon or Clermont and never posed a real danger to Toulon in the semi or the Heineken Cup last season. Guy Noves’s search for a successor looks to have gone a long way to starting even before last season – and indeed building for the future, with a new training facility built in February of this year to help recruit the younger French players that seem to have been neglected of late judged on recent evidence on the international stage – with the man himself having questioned the direction of the club in general after the semi-final loss, although there was no disgrace losing on the road to Toulon.
They’ve also splashed the cash in a big way to improve their squad. Losses to Agen (away) and USAP (home) during the Six Nations have led them to look overseas with France reliant upon several of their players on a yearly basis, and the arrival of Hosea Gear is just what they needed. Coming off the back of a season which saw him score eight tries for the Hurricanes, he can do big things in France this year and should be upto leading the scoring charts.
Chillyboy Ralepelle arrives in October and is a very smart replacement for the outgoing Willaim Servat, while Jano Vermaak’s arrival gives much needed competition at the halfback level, and he looks to be an upgrade on Jean-Marc Doussain, while Castres’s Joe Tekori brings huge versatility in the backrow – one that contains Picamoles and Dusatoir to start, and let’s not forget Gael Fickou, who will have one of the hardest tasks of the season – replacing the great Yannick Jauzion, a player without equal at his peak who as barely gotten the reaction and praise he truly deserves for one of the game’s great careers.
With Europe – usually Noves’s speciality – likely to take a bit of a backburner although with an easy pool they should be hopeful of getting through if they can get a good result against Saracens on the road, Toulon could be interesting with domestic focus bringing them fresher late in the season, but at the same time they do look to be in a transitional crossroads and others are still preferred.
Huge spending has bought Racing Metro into the public consciousness for the first time as title contenders. Sixth last season after a nine game winning streak took them from eleventh, over the summer, Jacky Lorenzetti’s ambitious investment plans have gone to the next level and the biggest spending spree of the summer in terms of name – bigger than Toulon even – sees them with a squad that is at least the equal of their title rivals on paper and threatens to equal them if they blend correctly early.
Where to start is difficult but the arrivals of Northampton propping duo Brian Mujati and Sione Tonga’uiha is an excellent start in a league where a strong scrimmage is an absolute must for any self-respecting side. Juandre Kruger brings class to the second row, but the real marquee singing are those of the three Lions. Flanker Dan Lydiate had few equals when Wales to their 6 Nations Grand Slam and recovered from his injury to play a big part in the Lions’s successful ventured down under, and the same applies to powerhouse centre Jamie Roberts, who had such a great final test off the back of total scrum dominance, a plan that could be worked at Racing time and again.
However both those signing are second to Johnny Sexton’s arrival. Europe’s premier flyhalf, Sexton has run the Leinster side that dominated the Heineken Cup for three of the last four seasons and been the pivot point for Ireland - a point proven by their struggled to find a proper replacement when he was injured and Ian Madigan was ignored in last year’s 6 Nations, and also proven by his ability to single handily demolish a team, wrecking England’s Grand Slam dreams in 2011 and turning around the Heineken Cup final of that same year. The arrival of Ronan O’Gara as his kicking coach can only help his percentages, but in reality his open play skills can tear anyone apart and he alone has the potential to drive them towards a big title challenge, although the worry of a challenge on two fronts – they share a pool with Clermont and Harlequins – is a potentially big worry although the arrival of Laurents Travers and Labit – fresh from Castres should help the bonding process immeasurably and they’re better value as a small tickle at 5/1 for a Grand final title than to top the regular season – the core of their side is likely to be needed for international duty during the season.
Many can’t look past those four but it would have been the same before the playoffs last season and Montpellier should be given a chance at 14/1. Beaten 15-10 by Toulouse in 2011’s Grand final, the arrival of – you guessed it – another millionaire – has proven to be crucial in making them into a side threatening to challenge for trophies. In the playoffs on a better head to head than Racing Metro and just one point behind Castres, they were beaten by the eventual champions at the playoff stage but should bear no shame in that and come towards this season with a much slimmer, more powerful squad – no less than 19 players have departed but the new recruits are top quality.
Chief amongst those is Rene Ranger. In New Zealand until late October thanks to the ITM Cup, he’s one of the most explosive centres on the planet who can bring a defensive work rate and breakdown skills that are almost unparalled amongst attacking forwards. Having surprisingly rejected The All Blacks after explosive performances off the bench in the first two Tests of the summer series and a in impressive end performance, the All Black’s fourth is now Montpellier’s gain. Robert Eborshon’s arrival from South Africa’s Cheeaths looks to be the perfect addition from both and attacking and defensive perspective – he made 206 tackles and 30 turnovers last year to add to his attacking insight.
Nicolas Mas’s arrival from Peripignan is as good a scrum signing as possible, and a backrow of Mamuka Gorgodze, Robins Tulou, James Beattie and Flourence Ouedraogo can wreak breakdown havoc wherever needs be, so they’re the value of what’s an insanely hard contest to pick out from considering that they may leave the Heineken Cup earlier than most and come to the end of a season they could start with a home playoff granted a good season – better than most.
Advice
1 pt each/way Montpellier (14/1 general)
1 pt Racing Metro (9/2 general)
No comments:
Post a Comment