Top 14 Day 1

[Tony Manx]

Sorry for being late with this thread but have just returned from the Algarve including driving an open car through centre Spain with the temperature reaching a cool 46 centigrade….never was a beer more welcome when we stopped for the night!!


It finally all kicks off tonight with some great games….




16/08 20:45 p.m Montpellier Hérault Rugby v Toulon Rugby Club


17/08 15:00 p.m. Biarritz Olympique v ASM Clermont


18:30 p.m. Bayonne v Oyonnax


18:30 p.m. Union Bordeaux-Begles v Stade Toulousain


18:30 p.m. Grenoble v Stade Francais


18:30 p.m. Racing Metro 92 v Brive-Corrèze (at La Rochelle as Paris is on holiday there!!)


20:35 p.m. Perpignan v Castres Olympique




I would go for Toulon, if only because Gaston has gone for ASM, Bayonne, UBB,, Grenoble, Racing and USAP for the games other than the most important one…..

It is difficult to gauge this, the first game of the season for BO especially with so many players missing on both sides although the balance must be tilted in favour of the home team by virtue of most of the players in the ASM squad would hold their places were the squads merged and, therefore, they are losing class in all positions whereas we are making do with second choice wingers but that is about the only weakness caused by injury!!.


Biarritz are missing Imanol Harinordoquy (knee), Magnus Lund (calf), Benoit Baby (concussion), Iain Balshaw (knee), Aled Brew (herniate disc) and Takudzwa Ngwenya, who is held back by his U.S.International selection plus Synaeghel, who was suspended after his red card against UBB in last week’s friendly. Also missing is Pieterson, who is still rumoured to be coming next month from South Africa.


ASM are missing their captain Aurelien Rougerie (a neuroma in foot and will be out for several weeks), so Julien Bonnaire will assume the role of captain. Missing as well are Wesley Fofana (shoulder), Julien Malzieu (achilles), Vincent Debaty (calf contracture), Nathan Hines (hamstring), Mike Delany (shoulder) who are all in the infirmary. The centre Regan King plays having received the green light from the medical staff. Finally, second row Jamie Cudmore is with the Canadian team playing two qualifiers for the next World Cup against the United States.


I think that we can at least get a losing bonus pont if not actually win this one!!


Teams


Biarritz - 1- Menimi 2- Heguy 3- Broster 4- Taele 5- Lund E 6- Furno 7- Fono 8- Lakafia
9- Yachvili 10- Waenga 11- Thomas 12- Traille (c.) 13- Gimenez 14- Burotu 15- Couet-Lannes
16- Genevois 17- Barcella 18- Marie 19- Molcard 20- Lesgourgues 21- Peyrelongue
22- Goia 23- Gomez-Kodela


ASM - Bardy, Chouly, Bonnaire (ie) Jacquet, Pierre; Kotze, Paulo, Thatch.
Parra, James, Nalaga, Stanley, King, Sivivatu, Buttin
Kayser, Domingo, Granouillet, Vosloo, Radosavljevic, Hume, Byrne Zirakashvili.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Do we know which games are being shown live?

 

[SelimNiai]

Montpellier v Toulon on BT Sport tonight.

 

[Tony Manx]

Do we know which games are being shown live?

BT Sport carrying Montpellier tonight @ 19.00 UK, Biarritz v ASM on ESPN tomorrow @ 14.00 UK (as World Club Sevens on BTS 2) and ST v UBB at 19.00 on BTS2 although how that works as a live game with UBB at home against Toulouse (not vice versa as advertised) at 18.30 French time!!!

 

[ratsapprentice]

Lots of driving before the put in at scrum time.

 

[SelimNiai]

Lots of driving before the put in at scrum time.

Its nigh on impossible to tell how, if at all, these scrum laws are changing things.

In terms of the match its been ok, good Montpellier try but both teams trying too much and its becoming scrappy

 

[ratsapprentice]

Well, the new ones wont do anything if the old ones aren't enforced strictly.
They do not appear to be being enforced at all in this match.

 

[SelimNiai]

The straight feed one certainly isn't. Brian Moore would blow his top

 

[j'nuh]

Its nigh on impossible to tell how, if at all, these scrum laws are changing things.

In terms of the match its been ok, good Montpellier try but both teams trying too much and its becoming scrappy

Seems to me as if rather than collapsing on the hit as it used to, there's now more sideways driving and wheeling, ultimately ending in collapse.

 

[ratsapprentice]

The trouble is they are being allowed to push and shove as soon as they engage.
The whole scrum is shuffling when the ref invites the SH to put the ball in.

I have no idea who this ref is, so I'll reserve judgment (to an extent) for refs I am familiar with.

 

[Big Ewis]

velcum beck, Tony.
and yes...let's get this show started already.

 

[profitius]

Any score updates?


Btw, it'll take some time for everyone to get used to the new scrums, including refs.

 

[ratsapprentice]

13-6 to Montpellier at 45mins

You wouldn't be saying that if you could see the scrums.
The "square and stationary" rule is fairly binary, either they are moving or they are stationary.
Yet he tells the 9 to put the ball in when the packs are jostling.

 

[Tony Manx]

I think that it would be very unfair to judge any scrum changes on the basis that "Cedric the Random Decision Maker" was the referee as he is known as being pretty damn useless and should pick the premium bond winners as he is so random with his givinig of penalties........no penalties for runners in advance of the kicker, for the incessant dropping at the break down, crooked throw ins and put ins, or interference at the throw in but plenty of penalties at the scrum for things that were not obvious but not for those that were!!!

Vey poor advertisement for Top 14 rugby as MHL should have crucified Toulon with the possession they got/were given. I am a huge supporter of Trinh Duc but would be criticial of some of the things he did tonight and that cost them the points. Confirms my feelings that MHL will do really well this season and they had plenty of spirit and "wanted" it more than Toulon who seemed to be still on holiday!

I watched it on BT sports and thought the commentator was better than ESPN provided previously but the 45 minutes before hand were cringe worthy.......Jill what ever her name was was sooo poor. There was no tactical preview of how the teams would play, there was a pitiful Skype interview with Roberts, there was no real insight into the teams and how they play (such as where were Habana and Drew Mitchell?). All we got was the usual JW interview this time with the poor Doyle and what a load of rubbish he asked.....oh and, Jill, Toulon is just 45 minutes from Montpellier only if you can cover 150 miles in that time!!

 

[ratsapprentice]

I still haven't watched a lot of BT's coverage, but all of the studio stuff I have seen has been quite awkward.
They just haven't got anyone with anything interesting to add, or anyone capable of doing proper analysis.
I had fears that would be the case when they announced Dayglo as the "spearhead" of their rugby coverage.

If I bother to follow any T14 team this season it will probably be Montpellier, mainly because of Rene Ranger.

 

[SelimNiai]

Im willing to give BT some leeway for a bit, theyre still trying to work out who they are. Sky have built their hyperbolic (and at times hyper ********) style over a long time, BT are working out are they super serious or a bit more like ESPN were and remember its supposed to be fun

 

[ratsapprentice]

Yeah, I agree. But they do clearly have a fair bit to do.

 

[Big Ewis]

Man, Mas was BRUTAL against Sheridan tonight. At his age, still a little rhino...boy are we going to miss him when he's gone for the national team !..
Great result to start the season for MP.

 

[Jaguares]

I saw: "Montpellier vs. Toulon", I didn't like the game of Toulon, expected more from them. Although I must say that Montpellier is a tough team when playing at home. The referee stole a try by Toulon, in my opinion it was not forward pass he made ​​Wilkinson.

I want to see Rene Ranger ASAP, I will have to wait...

Regards

 

[Tony Manx]

I still haven't watched a lot of BT's coverage, but all of the studio stuff I have seen has been quite awkward.
They just haven't got anyone with anything interesting to add, or anyone capable of doing proper analysis.
I had fears that would be the case when they announced Dayglo as the "spearhead" of their rugby coverage.

If I bother to follow any T14 team this season it will probably be Montpellier, mainly because of Rene Ranger.

I am told Austin Healey has signed a four year contract with them but presume he, and the other good analysts, will be concentrated on the English league rather than Top 14.

I agree that they are finding their way but the pre-match was truly a waste of time and they need to know it! It is good that they seem to want to take it seriously as no one has to date rather used it as a filler.