Top 14 Day 12

[Tony Manx]

Toulon 15 – 09 Perpignan
Bayonne 24 – 21 Grenoble
Clermont 47 - 14 Racing
UBB 45 – 23 Stade
Brive 09 – 14 Biarritz
Montpellier 16 – 20 Castres
Toulouse 14 – 03 Oyonnax

 

[Tony Manx]

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[Big Ewis]

BIARRITZ WIN AWAY!!!!!! oh and Montpellier lose at home..............who would have thought that part from my sneaky feeling about BO that is!!!!!

yeh pretty shocked to see that. Congrats, my friend !

So now, we can gingerly return to our domestic league affairs, our tons of question marks and exaggerated punctuation, and stop worrying about beating SANZAR ogres of teams.
Let's return to being little hobbits, the Shire is where we belong folks..

 

[gaston le gaff]

Bad Bad weekend suicide may be not but this week could be difficult, not looking forward to training tomorrow head down and keep out of Galthie's eye line.!!!! will just have to beat Racing next Sat. in Paris to turn this hicup around, well done BO things looking slightly rosier.

 

[Tony Manx]

Bad Bad weekend suicide may be not but this week could be difficult, not looking forward to training tomorrow head down and keep out of Galthie's eye line.!!!! will just have to beat Racing next Sat. in Paris to turn this hicup around, well done BO things looking slightly rosier.

Know how you feel after this season and you have only had a bad week!!! Rosier? maybe a shade of grey rather than black but no more than that!!

 

[Big Ewis]

Small mistake in my presentation of our new medical joker, Paea Fa'anunu after all he is not 135/140kgs he actually weighs in at 147kgs and 1.87 cms. Bigger is better who knows but he certainly looks a handful, glad he is on our team.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yeah they say 130kg on a number of websites.....boy Pacific Islands sure can produce some huge fatassses !!
I've always been a bit surprised if not astonished at how weight really can be entirely irrelevant when it comes to scrummaging.

Ducalcon is 120kg +, the heaviest prop we've had in Bleus recently, and he's utter crap at pushing. Domingo absolutely smashes him and he's 173cm 110kg.
Same for Debaty. 190cm 120kg + and he's fairly weak compared to Mas or Domingo.

Say, gaston, not interested in int'l ball ?? Haven't seen you this whole entire EOYT I think.

 

[gaston le gaff]

Say, gaston, not interested in int'l ball ?? Haven't seen you this whole entire EOYT I think.

Watched the matches but when we have a coach who does not take the right descions, we are exactly 2 years from the World Cup and does anyone know who is first and secind choice.
Parra, Dusatoir, Skarzi, Forestier, and a few others have to go they have served France brilliantly, but now is time for change, if they want to win a World Cup. Bring in new blood and even if they loose in the 6 Nations like last year build a team for the World Cup!!! which is more important Autumn Internationals, 6 Nations or WC. All this talking of stats onn the forum just bores me you score more points than the opposition you win, easy end of story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a very privileged and interesting place in the TOP 14 i love what i do and i played club rugby from 11yrs old till i was 36. Internationals can be great and interesting but the week in week out club rugby especially the top 14 which is about the best in the World and its not me who says that i just agree, this is where everything starts and you watch the boys grow in statue over the years. I was an official in the 2007 WC in France, fantastic but was glad after a month to get back to club rugby. Today eg. i will look after the press during training then i am invited with players and staff for lunch does it get any better than that. Everyone to their own i guess.!!!!!!!!!

 

[Big Ewis]

Say, gaston, not interested in int'l ball ?? Haven't seen you this whole entire EOYT I think.

Watched the matches but when we have a coach who does not take the right descions, we are exactly 2 years from the World Cup and does anyone know who is first and secind choice.
Parra, Dusatoir, Skarzi, Forestier, and a few others have to go they have served France brilliantly, but now is time for change, if they want to win a World Cup. Bring in new blood and even if they loose in the 6 Nations like last year build a team for the World Cup!!! which is more important Autumn Internationals, 6 Nations or WC. All this talking of stats onn the forum just bores me you score more points than the opposition you win, easy end of story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have a very privileged and interesting place in the TOP 14 i love what i do and i played club rugby from 11yrs old till i was 36. Internationals can be great and interesting but the week in week out club rugby especially the top 14 which is about the best in the World and its not me who says that i just agree, this is where everything starts and you watch the boys grow in statue over the years. I was an official in the 2007 WC in France, fantastic but was glad after a month to get back to club rugby. Today eg. i will look after the press during training then i am invited with players and staff for lunch does it get any better than that. Everyone to their own i guess.!!!!!!!!!

very, very insightful. Enjoyed reading that comment a lot. So local, domestic is best huh...interesting perspective. I think the stakes of int'l Rugby, nations colliding, the prize and glory at hand...a Rugby World Cup and the sort of history behind the Six Nations make those tournaments extra-special. EVERYBODY's watching, and especially for France I feel it's a special spot, because we're hard to 'classify'. We're not a home nation, we're not in the UK, our first language isn't English, and we've always had a special touch...so we kind of stand alone, and I'd say I even almost enjoy the 'French inconsistency' thing. What France did to Australia in 1987, and then NZ in 99 and 2007, what European team has transcended to this point ? We'd never have that in a "mere" domestic league match...not to diminish the latter.

And btw, didn't know you officiated test matches !

 

[gaston le gaff]

And btw, didn't know you officiated test matches !

have a few arrows in my bow!!!! but i think my International career is over now, give the youn'uns a chance.
Don't get me wrong i love WC's 6 nations etc not that keen on Autumn Internationals but every week the TOP 14 brings something new to the table and i get close to lots of different players from all over the World, just one of the reasons why i love the TOP 14 one of many reasons.

 

[Big Ewis]

^ Absolutely. I'm one of the very rare ppl who thinks the surplus of int'l players in France has some good elements to it as well...

Check out the Clermont Racing highlights from this 12th Day:
http://www.lnr.fr/video-clermont-racing-47-14-j12-saison-2013-2014,3497.html


Getting close to 70 straight at home, the Clermontois.
Gotta love running props/hookers. Cabello looking like a wing on that second try ! But 95KG just wouldn't cut it at int'l level for the scroom.
And I'm glaaaaad to see Malzieu finally score a try, and nice assist too. I love that guy on the wing, such an elegant runner and technical with his footwork. Won't forget his try against Italy a couple years ago easily.

 

[gaston le gaff]

^ Absolutely. I'm one of the very rare ppl who thinks the surplus of int'l players in France has some good elements to it as well...

Check out the Clermont Racing highlights from this 12th Day:
http://www.lnr.fr/video-clermont-racing-47-14-j12-saison-2013-2014,3497.html


Getting close to 70 straight at home, the Clermontois.
Gotta love running props/hookers. Cabello looking like a wing on that second try ! But 95KG just wouldn't cut it at int'l level for the scroom.
And I'm glaaaaad to see Malzieu finally score a try, and nice assist too. I love that guy on the wing, such an elegant runner and technical with his footwork. Won't forget his try against Italy a couple years ago easily.

To be quite honest there are not many people who will admit to the French situation being excellent apart from the French, the others if they are honest are very jealous as we have the finacial clout to bring players to France International or not, nobody creates noise in FOOT A BAL, find the English or even British players in the Premiership, bloody thousands of non British, but in rugby take their precious players away and all the toys come out of the pram. Look at the number of threads on the H Cup, its not about loosing the H Cup it's the fact that apart from one or two matches the H Cup is the only decent rugby a lot of these guys see. France can survive without the H Cup would not want it but it could and would survive, the others i have my doubts, and the interest would wain for sure, just look at the crowds in the TOP 14 massive in comparison with the rest of Europe. thats enough for now before the hate mail starts to flood in.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I am one of the few SH posters you'll find who is very happy with French clubs getting in top players. I do think I would feel otherwise if SA didn't allow for the Springbokke to select foreign players though. The Bokke, with Habana not avaiable for selection?... I would be devestated.

I see it as a win-win situation. The top 14 has 14 teams. You can afford more than half of the players to be foreign players and still have more players elligiable for the france national than other countries have to draw from. Your players also get exposure to proven test class players.

For SA, you bankroll our top players while we get to select them and spend money on bringing others through the ranks and the spots open up opportunity for our youngsters to come through and step up. Currently I hope some French team sign some of our no.8's as we are stagnant in that area; Pierre Spies is holding up the line at the bulls, Keegan Daniel at the Sharks. Those guys aren't gonna be helping out the test team and are blocking the development of others coming through as we effecctively only have 4 teams to draw talent from for the Springbokke. I don't want to imagine a situation where that happens for every position nevermind just the no. 8 position.

I do not like the fact that we have lost many players before they have matured though and are joggin out for foreign test teams but is a reality of the current geo-political situation and particulalry the BS in SA ATM more than anything else so I won't blame the Top14 for that and I can't begrudge anyone searching for a better life and ooportunities elsewhre.

 

[gaston le gaff]

Well at least i am not am my own Stormer cheers, it does not matter where players come, from or go, it is always rugby that benefits which at the end of the day, that is what it is all about. In Franc we are priviledged, one day it may be someone or somewhere else but thats the way the cookie crumbles.

 

[gaston le gaff]

Getting close to 70 straight WINS at home, FOR Clermont.

It's actually 67 now and counting, the 70th will be 29th Dec ASM v Oyonnax, as long as they win the next 2, against H Cup match can't remember opposition, then Biarritz on the 21st Dec.

 

[Big Ewis]

gaston yes, I would tend to agree with you.

I see it as a win-win situation. The top 14 has 14 teams. You can afford more than half of the players to be foreign players and still have more players elligiable for the france national than other countries have to draw from. Your players also get exposure to proven test class players.

For SA, you bankroll our top players while we get to select them and spend money on bringing others through the ranks and the spots open up opportunity for our youngsters to come through and step up. Currently I hope some French team sign some of our no.8's as we are stagnant in that area; Pierre Spies is holding up the line at the bulls, Keegan Daniel at the Sharks. Those guys aren't gonna be helping out the test team and are blocking the development of others coming through as we effecctively only have 4 teams to draw talent from for the Springbokke. I don't want to imagine a situation where that happens for every position nevermind just the no. 8 position.

I do not like the fact that we have lost many players before they have matured though and are joggin out for foreign test teams but is a reality of the current geo-political situation and particulalry the BS in SA ATM more than anything else so I won't blame the Top14 for that and I can't begrudge anyone searching for a better life and ooportunities elsewhre.

That's right, one of the main reasons I'm an enthusiastic Top 14 French fan. As I've watched France play against NZ or AUS, I thought "man, we're just not exposed enough to that kind of trailblazing attack these days, since we've been playing a fairly conservative game for the last decade". It felt like we'd always be behind because we'd play NZ, what, every two years or smt, and we'd never really get used to them like SA or now ARG.

Our guys do seem a lot more used to other teams. For e.g. when we faced off against a steamrolling Samoan squad that had just left Cardiff with a big win, a lot of our guys knew some of them. Same against Tonga this year. Many play in our league. And we're used to the Hosea Gear, Luke McAllister, Census Johnston, Sivivatu and all the Fijian wingers, so we've got a bit of that culture and flavor in our league, in our very home, home delivered in our playground if you will.
All just because of money, but still some benefits for the French aspiring youth.

And sports are a question of survival of the fittest. Natural selection. When ppl say "yeah but it's going to suffocate development for young french players" well if they're not good enough to even get a starting or at least important role on one of the 14 teams, then obviously they're not fit to wear a Bleus jersey, simple as that.

There are examples though where the Top 14 just exaggerates:
Yannick Forestier, the starting loosehead against SA. He's not even a starting prop for Castres Olympique.
Matthieu Bastareaud or Alexis Palisson are world class and very capable backs. Never see them in Toulon.
Julien Malzieu, the author of this gorgeous piece of wingplay:


He's stuck on the bench because Clermont are a powerhouse and have a Fijian and then an ex-All-Black sensation on either side. Also, don't mind the soundtrack it's this hilarious internet trend (the Guile Theme thing)..

P.S.: what's with "the Bokke" ?? Wth is that ?! Who came up with it ? Is it supposed to sound big and cool, something in that vein ?

 

[Big Ewis]

Well at least i am not am my own Stormer cheers, it does not matter where players come, from or go, it is always rugby that benefits which at the end of the day, that is what it is all about. In Franc we are priviledged, one day it may be someone or somewhere else but thats the way the cookie crumbles.

mmmmm......coooookies.......*glrrrrrrrbblllrbrrrr*

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

The Bokke? I don't think anyone really 'came up with it' as such; 'springbok' is an Afrikaans word- literally jumping buck- springbokke being the plural and bokke just to shorten. Add the capital letter because it is a nameword and you get 'Bokke!!!!'. Also just very easier shouting 'Bokke!!!!' than 'Springbokke!' LOL.

These little buck jump like nothing else bigger than a grasshopper and is something to behold when they get horny.

I've always like that we (Oom Paul Roos to be precise) named our test team after the springbok. I find it rather ironic that he picked one of the smallest land mammals found here wherreas we've always been a tall group of people and are generally typified by our size.

 

[Big Ewis]

K thanks. Well there must be a very good reason for that, despite the springbok being a small animal.
A wallaby is a pretty unimpressive animal too, plus it sounds ridiculous. It's like the Aussies have always had this humorous aura around them, they're very tongue-in-cheek and they like to crack little sarcastic jokes all the time, and "Wallabies" sounds just perfect for them lol. It sounds like they're almost not taking it seriously to name their selves, even though that's not actually the case I'm sure.

I was asking because "the Bokke" obviously looks weird in English - why would it be singular...I thought maybe to make it seem like one big machine, the singular...but what you said explains it, got it.