Top 14 Day 2

[gaston le gaff]

Sorry to disappoint Sifplay but the ref is linked to the video so he can ask whatever questions he needs to and then await the answer, foul play, obstruction, offside, try or no try, sexual harrasement infact anything.
getting quite modern or TOP 14.

 

[BasqueBete]

Hi, my first post, when will matchday3 be opened up?

dare i say what a Superb win for BO at the weekend but I highly suspect that stade will be Dishing out a bump back down to earth, and I'm pretty sure montpellier will come away with a very healthy win next week, as will Racing.

Bordeaux should be able to do to castres what they did to Toulouse, as both opponents have had their share of wins v Bordeaux in the last season, and it's a game Ibanez will be desperate to win.

Anyhow, hi, and look forward to the forum

 

[gaston le gaff]

Funny just got the list for this weekends refs and guess what Mon. Jerome Garces nowhere to be seen, strange old world what!!!!!!

 

[Tony Manx]

Hi, my first post, when will matchday3 be opened up?

dare i say what a Superb win for BO at the weekend but I highly suspect that stade will be Dishing out a bump back down to earth, and I'm pretty sure montpellier will come away with a very healthy win next week, as will Racing.

Bordeaux should be able to do to castres what they did to Toulouse, as both opponents have had their share of wins v Bordeaux in the last season, and it's a game Ibanez will be desperate to win.

Anyhow, hi, and look forward to the forum

You are welcome to the Top 14 site but to be a BO supporter as well is an added bonus!! Please let us have your views as and when you wish and your input will be appreciated by all..........

I usually put up the fixtures two days before so will post on Thursday and also on Sunday this week as the Top 14 continue their stupid scheduling of three games in 8/9 days so that they can have a week off later in the year............WHY? Also we have now had two home games and now have two away games.....why? Surely it is not that bleedin difficult to have one home and then one away..........most other leagues can manage that!!

Reference your comments...........it was a superb, but very lucky, win for BO which has the benefit to management of hiding a lot of what is wrong!!

I am now wary of saying too early who will do what to whom as it all depends on the teams selected for away games as always......ASM had some third stringers playing on their loss at Oyonnax and UBB were playing almost a second team at Brive but am sure that Motpellier will be out with their best team at brive as they need the points after the last two weeks in their push for the qualifying.....

 

[BasqueBete]

Indeed, BO had to get a win, otherwise it was probably late sept and the visit of Grenoble before they recorded first win.
With oyonnax joining the mountain fortress brigade with Grenoble, and Bordeaux and brive not being too shabby, it's got to be one of toughest campaigns that i can remember. Added in is what looks like a stade Francais that won't be rolling over for most away games , pts opportunities are getting thinner on ground for the teams that are going to battling it out at the bottom.

I believe this season, we will see clermont lose a home game. Remove certain players (parra,ROugerie,Bonnaire,nalaga) and their squad starts to look back with the pack.

Lack of recruitment in key areas, back row and halfbacks specifically, is beginning to show. They need Delaney back fit as James goes missing away from home, rado is a poor replacement for parra. I would not have them as favourites for the Heineken cup.

In fact, if the injury list stays how I think it looks at the moment (parra,ROugerie,fofana,Delaney) this coming weekend is a fixture which if I was mr noves, I would be saying to his team, we are going to take them down now...

Especially with inclusion of vermaak, as 9 has been an Achilles heel for Toulouse in recent seasons.
We shall see

 

[Tony Manx]

Indeed, BO had to get a win, otherwise it was probably late sept and the visit of Grenoble before they recorded first win.
With oyonnax joining the mountain fortress brigade with Grenoble, and Bordeaux and brive not being too shabby, it's got to be one of toughest campaigns that i can remember. Added in is what looks like a stade Francais that won't be rolling over for most away games , pts opportunities are getting thinner on ground for the teams that are going to battling it out at the bottom.

I believe this season, we will see clermont lose a home game. Remove certain players (parra,ROugerie,Bonnaire,nalaga) and their squad starts to look back with the pack.

Lack of recruitment in key areas, back row and halfbacks specifically, is beginning to show. They need Delaney back fit as James goes missing away from home, rado is a poor replacement for parra. I would not have them as favourites for the Heineken cup.

In fact, if the injury list stays how I think it looks at the moment (parra,ROugerie,fofana,Delaney) this coming weekend is a fixture which if I was mr noves, I would be saying to his team, we are going to take them down now...

Especially with inclusion of vermaak, as 9 has been an Achilles heel for Toulouse in recent seasons.
We shall see

Totally agree with this and having seen them play...........Indeed, Toulon, if they decide to play full strength team and they turn up like they did at home last week rather than as they played away against Montpellier the week before, WILL take ASM's home record this week!

 

[BasqueBete]

Totally agree with this and having seen them play...........Indeed, Toulon, if they decide to play full strength team and they turn up like they did at home last week rather than as they played away against Montpellier the week before, WILL take ASM's home record this week!

I'm sure they would, but Toulon travel to Grenoble
It's Toulouse away to clermont, and I really hope Toulouse take this game seriously, because If they are still a predatory beast (which they are) then I would be sniffing a potential kill here, and in light of media attacks upon a "fading" Toulouse, there surely must be the serious motivation within the Toulouse camp to go all out for this game.

I double checked again, definitively out are

ROugerie, Debaty, malzieu, Delaney
Potentially out
Parra,cud more,zhirakshvili, fofana

If all of these don't play, it's serious amount of pressure on Bonnaire to singularly hold the colours, and far too much pressure on rado and James to link it all together...

 

[Tony Manx]

I'm sure they would, but Toulon travel to Grenoble
It's Toulouse away to clermont, and I really hope Toulouse take this game seriously, because If they are still a predatory beast (which they are) then I would be sniffing a potential kill here, and in light of media attacks upon a "fading" Toulouse, there surely must be the serious motivation within the Toulouse camp to go all out for this game.

I double checked again, definitively out are

ROugerie, Debaty, malzieu, Delaney
Potentially out
Parra,cud more,zhirakshvili, fofana

If all of these don't play, it's serious amount of pressure on Bonnaire to singularly hold the colours, and far too much pressure on rado and James to link it all together...

There you go.................memory goes once you get past 30 and should have checked!!

 

[BasqueBete]

I didnt want to appear as a know it all

It will be your turn next to nudge me when my memory reveals it's declining ability

For what it's worth, this week I see the following

Stade try bonus pt win
Mont tbp win
Racign tbp win
UBB and bayonne 1-12 wins
Clermotn v Toulouse as discussed, all depends on clermotn injuries and Toulouse level of seriousness of approach
And Grenoble v Toulon, ? I'm sure Grenoble will get a lbp, ...

 

[psychic duck]

and in light of media attacks upon a "fading" Toulouse, there surely must be the serious motivation within the Toulouse camp to go all out for this game.

I'm pretty sure I remember the media said similar thing is 2006/07 after Toulouse failed to get through their Heineken Cup group ...

They still have a great squad on paper, just there is now very tough competition with Toulon arriving on the scene as well as Clermont. That's tougher competition than in any other European league, especially since Toulon have nearly brought in a world XV of retired internationals that is disrupted minimally during internationals compared to Toulouse who have a great academy and plenty French internationals. The only thing that will mean they may be fading in the long term is if they are losing money and having to downgrade like Biarritz or Stade Francais, but I don't think that's the case as they are still a well run club which means this is short term imo.

 

[Tony Manx]

I'm pretty sure I remember the media said similar thing is 2006/07 after Toulouse failed to get through their Heineken Cup group ...

They still have a great squad on paper, just there is now very tough competition with Toulon arriving on the scene as well as Clermont. That's tougher competition than in any other European league, especially since Toulon have nearly brought in a world XV of retired internationals that is disrupted minimally during internationals compared to Toulouse who have a great academy and plenty French internationals. The only thing that will mean they may be fading in the long term is if they are losing money and having to downgrade like Biarritz or Stade Francais, but I don't think that's the case as they are still a well run club which means this is short term imo.

They are certainly not in financial problems but one does wonder if it is time for a change and Noves to step-down......

 

[BasqueBete]

Last year they didnt have a class 9 , they do now, they just need to replace beuaxis,

Servat contract problems Would not have helped morale

He is now a coach, and contract problems resolved etc, chili boy will do well, as will all the signings

There's still some life in noyes, but yes a succession plan needs to be put in place, but then servat and elisalde are from the "anfield ilk" which would seem the way touloouse will eventually go

They are in business again this season,

I make the squad strengths in the following order with a pts system

Toulon 227
Toulouse 200
Racing 184
Clermont 174
Montpellier 152
Stade 132
USAP 118
Castre 118
BIarritz 95
Bayonne 70
Bordeaux 67
Oyonnax 48
Brive 39
Grenoble 37

Naturally, grneoble and oyonnax, their total sum is greater than the parts due to their mountain stronghold home X factor and quality coaching team..

FYI Saracens would be 172
Leinster would be 169

So for me, Toulouse have the 2nd strongest squad in Europe.

You can't play 40 players on a matchday of course, but over the length of a top14 and Heineken cup season, we will see Toulouse go furthe this season than they did last..

Their halfbacks remains the their weakest element...but vermaak when he plays, creates a link which was sorely missing last season

 

[gaston le gaff]

Your points system is a good a tool as anyhing, but it being sport anything can happen the season is long and then there are all the International matches where players are missing or get injured this always effects Toulouse and Clermont and many other teams because of the B 6 Nations perfect exampe of fatigue was Michalak last season after 2 years of just about non stop rugby he was knackered and showed it on the park. You are always going to loose key players through injury for long periods of time.
This season will be the toughest yet, but results like Clermont going down to Oyonnax, would you bet on that not many would. Racing on paper have great players but if they dont gel big problems, the teams that have the smaller squads always start failing after Xmas and Jan. Grenoble last season Top 6 until then and after finish 11th. So whatever system you use it is never perfect as the players often do not live up to there status, but then another reason to love the game if it was all black and white we would all start playing TIDDLYWINKS!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[windsorroberts]

loool wtf !!

yoe91 ... Jim Hamilton looked after my RugbyPigs in Hong Kong recently ...

 

[BasqueBete]

Sure thing, that Is why it's a ranking of squad depth, not a ranking of individual team performances, match by match, and that is why, as u say, Grenoble fell away, they are not bottom of the table for no reason.

I put this up to demonstrate two things, Toulouse are far from a fading team, and that too much is assumed of clermont. They are now not in the top2 , and they are now in a pack.

The league placings will not be be too dissimilar to that which I have listed, as least as far down as usap castres, after that , it's down to coaching, luck, home form, injuries and balls of steel.

I did back oyonnax, to be winning at half time..

 

[Big Ewis]

yoe91 ... Jim Hamilton looked after my RugbyPigs in Hong Kong recently ...View attachment 2445

......ehh ??

 

[windsorroberts]

I run a rugby related website with Iain Balshaw, Mike Tindall, Dave Flatman and we are called RugbyPigs ... Jim had the pigs in a bar in Hong Kong!

 

[Big Ewis]

I run a rugby related website with Iain Balshaw, Mike Tindall, Dave Flatman and we are called RugbyPigs ... Jim had the pigs in a bar in Hong Kong!

well that's cool. Just get Wesley Fofana and Louis Picamoles, and I'm in !