Top 14 Day 3

[Big Ewis]

- On Friday Montypellier with an almost certain loss, very tough start to the season for the ambition-laden club. Volcano isn't insurmountable anymore but remains a big black hole on anyone's calendar.
- Toulouse to be tested on the road. They sucked horribly there last year, except for two good results towards the end of the season. La Rochelle is as easy as it'll get for them, although I can see the home crowd chanting "Ici. Ici c'est La Rochelle !!!" in ecstasy after claiming their first major Top 14 scalp...First game at home for the newly upgraded club. Toulouse are on top form though.
- Castres with everything to prove all over again after a terrible, terrible start. Their worst since 2008 says RR. Bayonne on a big high since crushing OYO.
- Grenoble Bordeaux. Very tricky one. Two clubs with more ambition than ppl know.
- Lyon Brive, another tricky one. Possibly the least interesting of the weekend.
- Oyonnax, another "small club" with its first game at home. Fortress Oyonnax proved to be almost indestructible, and they'll want to bounce back from last week's thrashing. Paris may be in for a tough result to swallow.
- Racing Toulon: the blockbuster match for the weekend. Toulon with their first real test of the season, and a big way to measure Racing also as being home they're expected to win this, but may very well not.


I'll go with all home wins, which although it looks conservative and risk-free is actually a perilous stance !

 

[gaston le gaff]

Lyon v Brive is a tricky one but you have to remember that these type of games are so important at the end of the season, win this on the road and you are scalping Lyon lose it and Lyon have points every game is now so important, ours at Clermont, we've never won there we have to go with a positive mind and try and get points but that is a very difficult task. It will have to be my joker but the rest i will have to think about for a couple of days. The ref is half decent which is a bonus.

 

[TheSaffycen]

I'm gonna go for Clermont, Toulouse, Castres, Bordeaux, Lyon, Oyonnax, Toulon
Now i've gone for 3 away wins which is pretty unlikely but some of these games are pretty tough too call at the start of the season.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Oy, vey!

Big E, I see where you are coming from saying home wins is a perilous call as I see a lot of away wins are very muchon the cards though of course my predictions are as good as 50/50 calls and in Top 14 home advantage seemingly counts for a lot more than in other competitions.

 

[Tony Manx]

Due to popular demand....I will pick Aviron Bayonne as the team to support this week....it being alphabetically the first team in the Top 14.

They are away at Castres and I am sure that they will destroy the beleaguered Castres giving them their third whopping of the new season and paving their way to the slippery slope to Pro 2................!!

Seriously, I reckon it will be a very hard job to win for them at Castres who must be desperate for that first win and a shame we will not see Rococococococococo in opposition to his long time International team mate Siviviviviviviviviviatu due to the latter being injured. Good news is that Rocococococococo is now fully fit and raring to go. What chance the best and most underrated full back in the Top 14 will, again, be the man of the match.

 

[gaston le gaff]

Can Gaston keep his 100% predictions record this week very difficult but after much debate and contact with all the home team coaches he has decided to publish what he and only he thinks.........
Home Wins for... Castres, Grenoble, Lyon, Oyonnax, they are the easy ones......risky but La Rochelle to win!!!!!......1st defeat of the season for Toulon but by only a few points... My joker will be Montpellier cannot say we are going to lose thats just not possible, but as we have never won in Clermont it is more in desperation, and pure belief in Father Christmas and fairy stories but hope is a strong element, plus its Jimmy Nagusa 100th game for Montpellier and he could bring some magic to the table , more than likely Ben Mowen's 1st game for Montpellier , Chris King on the bench and Tom Donnelly starting as well if i go by Tues training!!!!!! and if Castres can go there and win why can't we !!!!!!! + it's a Canal +'s Friday night Gala game, how they love us at Canal!!!!! and we are good at those especially in Clermont sorry only joking!!!!!!!!!!

 

[gaston le gaff]

Due to popular demand....I will pick Aviron Bayonne as the team to support this week....it being alphabetically the first team in the Top 14.

They are away at Castres and I am sure that they will destroy the beleaguered Castres giving them their third whopping of the new season and paving their way to the slippery slope to Pro 2................!!

Seriously, I reckon it will be a very hard job to win for them at Castres who must be desperate for that first win and a shame we will not see Rococococococococo in opposition to his long time International team mate Siviviviviviviviviviatu due to the latter being injured. Good news is that Rocococococococo is now fully fit and raring to go. What chance the best and most underrated full back in the Top 14 will, again, be the man of the match.

Is this a one week thing or is it the team for the season, could take a B E position and change like boxers every week or so. i thought ASM Clermont were the first alphabetically but then again i will probably be corrected as i know nout!!!!( thats Yorkshire for nothing)

 

[Big Ewis]

and if Castres can go there and win why can't we !!!!!!!

because Montypellier is no Castres Olympique

Is this a one week thing or is it the team for the season, could take a B E position and change like boxers every week or so. i thought ASM Clermont were the first alphabetically but then again i will probably be corrected as i know nout!!!!( thats Yorkshire for nothing)

now now gastaldi, I don't change every week. I'd be way too lazy for that. I'll take my time rooting for a club before I change, us hermit crabs are a peaceful, slow-moving bunch ! Every week, what am I, the French government ?!

Tonish, that's good resolution there. I'm a fan of Bayonne myself, that Charles Ollivon is one hell of a prospect. A majority of French fans apparently think he should play in the next November int'ls. The rest of the backrow is very solid and hard to tackle (Gayraud and kiwi Haare). The scrum is pretty good. They've got a KILLER explosive back three with French phenom Marvin O'Connor (fantastic last week)+Rokocoko and Saffer Spedding, one hell of a player.
And watch out for Matthieu Ugalde, the new French flyhalf prospect in the making, currently playing 13. Good size, good passing game.

 

[Tony Manx]

because Montypellier is no Castres Olympique



now now gastaldi, I don't change every week. I'd be way too lazy for that. I'll take my time rooting for a club before I change, us hermit crabs are a peaceful, slow-moving bunch ! Every week, what am I, the French government ?!

Tonish, that's good resolution there. I'm a fan of Bayonne myself, that Charles Ollivon is one hell of a prospect. A majority of French fans apparently think he should play in the next November int'ls. The rest of the backrow is very solid and hard to tackle (Gayraud and kiwi Haare). The scrum is pretty good. They've got a KILLER explosive back three with French phenom Marvin O'Connor (fantastic last week)+Rokocoko and Saffer Spedding, one hell of a player.
And watch out for Matthieu Ugalde, the new French flyhalf prospect in the making, currently playing 13. Good size, good passing game.

They are OK but not up to the BO standards.............never mind it is only a week!!! Gastonaldi (like that!)....I am going by the order they appear in Rugby Transferts.com!!!

Now I have done you the hoonour of supporting a Top 14 team......what about you guys picking a Pro 2 side....never know you know!!!

 

[gaston le gaff]

Now I have done you the hoonour of supporting a Top 14 team......what about you guys picking a Pro 2 side....never know you know!!![/QUOTE]

I have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its Montpellier seconds (Beziers)

 

[Tony Manx]

I have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its Montpellier seconds (Beziers)

True? How does that work..joint registration or loan deals?

Love the place and they have a campsite down by the river where I had an excellent red and cote de boeuf a few years ago...found it when we went up the Canal du Midi and spent about three days (well three hours) getting up the locks!!

 

[TRF_Cymro]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Le XV de départ face à <a href="https://twitter.com/MHR_officiel">@MHR_officiel</a> : <a href="https://twitter.com/wesleyfofana">@wesleyfofana</a> associé à <a href="https://twitter.com/JonFoxDavies">@JonFoxDavies</a> ! <a href="http://t.co/3a8NHrfYsH">http://t.co/3a8NHrfYsH</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ASMMHR?src=hash">#ASMMHR</a> <a href="http://t.co/04qBPwKsB9">pic.twitter.com/04qBPwKsB9</a></p>&mdash; ASM Rugby Officiel (@ASMOfficiel) <a href="https://twitter.com/ASMOfficiel/statuses/505001773669810176">August 28, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Montpellier: 15 Pierre Berard, 14 Lucas Dupont, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Wynand Olivier, 11 Benjamin Fall, 10 François Trinh-Duc, 9 Benoit Paillaugue, 8 Ben Mowen, 7 Antoine Battut, 6 Fulgence Ouedraogo (c), 5 Sitaleki Timani, 4 Tom Donnelly, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Mickael Ivaldi, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili.
Replacements: 16 Thomas Bianchin, 17 Yvan Watremez, 18 Robins Tchale Watchou, 19 Akapusi Qera, 20 Jonathan Pelissie, 21 Timoci Nagusa, 22 Rene Ranger, 23 Chris King

 

[usap dessie]

Home wins apart from the La Rochelle v Toulouse game ....watched the Toulouse game last week , they looked the business !

 

[gaston le gaff]

so Montpellier are blooding their new recruits and against Clermont which i think is not a bad idea something about being thrown into the deep end and we will quickly find out if they can swim or drown. I reckon we could give them a good run for their money but it will have to be faultless and that has not happened so far this season. First time i miss this match for seasons as we have guests in the gite who are leaving tomorrow( shame) but will be watching on Canal with a good bottle of something? which is yet to be decided. Clermont on the other hand look pretty strong and a class bench to boot, so there will be fireworks, but who will be lighting the blue touch paper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALLEZ MONTPELLIER...........

 

[Tony Manx]

Home wins apart from the La Rochelle v Toulouse game ....watched the Toulouse game last week , they looked the business !

Would not go that far....they were pretty poor in the pack! I am not sure at what stage La Rochelle are at in their reincarnation as a Top 14 side yet but if they have any sort of a decent pack, it might be closer than you think and certainly "he who should be obeyed"** seems to think La Rochelle may win!

** Gastonaldi (sounds like a waiter in a shopping centre!!!)

ALLEZ MONTPELLIER...........

Allez home with yourselves!!

 

[gaston le gaff]

A waiter in a shopping centre ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

[Tony Manx]

A waiter in a shopping centre ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Garcon...aldi

 

[gaston le gaff]

Garcon...aldi

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that was thoughtful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[usap dessie]

yes , may have gone slightly gone 'over the top' about Toulouse but still think they will nick a win .

 

[gaston le gaff]

True? How does that work..joint registration or loan deals?

Love the place and they have a campsite down by the river where I had an excellent red and cote de boeuf a few years ago...found it when we went up the Canal du Midi and spent about three days (well three hours) getting up the locks!!

Its a lot simpler than that, we dont want them so we give them to Beziers!!!!!!!!!! buy one get one free, but they are doing ok will never be TOP 14 material until the sort the non playing side of the club out and that will not be tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!