Top 14 Day 3

[TRF_stormer2010]

Well Sexton's out for 4-6 weeks with his jaw.

Johan Goosen. I'll be interested to see if he can stay fit for more than 3 games and whether RM92 suit him; he shone in a high tempo ball-in-hand game with the Cheetahs whereas RM92 has been playing a very defense-position minded game. Best of luck to him in any case. He couldn't have a better platform to show a larger audience why SA thought he was God's gift to SA rugby (prior to a horrible run of injuries).

true it's early but the games won now count just as much as the end of season, the very fact is all games at home have to be won if you want to finish in the top 6 you need to target 6 away games winning 4 and picking up 2 bonus point for the other 2 games, plus with the defensive bonus point down to 5 those will be hard to get and very fact if you are 5 behind the win is still very much a possibility. The teams that use their players wisely and give them max of rest will be the ones who will be challenging at the end. There are some very tough teams and no games are easy, but Racing v Toulon showed that perfectly although Racing were not at their very best they got the result from the team everybody has to beat if they want to compete, so i think after a couple of awkward seasons they will be there or there abouts come the playoffs, then its all about one game, win and move on!!!!!!!

Interesting, so that's the tactic, hey? I suppose it makes sense given the sheer length of the Top14 season that it'll be a tactical 800/1500m type race rather than a 200m/400m sprint.

 

[gaston le gaff]

He has also got a humongus boot on him, looks like a good replacement to me we will see in the next few weeks..

 

[big ginger 8]

Johan Goosen. I'll be interested to see if he can stay fit for more than 3 games and whether RM92 suit him; he shone in a high tempo ball-in-hand game with the Cheetahs whereas RM92 has been playing a very defense-position minded game. Best of luck to him in any case. He couldn't have a better platform to show a larger audience why SA thought he was God's gift to SA rugby (prior to a horrible run of injuries).


Interesting, so that's the tactic, hey? I suppose it makes sense given the sheer length of the Top14 season that it'll be a tactical 800/1500m type race rather than a 200m/400m sprint.

Yeah, I know about Goosen. He's a special talent hope he can get back to his pre injuries level.

 

[gaston le gaff]

Well he will have the chance to shine while Sexton is out injured, next games for Racing are Clermont (a),Lyon (h),Toulouse (h), Grenoble (a) so if he gets through that little lot with good results , Sexton could be benching it!!!! who knows but thats a tough little stretch for him.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

He has also got a humongus boot on him, looks like a good replacement to me we will see in the next few weeks..

Yeah, I know about Goosen. He's a special talent hope he can get back to his pre injuries level.

Yes, that famous youtube vid of him kicking a place kick of 70m with some extra to spare. Thats pretty big even for altitude. Hope he has put on some meat; he was always the wrong kind of skinny for contact IMO. You get boney hard types with what we call in SA if I can translate 'sinew/wire instead of muscle' that you just don't want to tackle or get tackled by but he is just plain skinny. He was damn quick off the mark because of it but simply can't stand up to contact seemingly in these high levels.

 

[Big Ewis]

hah, nice ! Forgot about the Saffer kid in (Free)Macing Retro 29 !! Let's see what the kid's got, he's played for the Boks, so EVEN (!!!!) in the Top 14 he shouldn't do bad. Hopefully this one doesn't feel homesick.

Was lookin' at the individual stats so far, man, Ratini's already got five motherflicking tries. "Essais" for tries:





No denying the Oceanians' domination in that sector, just look at that list.

 

[FrenchFan]

RR XV of the week SLIDESHOW:
http://www.rugbyrama.fr/rugby/notre-xv-de-la-3e-journee_dia3124/slideshow.shtml


So I watched La Rochelle Toulouse.
Interesting, because the latter weren't necessarily as terrible as the score would imply. Yann David really on form, brutal ball in hand and on his defensive hits, Fritz still damaging, Fickou with some good stepping as he came in late. Vincent Clerc definitely needs lots of playing time to get back, if he ever is to. Médard had some good stretches, and the young SH Bézy was pretty darn good. McAlister with a darn good first game, but then there's the pack...Dusautoir looked in good form and did make 15 tackles (1 missed), but lots of penalties/infringements, needs to be lots more efficient.

La Rochelle generally played like the underdog team at home, as we've grown accustomed to seeing now in the Top 14. Oyonnax last year quasi-invincible and most certainly furious when in their house, same here. The great doors of the Atlantic have engulfed upon its first poor victim. This is how they do it: enormous aggressiveness from the get-go, and never look back. Toulouse come in, like, we're big we'll walk all over them. LAR is on every ball, contests in the rucks aggressively, clears out rucks and pesky Toulousains defenders like they're the plague. Beat the crap out of em in the scrum for 80min. And took their opportunities on attack, and yes ladies n gentlemen, those boys can put some attacking sequences together. And that Alofa/Bobo duo on the wings...dayummm.

38yo Bobo makes Vincent Clerc look like an inanimate sextoy:

Vincent needs to focus on his club career. I've been saying this since...last season. He is no longer of international standard in my view. Judging by his poor display of late Vincent isn't going to have much choice anyway!
I think Guitoune has more to offer. And don't forget that our opponents know how Vincent plays. They don't know Guitoune.

Mc Alister had a poor game IMO dodgy choices. Too many aimless tactical kicks. He is not the solution, more part of the problem with our attack. His jersey is for Flood to take.