French rugby 2020/2021

[Cagey Tiger]

Sir,
Thank you for your efforts in posting top 14 updates each week. I don't commies I really don't know enough about French rugby. However with you insight and updates I learn more each week. So thank you once again for you time in this service.

Merci boucoup monsieur

+1

[tigerburnie]

That Clermont v Toulouse match looks like it was an exciting game, two very strong teams.

[Robespierre]

Telusa Veainu will make his début for SF in this evening's match at Castres.
Allez SF!!!

And former Tiger, Pablo Matera is also in the team.

[Robespierre]

This weekend's results:

Racing 41 Montpellier 17
Pau 33 Agen 23
Toulouse 39 La Rochelle 23
Bayonne 21 Clermont 19
Bordeaux 25 Brive 20
Castres 16 Stade Français 22
Toulon 36 Lyon 14

So after the first two rounds, here's the table:

1 Racing 9 points
2 Pau 8
3 Clermont 5
4 Brive 5
5 Toulouse 5
6 Toulon 5
7 SF 4
8 Bordeaux 4
9 La Rochelle 4
10 Castres 4
11Bayonne 4
12Agen 1
13 Lyon 1
17 Montpellier 1

The next match will be Bordeaux v S Français on 29th September (postponed from the first weekend).
The third round will be played on the first weekend of October. (Toulouse v Toulon being the top match)

[Robespierre]

The allocation of bonus points has changed in France.
There are still 4 points for a win and 2 for a draw, but a losing bonus point is now no longer gained by losing by 7 or less, but by 5.
A try bonus point is gained if the team scores 3 tries or more than the opposition, so I suppose it's even possible for the losing side to get a try bonus point.

[Robespierre]

The relationship between the FFR (Federation of French Rugby) and the LNR (National League Rugby) is becoming rather strained, and the LNR - that represents the clubs in the Top14 and ProD2, have taken the FFR - that represents the national team, to court!
The argument is about the release of club players for the international matches later this autumn.
The FFR want the 42 players selected by coach Fabien Galthié to be available from October 24th - December 5th, that's 7 weeks for 6 matches. However, the LNR insisit that their players be available for 5 weeks with a maximum of 4 matches per player.

We can understand the LNR's point of view as the top clubs are in the middle of a demanding run of games in the Top14, Champions' Cup and Challenge Cup, and the extra demand on the players would be excessive and risks of injury are greater.

The knives are drawn according to a Rugbyrama and it'll be interesting to hear the court's decision.

The FFR president, Bernard Laporte has other worries on his mind at the moment having recently been held in police custody for a couple of days due to alleged financial irregularities, and also the imminent election for President of the FFR, for which he wishes to continue! !
Also, Fabien Galthié has threatened to throw all of his toys out of his pram and resign as coach of the French XV if Laporte isn't re-elected, so that adds a bit of spice to this dilemma!

[JP14]

Be a shame if Galthie did react like this, the French team were really starting to build...

[Robespierre]

Next weekend sees the 3rd round of the Top14. These are the fixtures:

Friday Oct 2nd
Brive v Pau
S Français v Bayonne

Saturday Oct 3rd
Lyon v Bordeaux
Clermont v Agen
La Rochelle v Racing 92

Sunday Oct 4th
Montpellier v Castres
Toulouse v Toulon

Round 4 will be the following weekend when Racing will be at home to Toulouse and the following Saturday is the Champions' Cup final, so I wonder if Racing will be wrapping some of their key players in cotton wool because Top14 opposition doesn't get much tougher than La Rochelle and Toulouse.

[Robespierre]

Two matches have been postponed due to Covid cases, La Rochelle v Racing and Montpellier v Castres.

Elsewhere, Telusa Veianu starts at fullback for Stade Français v Bayonne.

[Robespierre]

Bernard Laporte has just been re-elected as President of the FFR - but by only a small margin.
He polled 51.47% of the votes and his opponent, Florian Grill, 48.53%.

I'm not at all convinced that's a good thing for French rugby, as he's someone who's just spent a short time in police custody for alleged "financial irregularities", so there's clearly a big question mark over his integrity. (Maybe they're ideal qualifications to be at the head of French rugby!)
However, I know nothing at all about Florian Grill, who may equally be a shady character too.

With the next Rugby World Cup to be held in France in 2023, they need someone at the helm who has the right credentials to ensure that the tournament. Perhaps he's the sort of bloke that fits the bill?
We'll wait and see.

[Robespierre]

The big match of this weekend's Top14, Toulouse v Toulon, is this evening at 9pm local time.

Former All Black Jerome Kaino, World Cup winner in 2011 and 2015 and now 37, makes a rare appearance in the 2nd row for Toulouse.
The Tolofua brothers are up against each other. Toulon hooker, Christopher (formerly of Toulouse and Saracens and has 7 caps for France) and younger brother, Toulouse 8 Selevasio Tolofua (France u20 2017).

There are several Toulon players in the side who beat Tigers last week. Louis Carbonel is a player who'll be pushing Romain Ntamack to be France's 10, and there's the current French captain Charles Ollivon at blindside wing forward.

Here are the teams:

Toulouse : 15. Médard ; 14. Lebel, 13. Tauzin, 12. Ahki, 11. Kolbe ; 10. Ntamack, 9. Dupont ; 7. Cros, 8. Tolofua, 6. Elstadt ; 5. Tekori, 4. Kaino ; 3. Aldegheri, 2. J. Marchand (cap), 1. Baille.

Remplaçants : 16. Mauvaka, 17. Neti, 18. Meafou, 19. Ri. Arnold, 20. Madaule, 21. Bales, 22. Holmes, 23. Tafili.

Toulon : 15. Ikpefan ; 14. Dakuwaqa, 13. Heem, 12. Paia’aua, 11. Robert ; 10. Carbonel, 9. Takulua ; 7. Isa, 8. Lakafia (cap), 6. Ollivon ; 5. Jolmes, 4. Alainu’uese ; 3. Setiano, 2. Soury, 1. S. Taofifenua.

Remplaçants : 16. Tolofua, 17. Devaux, 18. Rebbadj, 19. Hoarau, 20. Egiziano, 21. Moretti, 22. Méric, 23. Gigashvili.

This should be worth watching - try cricfree rugby streaming.

[JP14]

Really rate Tolofua the younger, hope he can get some gametime with Les Bleus.

[Robespierre]

Really rate Tolofua the younger, hope he can get some gametime with Les Bleus.

He’ll either need to play extremely well or count on others getting injured. There’s no doubt that he’s a very promising player.

[JP14]

I remember his performance versus Leinster in 2018, if he can replicate regularly I believe he has a chance, he was in the French squads during the Six Nations.

[Robespierre]

This weekend's results - although there's one match to be played this evening, Lyon v Bordeaux

Brive 19 Pau 13
SF 19 Bayonne 26
Clermont 31 Agen 12
La Rochelle v Racing - postponed
Toulouse 39 Toulon 19
Montpellier v Castres - postponed
Lyon v Bordeaux - to be played this evening

The Toulouse v Toulon match was a joy to watch (except when the streaming was lost!). Toulouse led 25 - 0 at half time having blown away Toulon with some magnificent running rugby (if only Dupont played for Tigers!), but in the second half they took their foot off the pedal and the Toulon players clearly reacted to their half time rollocking and scored three tries of their own.
Toulouse's Tolofua had an impressive game at 8 showing remarkable fleetness of foot now and again.
However, despite scoring five tries, the winning bonus eluded them as the new law regarding bonus points says that the side has to score at least three tries more than the opposition. If Toulouse had done that, they'd be a point clear at the top of the table!



1 Clermont 9 points (played 3)
2 Toulouse 9 (played 3)
3 Racing 9 (played 2)
4 Brive 9 (played 3)
5 Pau 8 (played 3)
6 Bayonne 8 (played 3)
7 Toulon 5 (played 3)
8 SF 4 (played 2)
9 Bordeaux 4 (played 1)
10 La Rochelle 4 (played 2)
11 Castres 4 (played 2)
12 Lyon 1 (played 2)
13 Montpellier 1 (played 2)
14 Agen 1 (played 3)

The Racing players are currently confined in a hotel with view to the Champions' Cup final on the 17th against Exeter in Bristol. However, they have a scheduled home Top14 match next Saturday against Toulouse. Will it be postponed like this weekend's match against La Rochelle? A log-jam of fixtures is to be avoided, so the LNR (League Nationale de Rugby) may oblige them to fulfil their match against Toulouse.