French rugby - 2022/23

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Cagey Tiger
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by Cagey Tiger »

:smt023
Wish that there was a like button, but based on replies to previous suggestions, it is never going to happen :smt022
Robespierre
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by Robespierre »

:smt023 Thanks, CT!
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Robespierre
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by Robespierre »

This weekend’s round 7 results : La Rochelle 32 Toulon 5. Brive 7 Toulouse 45. Castres 39 Bayonne 22. Montpellier 26 Lyon 33. Perpignan 10 Clermont 20. Pau 29 S Français 31. Bordeaux/Bègles 29 Racing 17. 1 Toulouse 28. 2 La Rochelle 22. 3 SF 18 (good to see SF near the top). 4 Clermont 18. 5 Toulon 17. 6 Castres 17. 7 Lyon 17. 8 Montpellier 15. 9 B/B 14. 10 Bayonne 13. 11 Racing 13. 12 Brive 11 13 Pau 9. 14 Perpignan 9. Next weekend’s fixtures: Racing v Montpellier. Bayonne v Perpignan. Lyon v Pau. SF v Brive. Toulon v Castres. Clermont v B/B. Toulouse v La Rochelle
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wigworth
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by wigworth »

I haven't watched any Top 14 this year so far, in your opinion who is looking good and will Clermont offer stiffer competition this year?
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by Robespierre »

Clermont are improving but are not at the level of Toulouse or La Rochelle (who play in Toulouse next Sunday evening ) but should still make the end of season playoffs and will provide tough opposition for Tigers in December / January. Castres are always a side to be reckoned with, but reigning champions Montpellier have been off the pace so far this season. Toulon seemed to be on their way back until they were stuffed at La Rochelle at the weekend!
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wigworth
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by wigworth »

Robespierre wrote: Mon Oct 17, 2022 11:04 am Clermont are improving but are not at the level of Toulouse or La Rochelle (who play in Toulouse next Sunday evening ) but should still make the end of season playoffs and will provide tough opposition for Tigers in December / January. Castres are always a side to be reckoned with, but reigning champions Montpellier have been off the pace so far this season. Toulon seemed to be on their way back until they were stuffed at La Rochelle at the weekend!
From looking at the table it seems to be a log jam especially from 3-11 only separated by 1 win.
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by Robespierre »

Round 8 of the Top14 was played at the weekend and here are the details:

Toulouse 26 La Rochelle 17
Racing 38 Montpellier 31
Bayonne 24 Perpignan 20
Lyon 31 Pau 27
Stade Français 27 Brive 0
Toulon 28 Castres 20
Clermont 23 Bordeaux/Bègles 23

1 Toulouse 32
2 S Français 23
3 La Rochelle 22
4 Toulon 21
5 Lyon 21
6 Clermont 20
7 Castres 17
8 Racing 17
9 Bayonne 17
10 Bordeaux/Bègles 16
11 Montpellier 15
12 Brive 11
13 Pau 10
14 Perpignan 10

Toulouse will be delighted to have opened up a 9-point lead as the Autumn Internationals approach when they'll lose players to the French XV, even though there are only two rounds to be played in November. Good to see Stade Français in 2nd after a few seasons in the lower half of the table and I've just learnt that they've signed Wasps' Springbok prop Vincent Koch! Current champions Montpellier, however, can't seem to find any regular form, and they're at home to Stade Français on Saturday afternoon. Brive are having a tough season and have recently parted with their head coach, former Ireland and Lions' 2nd row, Jeremy Davidson.

Next weekend's fixtures:

Castres v Clermont
Brive v Racing
La Rochelle v Pau
Montpellier v S Français
Perpignan v Lyon
Bayonne v Toulouse
Bordeaux/Bègles v Toulon
Brive v Racing
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Robespierre
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by Robespierre »

Top NZ referee, Ben O'Keefe, who's in Europe for the AIs (touch judge France v Aus Nov 5, ref Wales v Arg Nov 12 and Ireland v Aus Nov 19), has been invited to "acclimatise to European conditions", and will referee this Saturday's Top14 fixture between Bayonne and Toulouse.
Sounds a good idea to me, but I wonder if he's taking a crash course in French this week!

Maybe southern hemisphere refs could take charge of a few Premership matches too.
Thoughts?
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Scott1
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by Scott1 »

Robespierre wrote: Wed Oct 26, 2022 11:18 am Top NZ referee, Ben O'Keefe, who's in Europe for the AIs (touch judge France v Aus Nov 5, ref Wales v Arg Nov 12 and Ireland v Aus Nov 19), has been invited to "acclimatise to European conditions", and will referee this Saturday's Top14 fixture between Bayonne and Toulouse.
Sounds a good idea to me, but I wonder if he's taking a crash course in French this week!

Maybe southern hemisphere refs could take charge of a few Premership matches too.
Thoughts?
I like it,good idea! One of my big bugbears was the NH and SH “law interpretations” when those teams met. The laws are the laws,just ref the game properly!
"Rugby isn't a contact sport,ballroom dancing is a contact sport. Rugby is a collision sport" Heyneke Meyer
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by Robespierre »

Scott1 wrote: Wed Oct 26, 2022 12:08 pm
Robespierre wrote: Wed Oct 26, 2022 11:18 am Top NZ referee, Ben O'Keefe, who's in Europe for the AIs (touch judge France v Aus Nov 5, ref Wales v Arg Nov 12 and Ireland v Aus Nov 19), has been invited to "acclimatise to European conditions", and will referee this Saturday's Top14 fixture between Bayonne and Toulouse.
Sounds a good idea to me, but I wonder if he's taking a crash course in French this week!

Maybe southern hemisphere refs could take charge of a few Premership matches too.
Thoughts?
I like it,good idea! One of my big bugbears was the NH and SH “law interpretations” when those teams met. The laws are the laws,just ref the game properly!
I agree. There'll always be different interpretations of the laws of the game. I remember that NZ refs had the reputation of being much more lenient when it came to rucking, but nowadays, any "over-enthusiastic" rucking will be picked up by the TMO, who'll do his level best to make his voice heard at every available opportunity (but that's another story)
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Robespierre
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by Robespierre »

Round 9 of the Top14 was played at the weekend:

Castres 26 Clermont 22
Brive 38 Racing 43
Montpellier 23 Stade Français 19
Perpignan 28 Lyon 21
Bayonne 26 Toulouse 22
Bordeaux/Bègles 27 Toulon 26
La Rochelle 21 Pau 38

Brive, despite scoring 38 points, 5 tries to Racing's 4, conceded far too many penalties and find themselves in 14th place.
The big surprise of the weekend was Pau's win at La Rochelle, where former Tiger, Zach Henry kicked 16 points.
Toulouse, deprived of their international players, leant heavily on younger players like 20-year-old No8 Théo Ntamack (brother of Romain) and another 20-year-old, 2nd row Joshua Brennan (son of Trevor, remember him?!) and in spite of losing at Bayonne, came away with a well-deserved bonus point and scoring 3 tries to Bayonne's 2.

1 Toulouse 33 points
2 Stade Français 24
3 La Rochelle 22
4 Toulon 22
5 Castres 21
6 Racing 21
7 Clermont 21
8 Bayonne 21
9 Lyon 21
10 Bordeaux/Bègles 20
11 Montpellier 19
12 Pau 14
13 Perpignan 14
14 Brive 12

Round 10 takes place next weekend and there'll then be a three-week break until round 11 on the last weekend of November:

Toulouse v Stade Français
Clermont v Bayonne
Brive v La Rochelle
Racing v Perpignan
Lyon v Castres
Pau v Bordeaux/Bègles
Toulon v Montpellier
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Robespierre
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by Robespierre »

Robespierre wrote: Wed Oct 26, 2022 11:18 am Top NZ referee, Ben O'Keefe, who's in Europe for the AIs (touch judge France v Aus Nov 5, ref Wales v Arg Nov 12 and Ireland v Aus Nov 19), has been invited to "acclimatise to European conditions", and will referee this Saturday's Top14 fixture between Bayonne and Toulouse.
Sounds a good idea to me, but I wonder if he's taking a crash course in French this week!

Maybe southern hemisphere refs could take charge of a few Premership matches too.
Thoughts?
I watched the Bayonne v Toulouse match and was impressed with Ben O'Keefe's French, evidently with a broad NZ twang! I hope World Rugby are insisting that referees at least have the basics to communicate with French players. France play Australia next Saturday at the Stade de France and the ref is Jaco Peyper and I wonder if his French is adequate? Next match is against South Africa in Marseille on the 12th with Wayne Barnes as ref, and we all know his French is pretty good. Then they play Japan in Toulouse on the 20th with Ireland's Andrew Brace in charge.
As an aside, it's good to see that France are playing two of their three Autumn Tests away from Paris, which will be much appreciated by supporters in Marseille and Toulouse. RFU take note!!
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mightymouse
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by mightymouse »

I can’t bear O Keefe .. dreadful referee
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by Robespierre »

mightymouse wrote: Mon Oct 31, 2022 7:54 am I can’t bear O Keefe .. dreadful referee
I thought he was good in Bayonne, but you've maybe seen more of his matches than me.
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Scott1
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Re: French rugby - 2022/23

Post by Scott1 »

mightymouse wrote: Mon Oct 31, 2022 7:54 am I can’t bear O Keefe .. dreadful referee
He's no Karl Dickson 😭
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