French rugby Updates : Le café du Rugby.

vienne86 · 12-10-2014 09:38PM

Toulon not dead yet. Bench having an impact.

thomond2006 · 12-10-2014 09:49PM

Pretty poor attempt at an offload from Basta

vienne86 · 12-10-2014 09:53PM

Toulon looking ragged. Great to see Toulouse back in business.

vienne86 · 12-10-2014 09:56PM

Comedy of errors at the end.....Toulouse lucky enough that Toulon didn't score there. Delighted for Toulouse. Up to 8th now.

.ak · 12-10-2014 09:57PM

Cracking game I thought. Hairydonkey had to be MOTM

vienne86 · 12-10-2014 10:00PM

Great performance from Toulouse- they really put in the effort, and backed each other up....I wonder what Noves said to them. Season back on track. Supporters will be happy.

shrapnel222 · 12-10-2014 10:24PM

.ak wrote: »

Cracking game I thought. Hairydonkey had to be MOTM

phenomenal performance. back line had a great game also.

nc6000 · 13-10-2014 08:45AM

That was a great game. Toulon were pretty lucky not to be leaving Toulouse after being hammered by 30+ points.

vienne86 · 13-10-2014 08:51AM

Yes, very entertaining game. I take issue with Sky insisting on showing Toulon week in week out, but this was a cracker of a game for the neutral.

iroced · 13-10-2014 09:40AM

So Toulouse is still alive and well. All the drama around the 5 defeats in a row and the deep crisis were very much exaggerated. I'm not saying the club doesn't need to change things but I think many forgot that in the 5 defeats 4 were away and in the middle the home game was vs Clermont. Granted that was most unusual for such a club but there were exceptional circumstances associated to it. That said if neither of the top 6 teams slow down dramatically like Grenoble last year Toulouse would have to come out with a super run to nail its position for the finals and the next ERC.

molloyjh · 13-10-2014 10:49AM

iroced wrote: »

So Toulouse is still alive and well. All the drama around the 5 defeats in a row and the deep crisis were very much exaggerated. I'm not saying the club doesn't need to change things but I think many forgot that in the 5 defeats 4 were away and in the middle the home game was vs Clermont. Granted that was most unusual for such a club but there were exceptional circumstances associated to it. That said if neither of the top 6 teams slow down dramatically like Grenoble last year Toulouse would have to come out with a super run to nail its position for the finals and the next ERC.

I think it's a little early to announce that Toulouse are back. Let's see how they go this weekend first. Remember last season Leinster thumped Northampton in Franklin's Gardens and people were talking about them being back to top form. Only to be soundly beaten the following week and even the week after against Edinburgh. One swallow does not a summer make. They need to build on that performance now. A good win over Montpellier at home would be the perfect follow up really.

thomond2006 · 13-10-2014 10:58AM

molloyjh wrote: »

I think it's a little early to announce that Toulouse are back

Well that's two wins on the bounce but I think it's the way they played last night that would give me confidence as opposed to the result. Plus they have been missing some key players.

iroced · 13-10-2014 11:30AM

molloyjh wrote: »

I think it's a little early to announce that Toulouse are back. Let's see how they go this weekend first. Remember last season Leinster thumped Northampton in Franklin's Gardens and people were talking about them being back to top form. Only to be soundly beaten the following week and even the week after against Edinburgh. One swallow does not a summer make. They need to build on that performance now. A good win over Montpellier at home would be the perfect follow up really.

Well I'm not saying they're back on top. I'm just saying their situation was not as bad as I heard in the French press and from certain fans (I even heard or read the word "relegation", end of an era etc...). There was this exceptional run of 4 away games out of 5 which "helped" the "defeats record".

Toulouse need to adapt to the new powers of the Top14. Notably what economical model they wish to follow? What about Noves succession (e.g. I'm not convinced by JB Elissalde work)? Just these 2 topics are extremely difficult to deal with. But at some point they'll have to decide and come with a long-term plan. I don't see them winning big things if they stay as they are. Noves actually made that statement many times last year (more about the first topic of course :P but he indirectly talked about the second too).

So yeah they need to build on yesterday's performance but even if they don't I would not worry yet. There's still plenty time to recover. The season is very long. Racing, Castres showed that you can bounce back from a poor start, Grenoble, Montpellier further ago had the opposite trend which almost sent them down.

former legend · 14-10-2014 12:18PM

Racing cutting out some of the dead wood; Roberts, Phillips and Lydiate being told to PFO.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/rugby-union/29610121

Wales stars Jamie Roberts, Mike Phillips and Dan Lydiate could leave Racing Metro in the coming days, according to reports in France.

Racing coach Laurent Labit told L'Equipe: "We have raised the subject with them. They have never really been that effective since their arrival."

Big chance for the Welsh union to get a few of their big names back home under their new contract system and even get them playing in Europe.

Big Nelly · 14-10-2014 12:21PM

Just seen the following on EPCR facebook page:

Reports in English media today suggest that European Champions RC Toulon may be ready to allow their flanker and 'European player of the year' to join Bath.

According to The Daily Telegraph Steffon Armitage was on Monday night at the centre of an audacious bid by Bath to bring the European player of the year back to the Premiership from Toulon in a sensational move.. apparently Armitage is expected to discover on Tuesday whether the deal has been agreed by the two clubs, which could be finalised in time for the 29-year-old to become a Bath player ahead of their opening European Champions Cup match against Glasgow on Saturday.

AbusesToilets · 14-10-2014 12:40PM

former legend wrote: »

Racing cutting out some of the dead wood; Roberts, Phillips and Lydiate being told to PFO.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/rugby-union/29610121

Big chance for the Welsh union to get a few of their big names back home under their new contract system and even get them playing in Europe.

No surprise there, don't think they have done anything of note since signing for the club.

That news about Armitage is mad, I'd say Lancaster would be quite pleased to have him available again.

vienne86 · 14-10-2014 12:41PM

Is it normal for these sorts of deals to be done at this time of year? Sounds strange.

Big Nelly · 14-10-2014 12:52PM

former legend wrote: »

Racing cutting out some of the dead wood; Roberts, Phillips and Lydiate being told to PFO.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/rugby-union/29610121

Big chance for the Welsh union to get a few of their big names back home under their new contract system and even get them playing in Europe.

Any chance they would throw out Sexton early

I'm sure Leinster might be able to find a home for him

Sure he is useless anyway :eek:

molloyjh · 14-10-2014 01:53PM

former legend wrote: »

Racing cutting out some of the dead wood; Roberts, Phillips and Lydiate being told to PFO.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/rugby-union/29610121

Big chance for the Welsh union to get a few of their big names back home under their new contract system and even get them playing in Europe.

They have never really been that effective since their arrival.

Ouch!

.ak · 14-10-2014 01:57PM

Dead right. I'd be livid if I was Labit. Journeymen.

CatFromHue · 14-10-2014 02:08PM

It's not that surprising that it hasn't worked out for them over there, or certainly to Labit's expectancy.

They're not very versatile players, are injury prone, and their club form was questionable before they left.

Larbre34 · 14-10-2014 02:32PM

An excellent precedent. RM has been a failed initiative due to mediocre coaching. Nothing keeping Sexton there now, time for some sweetheart money to get him home before the 6N and get a Leinster shirt back on him. Might be just in time to salvage the season.

CatFromHue · 14-10-2014 02:39PM

Sexton would be much more important to Racing than the two Welsh lads.

Even though he's a broken jaw he's still started more games (3) than Lydiate (2) and only 1 less than Roberts (4).

They wouldn't want him to go at all.

Winters · 14-10-2014 02:42PM

Has the Tales deal been confirmed? Goosen is a decent understudy. Talk of DC replacing Johnny must be pie in the sky stuff.

Also joining the Paris exodus is Morne Steyn out of SF.

With an average Yves Manoir attendance last season of 7,909 (the lowest in Top14) Lorenzetti will be hard pushed to fill the Arena92 when it's finished.

thomond2006 · 14-10-2014 02:46PM

Larbre34 wrote: »

An excellent precedent. RM has been a failed initiative due to mediocre coaching. Nothing keeping Sexton there now, time for some sweetheart money to get him home before the 6N and get a Leinster shirt back on him. Might be just in time to salvage the season.

They got to a semi-final last year and had the best league form after Christmas. They've been in the playoffs in the last four seasons. They are doing alright at the moment, 7th in the league (only 8 points off leaders Clermont and 4 off 2nd placed Toulon). It's a bit early to call them a failed intiative. The style of rugby the coaches employ is pretty awful but they still won the Top14 with Castres.

The frontline Welsh players, Lee Byrne aside, have had a pretty awful time of it in France.

sydneybound · 14-10-2014 02:56PM

Winters wrote: »

With an average Yves Manoir attendance last season of 7,909 (the lowest in Top14) Lorenzetti will be hard pushed to fill the Arena92 when it's finished.

Shocking attendances however time is on his side in the sense that the arena won't be built for a few years yet.

He was spouting on Total Rugby last week saying it isn't a stadium but an arena and will have one of the best sound systems in Europe. So rugby every other week during the season which he hopes the new home will boost crowds while holding music concerts and business conferences the rest of the time. Think it will fit 40,000 for big gigs.

Surprising all the same as there's only two Paris clubs in the Pro12 thought they'd get better crowds.

former legend · 14-10-2014 03:26PM

According to L'Equipe, Montpellier tried to tempt Felipe Contepomi as cover for Trinh-Duc. He refused, but forwards coach and former Pumas team-mate Mario Ledesma is giving him some time to reconsider.

thomond2006 · 14-10-2014 03:42PM

former legend wrote: »

According to L'Equipe, Montpellier tried to tempt Felipe Contepomi as cover for Trinh-Duc. He refused, but forwards coach and former Pumas team-mate Mario Ledesma is giving him some time to reconsider.

Late run to play in RWC?

Zzippy · 14-10-2014 03:56PM

thomond2006 wrote: »

Late run to play in RWC?

Isn't he retired? Surely he wouldn't have the required fitness if so...

former legend · 14-10-2014 07:48PM

former legend wrote: »

Racing cutting out some of the dead wood; Roberts, Phillips and Lydiate being told to PFO.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/rugby-union/29610121
.

Racing president has now come out and rubbished this, saying they just want the lads to play a bit better

French rugby Updates : Le café du Rugby.

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