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It’s ‘PREM Season’ week in Pro D2. A term made up by us and used by nobody (yet), but one that helps to put into context just how attritional this league is. Twelve rounds played, with eighteen to go in the regular season – or to put it another way – the small matter of a full English PREM season still to tick off.
The return of the Champions Cup dominates this week, and for any Sharks fans in town early for their match against Toulouse on Sunday, they’d be advised to get along to the Stade Michel-Bendichou, where the rugby-watching weekend kicks off with one time European Cup finalists Colomiers taking on fellow promotion hopefuls Grenoble on Thursday night.
Colomiers have had a fine start to the season, and although a win here would push them into second, they have faltered twice at home, firstly to Vannes, and then to a stacked Provence side in Round 10. That they have played some exceptional attacking rugby this season is beyond question, but if there are any doubts – and only a fool reads too much into anything before round 20 in this league – it might be in their ballast and ability to take on the league’s real big hitters.
Travelling to Brive last Thursday, a changed-up Colomiers for the most part put in a strong showing against the league’s highest-budget team. Their attack, led by Théo Giral, and with Alexandre Borie dovetailing nicely as a second playmaker from 15, looked slick early, and a defence which has still conceded the fewest points in the league to date ceded little ground to a Brive attack full of huge runners. Luka Plataret was key in that defensive aggression, whilst Thomas Adelaïde, who previously plied his trade at Bourgoin, was excellent in the second row alongside Englishman Myles Edwards.
Where there was area for concern though was at scrum time, where an admittedly enormous Brive pack exerted game-turning pressure, and forced four yellow cards that did little to help the visiting side’s chances.
For this week, Colomiers look back to near enough full click. Caleb Timu and Ray Nu’u have long been key men in the carry and return to start having been on the bench against Brive. The bench this week looks particularly tasty. Plataret will bring his typical feistiness late on alongside Portuguese back-rower Nicolas Martins, who will surely be a key part of Colomiers’ promotion push having missed the first few rounds of the year. Martins’ Os Lobos teammate Rodrigo Marta starts on the right wing.
As for Grenoble, in recent seasons they would appear to be the sort of side that might trouble Colomiers at home – a huge pack with excellent playmakers and unafraid to send strong sides on the road. It’s long documented that this season has been blighted by injury, but they should still give Colomiers plenty to think about here.
They are still well within touch of the barrage places, and there are signs their injury misfortune may be turning. Sam Davies remains absent but is inching closer to a return, whilst Hanru Sirgel, who brought such a carrying threat last season, is on the bench and set to make his first appearance since April. Also among the replacements is Romain Trouilloud, integral to everything good about Grenoble in the last few years, whether at fly-half, inside or outside centre and with a huge boot for good measure. He is making his first appearance since an injury picked up in Round 6.
Among the starters, Raffaele Costa Storti returns from international duty to add to the distinctly Iberian flavour on the wings in this fixture, and a front row of Zack Gauthier, Bastien Soury and Johannes Jonker will no doubt be keen to target the Colomiers scrum as Brive did last week. There is pressure though on Éric Escande and Max Clément, who haven’t always clicked as a pairing this season, in stark contrast to their opposition half-backs this week.
Colomiers are favourites at home, but in spite of some hammerings dished out they have faltered ever so slightly against the league’s bigger sides. Grenoble may not be quite as primed to exploit that as they might be right now, but went toe-to-toe with Vannes in a cauldron in Rennes in Round 10 and are slowly rebuilding a squad that is packed with quality. The schedulers don’t often get it wrong with their Thursday night blockbusters, and this one also seems intriguingly poised.
Round 13 – Best Of The Rest
Soyaux Angoulême will be hoping to forget their home defeat to Aurillac after a good old-fashioned roasting from coach Alex Ruiz last week, and struggling Béziers doesn’t look as imposing an away trip as it has in recent years. Agen have lost three in a row and will be determined not to lose ground after a great start to the season, but face stiff opposition in Provence, who have won four in a row including two away wins.
For Pro D2 purists though, the big match-up has to be Aurillac vs. Brive. As local a derby as Aurillac have to their Cantal enclave, and a classic match-up of the haves vs. the have-nots. Polar ends of the budget and history tables, only a point separates the two sides, and “The ‘Lac” will be hoping to continue some strong early season form to bring home a win at the Stade Jean-Alric that will mean more than most.
Pro D2 continues this Thursday (4th December) with Colomiers v Brive, available to UK & Ireland viewers for free via FRUK Rugby on YouTube.
