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For many, Round 7 of the Top 14 was the last chance to impress Fabien Galthié ahead of the announcement of his France squad for the Autumn Nations Series this Wednesday (22 October), adding a delicious extra edge to the fixtures. Here are five things we learnt from Round 7…
Pau are more than just young and fun
Going into the weekend, the top of the table clash at Stade du Hameau between Pau and Toulouse looked to be the game of the round, and so it proved. Two tries inside the first 11 minutes for Toulouse suggested that this might be yet another romp by the Champions. But Pau didn’t roll over. They struck back immediately from the kick off and from there they took the game to Toulouse. This wasn’t just the ‘silly’ fling it about stuff we’ve become accustomed to seeing from Pau. Their kick chase game was excellent, they got the better of the breakdown and Hugo Auradou put on a masterclass at the lineout.
When Blair Kinghorn slotted a 50m penalty with eight minutes left on the clock, Toulouse took a three point lead and it looked like Pau might fall short. But they were awarded a penalty with the last play of the game, and the easy option would have been to take the kick at goal and bag themselves a draw. But coach Sébastien Piqueronies - apparently egged on by players on the sidelines - wasn’t interested in the draw. Pau went bold, kicked to the corner, and after a slick lineout and maul, Jimi Maximin broke off to score a match winning try. Cue delirium in the Béarn, as the Verts et Blancs went clear at the top of the table.
Concerns are real in Perpignan
We might be seven rounds in, but Perpignan are yet to register a league point - and they’ve even had the ‘benefit’ of having four home games. Once a fortress, the hostility of the Stade Aimé Giral seems to be increasingly directed at the home side.
Stade Aime Giral
Referee: Kevin BralleyVery little is going right for USAP and a dive into their stats against Bordeaux reveals the level of concern: 19 missed tackles (success rate 76%), scrum success of 78% - an area where they have excelled over the past 18 months - and lineout success of 47% on their own ball and zero steals against an often flaky UBB lineout.
The pressure builds further this weekend as they travel to fellow strugglers Montauban, the Top 14’s only other winless side. Even at this formative stage of the season, this game could have a huge say in the battle for Top 14 survival. For their par, Montauban (perversely) had the ‘luxury’ last weekend of an away game at La Rochelle. Losing 54-17 may not sound like a good result, but in resting the majority of their first string, they will be the fresher of the sides going into that clash with USAP at Stade Sapiac.
Bayonne have depth
It was reported that Bayonne had as many as 15 first team players ahead of their game against Clermont. You wouldn’t have known it when their squad was announced though, and an all-but full strength side dispatched Clermont. All of Bayonne’s 44 points were racked up inside an hour as they absolutely blitzed a competitive looking Clermont with power and pace. The star of the show was Esteban Capilla, the raw but freakishly athletic back row who could well hit the headlines again this week by making the France squad. The hype train for Esteban Capilla is rocketing along almost as quickly as the man himself.
Castres games should really be on TV more
For the second week in a row, Castres romped to a significant lead, only to then try their very hardest to lose the game. The home side were 29-7 up after 47 mins against an understrength Stade Français. At this point, most sides would focus on sealing a try bonus point - you need to score three more than your opponent in the Top 14 - but that would be boring. As is seemingly their custom of late, a loose pass and a couple of yellow cards allowed the Parisiens back into the game, securing a losing bonus point in the final minute. Castres games are never short of drama or incident, but unfortunately for lovers of truly madcap French rugby, they rarely get prime billing on Canal+ and/or Premier Sports.
Toulon continue to tick under the radar
There is only so much a team can tick under the radar when they are comfortably racking up wins and have a legend of the game breaking his own record for oldest try scorer in Top 14 history every week, but Toulon seem to be doing it.
Racing 92 picked an enormous pack on Sunday - by our estimates, the back five of the scrum had an average height of 6ft 6in and an average weight of 19st. And yet Toulon were largely untroubled, reaching a 31-7 lead, before Racing’s mini fight back was snuffed out by a vintage try from Ma’a Nonu on the hour mark. This record-extending try was his third in three appearances (or 78 minutes of gametime!) and his best of the season so far.
Toulon don’t appear to have any obvious weaknesses right now. A Sunday evening trip to Stade Ernest Wallon this weekend will be a proper test of their depth…