Top14 - 2010/11

[Jets]

Nice work if you can get it.

Wallaby Test centurion George Smith has signed a one-year deal with Top 14 semi-finalists Toulon the French club confirmed on Thursday.

The 29-year-old loose forward, who has 110 Test caps for Australia, announced his retirement from international rugby earlier this year.

Smith is set for form a formidable loose trio with Springbok flank Joe van Niekerk and Pumas number eight Juan Fernandez Lobbe.

Toulon have had an excellent season, reaching the Top 14 semi-finals where they lost in extra time to eventual champions Clermont. They also made the European Challenge Cup Final, losing narrowly to Cardiff Blues.

They will compete in the Heineken Cup for the first time next season.

Voted Austarlia's Super Rugby player of the year four times, Smith racked up over 120 caps for the Brumbies.

Smith is also the world's ffth most capped Test player, the world's most capped loose forward and Australia's most capped forward.

Standing 1,80m tall and weighing 103kg, Smith will join le Rugby Club Toulonnais for the 2010/2011 season.

 

[Blue]

Jeez that's a great back row. Great new challenge for Smith. Toulon will be a real chance.

 

[Running Rugby]

Great move for Smith and that will be an exciting backrow.
I wonder if this is a further indication that Sonny Bill will be leaving Toulon and heading back to NZ to play rugby???

 

[Newb]

i have a feeling he's going to rip it up in europe if he can remain healthy. and that we're all going to miss him, no matter how awesome pocock plays.

 

[tranquility]

he will dominate in the top 14

 

[Reddy!]

Livin' the dream, good luck to him.

 

[barbarian]

i have a feeling he's going to rip it up in europe if he can remain healthy. and that we're all going to miss him, no matter how awesome pocock plays.

Yeah saw him in the the Barbarians vs England game the other day, almost single handedly turned the match when he came on. He hasnt lost it, thats for sure.

 

[sudrugby]

Strange move coz next year french team will be forced to play with at least 40% of french players. And when I look at Toulon's squad I don't see many frogs

 

[Newb]

they do love their imports huh.

 

[Cutter]

i have a feeling he's going to rip it up in europe if he can remain healthy. and that we're all going to miss him, no matter how awesome pocock plays.

I miss him already. Pocock, as good as he is, is no Smith. We don't know how lucky we have been.

 

[#1 Tah]

Nice work if you can get it.

Wallaby Test centurion George Smith has signed a one-year deal with Top 14 semi-finalists Toulon the French club confirmed on Thursday.

The 29-year-old loose forward, who has 110 Test caps for Australia, announced his retirement from international rugby earlier this year.

Smith is set for form a formidable loose trio with Springbok flank Joe van Niekerk and Pumas number eight Juan Fernandez Lobbe.

Toulon have had an excellent season, reaching the Top 14 semi-finals where they lost in extra time to eventual champions Clermont. They also made the European Challenge Cup Final, losing narrowly to Cardiff Blues.

They will compete in the Heineken Cup for the first time next season.

Voted Austarlia's Super Rugby player of the year four times, Smith racked up over 120 caps for the Brumbies.

Smith is also the world's ffth most capped Test player, the world's most capped loose forward and Australia's most capped forward.

Standing 1,80m tall and weighing 103kg, Smith will join le Rugby Club Toulonnais for the 2010/2011 season.

He really looks that tall when he plays! What a legend and best of luck!

 

[Nusadan]

Yeah saw him in the the Barbarians vs England game the other day, almost single handedly turned the match when he came on. He hasnt lost it, thats for sure.

http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/barbarians-down-secondstring-ireland-20100605-xl7o.html

Looking at the pic of George scoring his try, I wonder what club's socks was he wearing? Definitely not Manly and I dont think it's Toulon as they're don't have yellow in their colour scheme...

 

[barbarian]

It was the club socks of the Barbarians treasurer or something, apparently its now a tradition that one player wears these socks. Some shitty English pub team or something.

 

[Nusadan]

It happens to be very similiar to that of Hornsby (northern Sydney) rugby club against whom I had few tussles in the early 80's...

 

[Lee Grant]

I saw Toulouse beat surprise Rd.6 leaders Bayonne 29-20 in a scrappy game. The refereeing was dire. Racing Metro's backs' coach Simon Mannix was assisting with the commentary and said that referee Matheiu Raynal was “consistent – consistently average.”

After that comment there was an incident where Gerber, the Bayonne 13, kicked through from 25M out and winger Huget scored. The ref asked the TMO if Huget had pushed Heymans in the back about 10M out, and thus interfered with Heymans' effort to get to the ball to touch it down for a 22M drop out. It was deemed OK.

I put it down to quixotic French refereeing but Mannix said that French referees are allowed to do that – and I assume that it is only for domestic matches.

The funny thing was, Mannix said, is that the referee could also have asked to check if Huget was on side (25M out) when Gerber kicked the ball through. (He wasn't !!) It was for the referee to ask though; the TMO had no power to initiate a review on the matter.



I watched Toulon beat Clermont the following day mostly through the efforts of Wilko. Jonah Lomu and Matt Henjak were assisting Robby Nock, the King of Ums and Ars, with the commentary. Jonah was Ok – and so was Henjak.

I must say it's damn funny to see George Smith and Jonny Wilkinson playing for the same team.



Saw highlights of Racing Metro thrashing Burgoin and thus taking the lead in the Top14 after 7 rounds. But Burgoin scored one try of note to Aussie rugby fans when the ball was passed out to their “Fijian” winger on the RM 40M line and he sprinted into score. It was Nemani Nadolo, and it was good to see him finally get a run in professional rugby.

 

[en_force_er]

I think we need to be a bit naughty and make an exception for G.Smith for the WC.

Let the man play the games against Russia and America. Let him bring all the great leadership and composure he brings to a Wallaby squad. He'd be such a great captain for the games against the minnows.

After all, he'll only be 30 come WC time.

 

[Ruggo]

I miss George Smith. I am a big fan of Pocock but a lot of people have been building him up this year and he is young but he is not even close to the great George Smith.

 

[Lee Grant]

Stade Français 22 – Toulon 15
Anybody who can watch ESPN on TV should give this game a look; not so much for the match itself but for the pre-game show. The girls from the Folies Bergère were there as they are in some big games, tits almost hanging out, then the 60,000 people at the ground saw some elderly musclemen pulling out a sealed trailer. When it was opened, the symbolic deliverer of the game ball stepped out.

Did I mention that it was a buxom girl that held the ball and that she had on leopard patterned pink toga thingo that covered one tit but the other one was indeed hanging out? And I forgot the live leopard in a cage inside the trailer. Only in Paris: it was just a publicity stunt of SF President Max Guazzini to showcase the new leopard SF home strip – and all done whilst the players were waiting in the tunnel..

The game was a bit dire as are a lot of them that involve Toulon. SF played most of the rugby in 1st half but lost the plot in the 2nd half conceding penalties and yellow cards. Toulon Jonnied into the lead but SF took a punt and went for a lineout near the end of the game instead of going for a penalty to tie at that point. Eventually they scored the only try of the game and won.

Matt Henjak had a good game for Toulon and seems to have matured a bit. George Smith had his normal quality game and had to be used in the back line towards the end.

PS – I bet that there is a U-Tube clip of the Paris pre-game show.

Toulouse 38 – Perpignan 29
No bare tits in this game unfortunately; provided you like that kind of thing.

Perpignan started well but they didn't have the cattle of Toulouse most of whose players would win a ribbon at the Easter show. They were only 4 points behind in the last quarter when THP Mas got a card; then Toulouse put on wave afer wave of attack. It's hard to defend when you have to choose between the likes of Jauzion, Delisau, Clerc, Pointrenaud and Medard to tackle, and they're all coming at you. If not it then Keller, the most powerful sniper on the planet, could be running over you to get to the goal line.

Manny Edmonds retired last year at Bayonne and returned to Perpignan, where he had played for 5 years. He is supposed to be their backs coach but he was pressed into service as a player this season when they had a few problems. He can still do the Larkham pass both ways but some of his tactical and restart kicks were a bit ropey.

 

[Johnny Blaze]

Stade Français 22 – Toulon 15
Anybody who can watch ESPN on TV should give this game a look; not so much for the match itself but for the pre-game show. The girls from the Folies Bergère were there as they are in some big games, tits almost hanging out, then the 60,000 people at the ground saw some elderly musclemen pulling out a sealed trailer. When it was opened, the symbolic deliverer of the game ball stepped out.

Did I mention that it was a buxom girl that held the ball and that she had on leopard patterned pink toga thingo that covered one tit but the other one was indeed hanging out? And I forgot the live leopard in a cage inside the trailer. Only in Paris: it was just a publicity stunt of SF President Max Guazzini to showcase the new leopard SF home strip – and all done whilst the players were waiting in the tunnel.

Saw the pre game show, job well done Max!!!

 

[Lee Grant]

Yeah bare tits are OK if, as mentioned, you like that kind of thing - and personally, I do.

Welcome aboard JB.