Top14 - 2010/11

[Lee Grant]

Here's a few seconds of the golden girl at the beginning of the clip though the cameras were on her for a long time when it was broadcast live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDf2TmNUr_Q

 

[Gagger]

Great news! Albi 14-21 Union Bordeaux-Bègles in the ProD2 final. G&GR's own Cam Treloar is back in the Top14!

 

[Gagger]

All the transfers happening in the Top 14 for next season

http://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/EQ_TRANSFERT_ELIT1.html

 

[sudrugby]

All the transfers happening in the Top 14 for next season

http://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/EQ_TRANSFERT_ELIT1.html

Be careful, many of them have never been confirmed.
Like Hugo Southwell or James Haskell going to Racing 92

 

[Manuel]

Matt Dunning to Biarritz. With him and Tialata in the same metro area, MCDonald's managers must be re-stocking...

 

[Lee Grant]

That was an interesting list of arrivals and departures.

I was quite pleased to see the arrivals for my Clermont team though some departures are good players. Wouldn't have minded a few good scrummagers though.

It looks like SF has gone ballistic again. They have been the perfect example of a team recruiting good players in the past but not playing as a team. They have too many princesses and not enough warrior princes. They need more steady players and fewer flightier ones. Contepomi and Warwick will be good acquisitions in that regard and Kelleher is a warrior if he is still up to it next year.

As for the Australians, apart from Warwick: I doubt if Tomiki and Turinui will offer a lot. Lyons had been a cracking player for Scarlets and an iconic captain but he was off the boil this season.

Some of the departures must have been cut by Cheika but Beauxis is going to be a big loss. He would have mixed emotions about leaving SF - joy and happiness - and would be laughing all the way to Toulouse.

PS - Serge Betsen to Biarritz - what is your team doing sudrugby? I know it had an academy but didn't know it had an old man's home.

 

[tigerland12]

Good to see Toulouse finally got rid of Skrela. Lee Byrne to Clermont is a mSsive signing, one of the best 15's in the world.
Stade Francais is a revolving door every year.But signing Contepomi and Kelleher are good ones

 

[Hawko]

PS - Serge Betsen to Biarritz - what is your team doing sudrugby? I know it had an academy but didn't know it had an old man's home.

I note Jeff Wilson from the Highlanders is going to Bourgoin. Surely not the former All Black?

 

[sudrugby]

PS - Serge Betsen to Biarritz - what is your team doing sudrugby? I know it had an academy but didn't know it had an old man's home.

Biarritz is not my team!! I can't support a team where Damien Traille is a leader!
I used to play for Racing youth teams and I live in this area of Paris so it is the team I support.

But regarding Biarritz, they have been recruting weirdly since their last title. Unknown islanders, over rated players from abroad and bad prospects. Hiring Matt Dunning is a huge mistake to me. And Serge Betsen was supposed to come only during the World Cup but it is a fake rumour. Tala Gray anyway has been signed to be part of the Academy.

 

[daz]

What kind of year did Turinui have for Dax? I like the guy a lot, but have my doubts about how effective he would be in Paris with Stade. Or anywhere, really.

 

[sudrugby]

What kind of year did Turinui have for Dax? I like the guy a lot, but have my doubts about how effective he would be in Paris with Stade. Or anywhere, really.

Better than the overall level of the squad that was close to be relegated.
Played most of the games but scored only two tries.
I believe he is coming to Paris because Cheika knows him well, that is the only reason I can see.
Paris was the only club to chase him.

 

[Lee Grant]

Biarritz is not my team!! I can't support a team where Damien Traille is a leader!

Tala Gray anyway has been signed to be part of the Academy.

Sorry, your avatar of Harinordoquy made me assume it and you were posting about DHP before. Incidentally: that reason you gave not to follow Biarritz sounds logical.

Tala Gray is a fine young player in the Sydney club competition, but at age 21 he has already had a shoulder and a knee reconstruction - else he would already be in a Super Rugby squad IMO. I hope that he doesn't turn out to be a medical joker over there - and since he played for Oz Schools, I hope that he turns out to be a good healthy player and comes back where he belongs.

Racing had a good season but had a disappointing finish in that close semi-final. They looked nervous in the 1st half but did well to come back. When they took the lead I thought they could have held on but it wasn't to be. That missed drop goal at the end must have been heart breaking.

I don't think any team would have beaten Toulouse in the final - though it would have been good for you to find out.

RM have done well - what they learned in the HC and T14 will stand them in good stead for next year.

I believe he is coming to Paris because Cheika knows him well, that is the only reason I can see.Paris was the only club to chase him.

Makes sense - Cheika and Turinui are both Randwick men.

 

[fatprop]

Hiring Matt Dunning is a huge mistake to me.

Dunno about that, he was injured early but he did very well as the season went on. These days to me, he is a quite solid THP who can play both sides and do work around the field.

As a squad player over a long season that can be quite handy.

 

[Hawko]

I agree, FP, he's a very good prop in his early 30's, and props don't usually mature till 28. He could have easily played another year or two in Super in a role like Al Baxter's at the Tahs this year. He will be an excellent acquisition if he can stay healthy.

 

[daz]

Makes sense - Cheika and Turinui are both Randwick men.

There has got to be more to it than that, Lee. Morgs has lost almost all of whatever speed he had, and his defense has always been questionable. He is a good talker and can direct traffic quite well (via his good ability to read the game), but in contact he has deep flaws.

I assume he would be in the 13 jumper, or at least backup to the 13 position?

 

[tigerland12]

Turinui would have to be 3rd or 4th string center. They have Bastareaud, Tiesi (Argentine 13) and Lienbenberg whose been there for a while.
Also interesting, David Lyons just signed with them

 

[daz]

Turinui would have to be 3rd or 4th string center. They have Bastareaud, Tiesi (Argentine 13) and Lienbenberg whose been there for a while.

That makes more sense. In other words, they are locking in an emergency, emergency, emergency back-up centre....

 

[Lee Grant]

Bastareaud wants to leave SF and the way he played this year, as a body of work rather than in the odd brilliant game, it looked like that it his play.

SF are doing it tough financially and would be wise to let him go. Whatever his official weight he was playing at about 125kgs towards the end of the season and it showed. Caucau has lost some weight since he played for Fiji in Oz about a year ago and you could see it in his rugby progress playing for Toulouse.

Bastareaud has to do the same.

 

[sudrugby]

Bastareaud wants to leave SF and the way he played this year, as a body of work rather than in the odd brilliant game, it looked like that it his play.

SF are doing it tough financially and would be wise to let him go. Whatever his official weight he was playing at about 125kgs towards the end of the season and it showed. Caucau has lost some weight since he played for Fiji in Oz about a year ago and you could see it in his rugby progress playing for Toulouse.

Bastareaud has to do the same.

The best for Bastareaud should be to leave France, now he is going to be booed all over France for his bad behaviour.
He hasn't been the same this the "Wellington incident", and leaving Paris means only moving away from his friends and binge drinking.

 

[tigerland12]

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_7009443,00.html

List of the transfers.

Bayonne has recruited well as has Clermont and Toulouse