05-13-2010, 05:48 PM
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#7 (permalink)
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Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Pensacola, FL
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A preview of this weekend's semifinals,
Toulouse v Perpignan:
Quote:
Perpignan and Toulouse go head-to-head at Montpellier's Stade de la Mosson on Friday night for a place in this season's Top 14 Final.
Defending champions Perpignan enter the clash having topped the table during the regular season and they were duly rewarded with a bye in the first round of the new look end-of-season play-offs. But that three-week break may be a cause for concern as they contemplate what is sure to be a bruising clash against a Toulouse side battle-hardened and riding a rich vein of form.
Toulouse are chasing glory on two fronts with a Heineken Cup Final date with Biarritz on May 22 and victory over Perpignan will ensure a return to the Stade de France the following week with the Bouclier de Brennus up for grabs.
These two giants of French rugby shared the spoils in their earlier clashes this season with Perpignan edging out Toulouse 17-15 at the Stade Aime Giral in August before falling 22-11 in the reverse fixture at the Stade Municipal in December. More recently, Perpignan found title rivals Toulon too good in their penultimate league clash but closed out their regular season with a morale-boosting victory over relegated Albi. Toulouse have also faltered in recent weeks but appear to have hit their stride at exactly the right time with victory over Leinster in their Heineken Cup semi-final followed by an equally impressive success against Castres last time out.
Despite an extended rest period, Perpignan enter the game with concerns over fly-half Nicolas Laharrague and fellow playmaker Gavin Hume but both were included in a provisional 27-man squad announced by coach Jacques Brunel. Young scrum-half Florian Cazenave has been drafted into to bolster the squad with David Mele another option at No.10. The in-form centre pairing of David Marty and Maxime Mermoz is also set to get another run but as ever the battle up front is set to decide what appears on paper to be a close contest.
Reflecting on his side's unprecedented three-week lay-off, captain Nicolas Mas admitted it had been tough on his side. "The first fifteen days have been difficult because we did not know who our opponent was going to be," said the French international. "But since Monday, we are more focused."
Toulouse coach Guy Noves, who has publically declared his priority is the Heineken Cup, has his own injury worries with flanker Gregory Lamboley a doubtful starter having picked up a thigh injury against Castres. But a more significant concern is an abductor muscle injury for Jean-Baptiste Elissalde that is likely to rule him out of the clash. The latest injury blow for the versatile Elissalde, who starred in his side's victory over Castres, is likely to force Noves' hand who had hoped to rest the first-choice half-back pairing of David Skrela and Byron Kelleher.
Centre Yannick Jauzion admitted this week that the gruelling season had taken its toll but it also brought unity. "On one hand, there is the fatigue and the other, there is the trust that we have accumulated with these back-to-back victories," said the ever-influential centre.
Toulouse's indifference to domestic silverware is no doubt a front as the prospect of a rare double is surely an enticing prospect. They may already be able to boast a Top 14/Heineken Cup double back in 1995-96 but a repeat would cement their place as one of the great sides. In contrast, Perpignan ended a 54-year wait for glory with victory over Clermont Auvergne in last year's finale and that win has no doubt whetted their appetite for more.
The key to this clash will be how each side responds to their vastly different preparation. Will the break ensure a refreshed and hungry Perpignan take to the field or will they struggle to match the pace and rhytm of a Toulouse side honed the hard way?
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