Top 14 club-by-club guide preview: Who's in, who's out and where's the Irish interest

Despite Sunday's defeat at home to European champions Toulouse, La Rochelle will retain most interest for Irish rugby supporters with O'Gara and Ryan on the coaching ticket

Mon, 06 Sep, 2021 - 09:47

James Harrington

There’s plenty of Irish interest as the 2021/22 Top 14 season kicks off on Saturday afternoon, with Biarritz entertaining Bordeaux in the opening match.

The first weekend also features the Paris derby, as Racing 92 travel to Stade Francais, while JJ Hanrahan is expected to feature for Clermong, who head to Lyon on Sunday.

However, a repeat of last season’s Top 14 and Champions Cup finals between La Rochelle and Toulouse tops the bill in round 1.

Biarritz

Ins: James Cronin, Zakaria El Fakir, Quentin Samaran, Josh Tyrell, Antoine Erbani, Elliot Dixon, Clemont Darbo, Tomas Cubelli, Brett Herron, Tevita Kuridrani, Vincent Martin.
Outs: Thomas Synaeghel, Adam Knight, Steven David, Gauthier Doubrere, Willie Du Plessis, Gaetan Robert, Lucas Lebraud, Benoit Lazzarotto.
Coaches: Matthew Clarkin, Shawn Sowerby, Barry Maddocks.
Key signing: Tevita Kuridrani.

Ex-Munster loosehead James Cronin makes his bow in France as Biarritz kick off the season against Bordeaux as they return to the top flight for the first time since 2014.

Meanwhile, former Dragons coach Barry Maddocks has raved about training with the Basque Country club’s big summer signing Kuridrani — who’ll make a formidable midfield partnership with Francis Sailli, while Henry Speight and Gavin Stark wait on the wings to profit from the damage they’ll cause.

The Basque Country side should have the squad to fulfil every promoted side’s immediate dream — survival.

Bordeaux

Ins: Pablo Dimcheff, Federico Mori, Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer, Francois Trinh-Duc.
Outs: Laurent Delboulbes, Alexandre Flanquart, Scott Higginbotham, Marco Tauleigne, Beka Gorgadze, Ben Botica, Bautista Delguy.
Coaches: Christophe Urios, Frederic Charrier, Julien Lairle, Heine Adams.
Key signing: Francois Trinh-Duc.

Christophe Urios focused on keeping new arrivals to a minimum to ease into an established squad.

The most important of those senior signings was the veteran Francois Trinh-Duc, brought in as cover for and mentor to the brilliant Matthieu Jalibert, who’s likely to be away on international duty for chunks of the season.

Brive

Ins: Tevita Ratuva, Andres Zafra, Enzo Sanga, Paul Abadie.
Outs: Mesake Doge, Badri Alkhazashvili, Peet Marais, Dan Malafosse, Brandon Nansen, Irakli Tskhadadze, Julien Blanc, David Delarue, Baptiste Dubreuil, Riko Buliruarua.
Coaches: Jeremy Davidson, Jean-Baptiste Pejoine, Goderdzi Shvelidze, Arnaud Mela.
Key signing: Andres Zafra.

Former Ireland and Ulster lock Jeremy Davidson routinely works what look an awful lot like small rugby miracles at Brive — who regularly punch well above their weight in the French top flight.

However, this looks like it will be a difficult season, unless Brive can turn Amadee Domenech into the fortress it once was.

Castres

Ins: Antoine Guillamon, Quentin Walcker, Brice Humbert, Theo Hannoyer, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Teariki Ben-Nicholas, Feibyan Cornell Tukino, Ben Botica, Pierre Aguillon, Antoine Zeghdar, Josaia Raisuqe, Thomas Larregain.
Outs: Daniel Kotze, Lucas Pointud, Marc-Antoine Rallier, Dorian Clerc, Ma’ama Vaipulu, Anthony Jelonch, Yann David, Florian Vialelle, Armand Batlle.
Coaches: Pierre-Henry Broncan, David Darricarrere, Joe Worsley, Yannick Caballero.
Key signing: Antoine Zeghdar.

In news that will no doubt please rivals in France and Europe, not to mention referees, Castres’ scrum-half Rory Kockott this week formally announced that he will retire at the end of this season, after more than a decade at the Top 14 outfit.

The bad news is he’ll want to go out on a high. Castres, for all their struggles of the past couple of seasons, are routinely underestimated by pundits with an assault on the Top 14 play-offs a possibility.

Clermont

Ins: Tomas Lavanini, JJ Hanrahan.
Outs: Reinach Venter, Joel Everson, Rory Jennings, Peter Betham, Tim Nanai-Williams.
Coaches: Jono Gibbes, Benson Stanley, Xavier Sadourny, Davit Zirakashvili.

JJ Hanrahan seems certain to make his competitive Clermont debut on Sunday evening’s Top 14 clash at Lyon. The former Munster out-half is one of just two senior playing arrivals this season.

The change in coaching staff comes as the club alters its focus to rely more heavily on its academy with plenty of opportunities for young players to step up in a thin-looking squad.

La Rochelle

Ins: Joel Sclavi, Guram
Papidze, Remi Picquette, Pierre Popelin, Jonathan Danty, Riko Buliruarua.
Outs: Arthur Joly, Loni Uhila, Marcel van der Merwe, Lopeti Timani, Zeno Kieft, Pierre Aguillon, Geoffrey Doumayrou, Gabriel Lacroix, Darren Sweetnam.
Coaches: Ronan O’Gara, Gurthrö Steenkamp, Romain Carmignani, Donnacha Ryan.
Key signing: Jonathan Danty.

The ambition of Ronan O’Gara and his new-look coaching team is undeniable with rumours of more high-profile signings to come.

He’s come to terms with those two final defeats to Toulouse over the close-season — but no one’s making the mistake of thinking he accepts them. His La Rochelle have tasted finals for the first time. Now they want more.

Lyon

Ins: Sebastien Taofifenua, Jerome Rey, Guillaume Marchand, Romain Taofifenua, Tavite Veredamu, Beka Saghinadze, Lima Sopoaga.
Outs: Clement Ric, Jeremie Maurouard, Virgile Bruni, Izack Rodda, Alex Tulou, Gillian Galan, Jonathan Wisniewski, Remi Grosso.
Coaches: Pierre Mignoni, Julien Puricelli, Kenny Lynn, David Attoub.
Key signing: Lima Sopoaga.

Head coach Pierre Mignoni admitted the good ship Lyon “pitched but did not capsize” last season, after a ninth-place finish brought a clutch of play-off seasons to a sudden end.

They have not been entirely unscathed preseason — Mathieu Bastareaud is out for two to three months with a broken hand sustained in a friendly.

Prying Sopoaga from Wasps may have been the coup of the season for Mignoni, but getting Guillaume Marchand on a season-long loan from Toulouse, where he’s been understudy to brother Julien, is also pretty smart.

Montpellier

Ins: Malik Hamadache, Jeremie Maurouard, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, Marco Tauleigne, Zach Mercer, Paolo Garbisi, Geoffrey Doumayrou, Pierre Lucas, Joshua Vici, Masivesi Dakuwaqa.
Outs: Antoine Guillamon, Bismarck Du Plessis, Youri Delhommel, Jacques Du Plessis, Caleb Timu, Alex Lozowski, Vincent Martin, Gabriel Ibitoye, Johan Goosen, Henry Immelman.
Coaches: Philippe Saint-Andre, Olivier Azam, Jean-Baptiste Élissalde.
Key signing: Paolo Garbisi.

Last season, Montpellier got rid of their starting head coach, flirted seriously with relegation, finished 10th, and won the Challenge Cup after Philippe Saint-Andre stripped everything back to the most basic of basics. In doing so, he transformed a squad into a team.

Now he will have to do it all over again in the second half of his unexpected return to the dugout after Franck Azema’s expected arrival failed to materialise from Clermont.

Expect Montpellier to put on more glitz this time around as Leinster academy centre Karl Martin is among those who will hope to make an
impression.

Pau

Ins: Siate Tokolahi, Remi Seneca, Kevin Yameogo, Youri Delhommel, Steven Cummins, Guillaume Ducat, Beka Gorgadze, Reece Huwat, Zack Henry, Daniel Ikpefan, Jack Maddocks, Mathias Colombet.
Outs: Lourens Adriaanse, Malik Hamadache, Geoffrey Moise, Mohamed Boughanmi, Omar Odishvili, Denis Marchois, Matt Philip, Baptiste Pesenti, Antoine Erbani, Pierrick Gunther, Matthieu Ugena, Samuel Marques, Elton Jantjies, Watisoni Votu, Julien Fumat, Atila Septar, Jesse Mogg, Hugo Bonneval, Charly Malie.
Coaches: Sebastie Piqueronies, Thomas Domingo, Geoffrey Lanne-Petit.
Key signing: Zack Henry.

Ballincollig flyer Eoghan Barrett scored tries for fun as part of Pau’s squad in the pre-season three-leg SuperSevens tournament. Expect to see Barrett racing down the wing more often this season.

Another young Irish player, Old Belvedere’s Matt Grogan, joined the academy this year.

Perpignan

Ins: Arthur Joly, Conor Carey, Sami Mavinga, Giorgi Tetrashvili, Mike Tadjer, Hugh Roach, Tevita Cavubati, Andrei Mahu, Matthieu Ugena, Martin Landajo, Tristan Tedder, Braden Wiliame, Eddie Sawailau, Bautista Delguy.
Outs: Quentin Walcker, Kevin Tougne, Charles Geli, Alban Roussel, Michael Faleafa, Pierre Reynaud, Ugo Mas, Ben Volavola, Quentin Etienne, Pierre Lucas.
Coaches: Patrick Arlettaz, Perry Freshwater, David Marty, Gerald Bastide.
Key signing: Tristan Tedder.

Perpignan lost just five matches on their march to last season’s ProD2 title and will want to avoid what happened the last time they won promotion at a canter in 2018 — win just twice and bounce straight back down.

Tristan Tedder is a smart signing, but — on the whole - Perpignan are keeping faith with their promotion-winning side.

Ex-Ireland U20 prop Conor Carey, who joined from
Worcester in the summer, has made it straight into the
senior side, and is on the bench for the opener at Brive on Saturday.

Racing 92

Ins: Baptiste Pesenti, Ben Volavola.
Outs: Andy Bordelai, Donnacha Ryan, Dominic Bird, Antonie Claassen, Francois
Trinh-Duc, Emiliano Boffelli, Simon Zebo.
Coaches: Laurent Travers, Mike Prendergast, Didier Casadeï, Dimitri Szarzewski.
Key signing: Baptiste
Pesenti.

Even without Simon Zebo to call on, Mike Prendergast must be one of the most envied club attack coaches in the world, what the wealth of French and international talent at his disposal.

They were caught out more than once for a lack of oomph among the forwards — a problem they hope to have gone some way to resolving by
signing Baptiste Pesenti from Pau.

Stade Francais

Ins: Nemo Roelofse, Clement Castets, Romain Briatte, Ngani Laumape, Harry Glover.
Outs: Stephane Clement, Sami Mavinga, Dylan Smith, Luke Tagi, Gerbrandt Grobler, Pablo Matera, Jonathan Danty.
Coaches: Gonzalo Quesada, Kobus Potgeiter, Julien Arias, Laurent Sempere.
Key signing: Ngani Laumape.

Remember that time before Cheslin Kolbe, when Ngani Laumape was the Top 14 signing of the year? Bringing him from Hurricanes was a smart piece of work, and a player that head coach Gonzalo Quesada can build a team around.

Toulon

Ins: Cheslin Kolbe, Kieran Brookes, Leone Nakarawa, Quinn Roux, Cornell du Preez, Lopeti Timani, Julien Blanc, Atila Septar, Jiuta Wainiqolo, Thomas Salles, Aymeric Luc.
Outs: Jeremy Boyadjis, Sebastien Taofifenua, Luka Tchelidze, Romain Taofifenua, Levi Douglas, Thomas Hoarau, Anthony Meric, FC Du Plessis, Ma’a Nonu, Rudi Wulf, Isaia Toeava, Daniel Ikpefan, Masivesi Dakuwaqa, Ramiro Moyano.
Key signing: Cheslin Kolbe.
Coaches: Patrice Collazo, Julien Dupuy, James Coughlan

Barring a short visit in October, Kolbe won’t join his new club until December, but the buzz around his mega-money switch from Toulouse will easily last until he sports the muguet logo for the first time. They also brought in former Connacht and Ireland lock Quinn Roux, as well as Leone Nakarawa, Jiuta Wainiqolo, Cornell du Preez, and Lopeti Timani. With a squad like that at his disposal, the pressure is now on head coach Patrice Collazo to deliver.

Toulouse

Ins: Anthony Jelonch, Tim Nanai-Williams.
Outs: Cheslin Kolbe, Clement Castets, Guillaume Marchand, Jerome Kaino, Louis-Benoit Madaule, Theo Idjellidaine, Simon Renda, Yoann Huget, Maxime Marty.
Coaches: Ugo Mola, Clement Poitrenaud, Jean Bouilhou.
Key signing: Anthony Jelonch.

Much was made of the recent sudden departure to Toulon of Cheslin Kolbe, but Toulouse will feel the loss of assistant backs coach AB Zondagh — who has left to join
Gregor Townsend’s Scotland set-up — more.

Even so, with the academy production line at full throttle, and France’s captain in Australia Anthony Jelonch coming in to fill the big boots of Jerome Kaino, the reigning Top 14 and European champions start as favourites.