'We need to turn up' - Collier demands Castres reaction against Munster

The Top 14 side are coming off a 38-8 loss at Northampton.

Fri, 13 Dec, 2024 - 07:05

James Harrington

Castres want to prove their Champions Cup doubters wrong against Munster at Stade Pierre Fabre on Friday, according to returning prop Will Collier.

He knows one strong performance won’t come close to overturning Castres’ reputation as perennial Champions Cup underachievers, especially following their 38-8 loss at Northampton. But he said players and coaches had long planned a run on two tournament fronts this season, aided by the competition’s format.

“It was tough against Saints, and we need a good reaction on Friday. We need to turn up for our supporters,” he insisted.

“Maybe we can see a change on Friday. We talk a lot as a group – what’s our ambition, what do we want to do this season? The loss doesn’t change anything. We’re still aiming to qualify.”

He’s not the first this week to speak up about Castres’ perceived historic detachment from the Champions Cup. On Tuesday, loosehead Quentin Walcker told regional newspaper La Depeche: “We have that reputation, but I don’t think we’re not serious.

“We’re not like some teams who have two or three internationals in every position. It’s complicated to match up in two different competitions.” And fly-half Louis Le Brun said in an interview with Midi Olympique published on Thursday: “It annoys me when people say Castres are distorting the competition. I don’t agree with that because we always do our best to win, at home or away. Yes, we took 38 points in England but we didn’t give up.

“Our objective is to qualify. It was an objective from the start of the season and it still is. We’re going to do everything we can to qualify.” Manager Jeremy Davidson, too, addressed the issue: “If [a Top 14 side] lost a match in the European Cup, they would often forget about it and concentrate on the Top 14. There’s so much pressure, pressure for clubs in relegation mode, pressure to qualify at the top. In the past, some French clubs decided to concentrate on the Top 14 after losing one or two Champions Cup matches.”

But, he said a win on Friday was ‘crucial’ for Castres. “We already know that we have to win against Munster to have any chance of qualifying,” he said. “It’s vital for qualification, but it’s also very important for our confidence.”

Davidson made 12 changes to the starting line-up, going for a more recognisably ‘Castres’ 23. Leone Nakarawa and Tyler Ardron – stringing together two starts for the first time since the opening two rounds of the Top 14 season – are the only forwards to keep their place, while Louis Le Brun is the sole survivor among the backs.

“We will have a team that we usually see. If we’d played a good game at Northampton, maybe the team would have been the same for the two [Champions Cup] matches.

But, with crucial Top 14 matches against Bordeaux and Bayonne before the end of the year, he added: “We need continuity before next week.” Davidson was full of praise for 22-year-old fly-half Le Brun, an ex-France under-20 international, who has just signed a new deal through to 2028 and was called up to the France training squad for the final match of the Autumn Nations Series.

“We’ve seen him develop over the years,” he said. “He’s a talented player. The injuries to Pierre Popelin meant he has been able to chain a few games. We hope he’ll continue to develop and show everyone he can be a regular for us – and the national team.”

France hooker Gaetan Barlot and Walcker line up alongside Collier in an all-new front row, Gauthier Maravat replaces Nicolas Ducat in the engine room, while captain Matthieu Babillot and ex-Connacht eight Abraham Papali’i join Ardron in the backrow.

Jeremy Fernandez starts at nine, with Uruguay international Santiago Arata dropping to the bench. Flying Fijian Adrea Cocagi and All Black Jack Goodhue team up in midfield, while Remi Baget, who scored against Munster last season for Bayonne, and experienced duo Geoffrey Palis and Julien Dumora make up the back three.