Top 14: Play-offs preview
The Top 14 has reached the business end of the season with the start of the play-offs.
By Ross Hastie
Last Updated: 07/05/10 9:30am
The Top 14 has reached the business end of the season with the start of the play-offs.
The opening rounds will see Clermont host Racing-Metro and Castres travel to Toulouse for a place in the semi-finals - with Toulon and Perpignan awaiting the winners.
Clermont's clash with Racing Metro gets the action underway on Friday with a real clash of styles set for the Parc des Sports Marcel Michelin.
The home crowd can rest assured their beloved Jaunards will be all-attack against a Racing team that has based their pragmatic game around the massive boots of François Steyn and Jonathan Wisniewski and the hard yards gained by Sébastien Chabal.
An amazing run of nine consecutive midseason victories stood Racing in good stead as they earned a play-off spot in their first season after winning the ProD2.
But now they must travel to one of the best defended fortresses in France to face the country's most ruthless attack over the past few years. Considering Racing have not won on the road since late December (in Bayonne), the task seems a tough one.
Les Racingmen have only ever won once in Clermont, in 1994, but in both their meetings this year the Parisians made life very difficult for L'ASM, winning at home and pushing their hosts all the way in Clermont.
Good news for Clermont is that France scrum-half Morgan Parra's ribs have healed enough for him to train this week and start on Friday.
Skipper Aurélien Rougerie will also start at full-back despite having played most of the season at centre or on the wing, however Pumas hooker Mario Ledesma misses out with a knee injury.
Surprises
Prop Vincent Debaty has been given a place on the bench ahead of Lionel Faure, while Tasesa Lavea is the back-up fly-half while Anthony Floch covers the outside backs.
Racing have sprung a few surprises - with Steyn moved to fly-half for the first time this season while normal No.10 Wisniewski switches to full-back.
Former Stade Français player Julien Saubade starts at scrum-half with Azzurri Andrea Masi starring in midfield.
Sebastian Chabal starts at No.8, meaning Italy lock Santiago Dellape partners Lionel Nallet in the second row.
The Parisians will be without prop Clement Baiocco and flanker Simon Raiwalui.
Andrew Mehrtens and Pumas prop Juan-Pablo Orlandi feature on the bench, but one feels the strength of the Clermont bench could be the difference between the sides.
Castres face a tough ask as they head to Toulouse on Saturday.
Castres have won just once in Toulouse (in 1979) in the long history between in the near neighbours, but after a close game a fortnight ago, the visitors will arrive with plenty of hopes of causing an upset.
Of course all the talk this week has been on whether Toulouse can do a famous European-domestic double. It's a tall order as Toulouse face a marathon calendar. If they are to make it to the Top 14 Final, it will be their fifth sudden-death game in as many weeks.
Momentum
All season, the noises coming out of the Ernest-Wallon camp have suggested that Europe has been their priority, but with a domestic-Euro double now a real prospect the 'big red machine' will kick into overdrive for sure. The home side's physical preparation was planned for them to peak right now, so they couldn't be in better shape to handle the rigours of play-off rugby.
Castres has lost a lot of momentum of the last month, an extremely tough run-in saw them lose four of their last five games.
With the Heineken Cup final looming large, Novès is certain to rest a couple of his big guns.
Nursing minor injuries, David Skrela (groin) and Cédric Heymans (shoulder) all almost certain non-starters so Jean-Baptiste Elissalde should run out at fly-half and former Clermont and Montauban flyer Vilimoni Delasau on the wing.
Prop Census Johnstone, lock Jean Bouilhou and number eight Shaun Sowerby are also expected to be missing.
Castres are sweating over the fitness of Test prop Luc Ducalcon.