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Champions Cup / Challenge Cup : l’effet rebond

Le pilier tongien de Bordeaux-Bègles, Toma'Akino Taufa, avec ses supporters après le match de Top 14 entre Vannes et Bordeaux-Bègles (UBB) au stade de la Rabine à Vannes, le 23 novembre 2024. (Photo by Sebastien Salom-Gomis / AFP) (Photo by SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Deux week-ends de Top 14 et c’est déjà la pause. Reprise le 21 décembre avec trois journées qui vont s’enchaîner. Entre-temps, place aux compétitions dites continentales, la Champions Cup (avec les huit premiers du Top 14 au début de la saison) et la Challenge Cup (les six suivantes).

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Dans l’histoire récente, ce break a eu un effet rebond pour certains clubs de Top 14. L’an passé par exemple, au terme des neuf premières journées, le Stade Rochelais affichait un bilan négatif de cinq défaites et quatre victoires. Après les deux premiers week-ends de Champions Cup en décembre, la Rochelle avait inversé la tendance : cinq victoires et quatre défaites.

Investec Champions Cup

Pool 1
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Exeter Chiefs
0
0
0
0
0
2
Leicester
0
0
0
0
0
3
Sharks
0
0
0
0
0
4
Toulouse
0
0
0
0
0
5
Ulster
0
0
0
0
0
6
Bordeaux
0
0
0
0
0
Pool 2
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Clermont
0
0
0
0
0
2
Bath
0
0
0
0
0
3
Benetton
0
0
0
0
0
4
Bristol
0
0
0
0
0
5
Leinster
0
0
0
0
0
6
Stade Rochelais
0
0
0
0
0
Pool 3
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Bulls
0
0
0
0
0
2
Castres
0
0
0
0
0
3
Munster
0
0
0
0
0
4
Northampton
0
0
0
0
0
5
Saracens
0
0
0
0
0
6
Stade Francais
0
0
0
0
0
Pool 4
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Glasgow
0
0
0
0
0
2
Harlequins
0
0
0
0
0
3
Racing 92
0
0
0
0
0
4
Toulon
0
0
0
0
0
5
Sale
0
0
0
0
0
6
Stormers
0
0
0
0
0

Même phénomène du côté de l’Union Bordeaux-Bègles qui accusait cinq victoires et quatre défaites lors des neuf premières journées, puis six victoires et trois défaites juste avant la deuxième fenêtre de la Champions Cup de janvier. Les deux équipes s’étaient arrêtées en quart de finale.

Aujourd’hui, le bilan est sensiblement le même pour La Rochelle : six victoires et cinq défaites en onze rencontres. Bordeaux s’en sort mieux avec huit victoires et trois défaites pour le moment.

Garder concerné l’ensemble du groupe

Ronan O’Gara, l’entraineur de La Rochelle, le confiait dans les colonnes de l’Équipe : « On va changer de compétition, changer d’air, d’attitude ». L’objectif pour lui est clairement de relancer son groupe en perte de vitesse, de retrouver quelques certitudes collectives, d’autant que les deux compétitions s’alimentent l’une et l’autre que ce soit en termes de jeu, mais aussi d’effectif, puisque l’enchainement des matchs permet de mieux gérer la masse des joueurs.

Le RC Vannes, récent vainqueur de La Rochelle, compte énormément sur cette parenthèse Challenge Cup pour se remobiliser malgré un premier match qui va faire voyager les Bretons jusqu’en Géorgie où les attend le Black Lion, la franchise de Tbilissi.

Challenge Cup

Pool 1
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Cardiff Rugby
0
0
0
0
0
2
Cheetahs
0
0
0
0
0
3
Connacht
0
0
0
0
0
4
Lyon
0
0
0
0
0
5
Perpignan
0
0
0
0
0
6
Zebre
0
0
0
0
0
Pool 2
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Dragons RFC
0
0
0
0
0
2
Lions
0
0
0
0
0
3
Montpellier
0
0
0
0
0
4
Newcastle
0
0
0
0
0
5
Ospreys
0
0
0
0
0
6
Pau
0
0
0
0
0
Pool 3
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Bayonne
0
0
0
0
0
2
Black Lion
0
0
0
0
0
3
Edinburgh
0
0
0
0
0
4
Gloucester
0
0
0
0
0
5
Scarlets
0
0
0
0
0
6
Vannes
0
0
0
0
0
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« On part très tôt mercredi matin à 5h30 pour rejoindre Paris en TGV, ensuite transfert pour Charles-de-Gaulle. A Charles-de-Gaulle, avion pour Tbilissi direct. Trois heures de décalage. On va passer la journée du mercredi dans les transports. On va se préparer pendant deux jours jeudi et vendredi, match le samedi et on reviendra le dimanche », détaillait Mathieu Cidre, entraîneur en charge des avants, sur Sud Radio.

« C’est un beau voyage et on va en profiter pour impliquer et garder concerné l’ensemble du groupe pour ceux qui n’ont pas eu la chance de s’exprimer. On a effectué un turnover, laissé certains joueurs au repos parce qu’après on enchaînera trois matchs d’affilée de championnat après deux matchs de Champions Cup.

« On y va avec l’ambition de se challenger sur notre capacité à enchaîner deux victoires consécutives. Ça, c’est un objectif. »

Des clubs vite fixés

Comme le relevait l’ancien international Yoann Huget (37 ans, 62 sélections entre 2010 et 2019) dans la même émission, « c’est une compétition qui permet de régénérer le côté monotone du Top 14 où ça ferraille beaucoup, ça combat beaucoup. On sait que je le jeu va être très ouvert, arbitré par des étrangers. On arrive sur une nouvelle compétition qui permet de régénérer le groupe ».

Place au jeu donc dans une compétition où les équipes vont chercher le bonus à partir du quatrième essai (contre trois pour le Top 14).

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De plus, le format est tel qu’au bout de quatre journées obligatoires (6-8 décembre, 13-15 décembre, 10-12 janvier et 17-19 janvier), les priorités des équipes sont connues avant les éventuelles huitièmes de finale (4-6 avril) et la suite.

Ainsi l’an passé, alors que Perpignan avait vite compris que le maintien dans le Top 14 était le principal enjeu, l’USAP n’avait pas passé les poules. De son côté, coincé dans le ventre mou du Top 14, Clermont était le dernier club encore en course jusqu’en demi-finale l’an passé.

Related

Découvrez les coulisses des deux camps lors de la tournée des Lions britanniques et irlandais en Afrique du Sud en 2021. A voir en exclusivité sur RugbyPass TV dès maintenant.

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JW 1 hour ago
The numbers show Super Rugby Pacific just got even tougher

“The competition is tough, because you’ve got to spit out performances every week, and to be able to do that consistently you’ve got to have good depth.”

You’ve got to look forward to next weekend more than anything too.

The bonus points view is a good one. The majority of bonus points earned in the first three rounds last season were for scoring three tries more than the opposition, while three quarters of bonus points in 2025 have gone to the losing side getting to within seven points of the victors.

They really use this sorta system? Much smaller pool of bonus points available, that would mean they have far less impact. Interestingly you must be withen winning range/chance in France’s Top 14 league, rather that just draw territory, so 6 points instead of 7. Fairly arbitrary and pointless (something the NRL would do to try and look cool), but kinda cool.


I said it Nick’s and other articles, I’m not sure about the fixed nature of matchups in these opening rounds. For instance, I would be interested in seeing an improved ranking/prediction/reflection ladder to what we had last year, were some author here game so rejigged list of teams purely based of ‘who had played who’ so far in the competition. It was designed to analyze the ladder and better predict what the real order would be after the full round robin had completed. It needed some improvement, like factoring in historical data as well, as it was a bit skiwif, but it is the sort of thing that would give a better depiction of what sort of contests weve had so far, because just using my intuition, the matchups have been very ‘level appropriate’ so far, and were jet to get the other end of the spectrum, season ranked bottom sides v top sides etc.

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