The difficult third season for All Black laden Pau
Things are moving fast at ambitious Top 14 side Pau – or Section Paloise, to give the club its Sunday name.
Three seasons ago, Simon Mannix’s side won the Pro D2 so easily that to use the canter cliche would suggest an inaccurately high expulsion of effort on their part.
Suffice to say, they started recruiting for their first season in the Top 14 since 2006 more than a month before the end of the regular season. And, yes, that meant they were able to tempt World Cup-fresh All Blacks Conrad Smith and Colin Slade to their ranks.
They finished a perfectly respectable 11th in their first season back in the French top flight.
Grosse séance d'entraînement ce matin pour nos Vert et Blanc ! 1er match de préparation jeudi face au @SAXV_Charente ! #Allsection pic.twitter.com/sgIezB4E5X
— Section Paloise Béarn Pyrénées (@SectionPaloise) July 30, 2017
But they did not rest on their laurels. The following season, last season, was even better. Three weeks from the end of the regular 2016/17 campaign, the club in the shadow of the Pyrenees in southwest France, occupied a sought-after play-off place, ahead of more illustrious sides such as Stade Francais, Bordeaux, Racing 92, or troubled Toulouse.
They fell away at the end, however, to finish ninth, five points off the pace, as injuries to key players – including both Slade and Smith – took their toll.
That Mannix and his cohorts were devastated with their run-in performance reveals the ambition of the club – and the on-field vision is being matched off the pitch.
More savvy recruitment means Slade, Smith, Dan Ramsay, Jamie Mackintosh and Tom Taylor, who joined from Toulon at the start of last season, will be joined by fellow New Zealanders Benson Stanley, Franck Halai and Peter Saili.
Mannix is also keen to point out the homegrown talent in the club – mentioning boys from the Bearn stuff Quentin Lespiaucq, Thibault Daubagna and Bastien Pourailly in dispatches when quizzed on the number of All Blacks populating key playing positions. Big things are expected this season of young stars Lespiaucq and Daubagna, in particular.
Beyond the white lines, the club’s ambitions are equally apparent. Work is almost finished on expanding Stade du Hameau from 14,000 to 18,500 seats, to complement the still shiny new training complex that was inaugurated at the beginning of last season. The expansion includes new changing rooms and improved hospitality suites.
Now, the team has to standards demanded by the facilities.
As ever, Mannix is coy about his side’s chances. “If we work well, we will play well and we will win our games,” he told Rugbyrama recently. But he – as well as club bosses and fans – wants Pau to challenge for the top six finish, and the play-off place and European Champions Cup qualification that goes with it.
It will be tough. At least 10 sides, including Pau, have serious and genuine top six ambitions going into the new campaign. And the club have to tighten up in defence so they don’t lose as often at home – they gave up four points on their own turf four times last season.
How Pau’s season shakes out will depend on turning the attractive Hameau into a fortress.
Des photos impressionnantes prises par Stéphane depuis sa grue sur le chantier du #Hameau2017@Ville_Pau pic.twitter.com/aGWZg9ouji
— Section Paloise Béarn Pyrénées (@SectionPaloise) July 29, 2017
Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments