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Top 14 2020/21 club-by-club season preview: Lyon
Lyon are taking the experienced route to their Top 14 and Champions Cup challenges.
Key signing
Mathieu Bastareaud: There are some big changes in store at ambitious Lyon – and the return, after a Covid-19 hit American adventure, of Bastareaud is arguably the biggest of them. You will have decide for yourself whether to consider the recruits as older or experienced.
Key departure
Julien Puricelli: You could pick any one of Carl Fearns and Liam Gill, Jean-Marcellin Buttin and Alexis Palison. But the emblematic Puricelli, whose retirement has long been expected to be fair, will be the biggest miss on the pitch in the heat of a match. He’s still very much involved as a coach, however.
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They say
“It is absolutely not taboo or shameful to say that we want to compete for the title. As we know well, a dozen clubs can do it. Or even 13. The competition will be fierce.”
– President Yann Roubert (Les Echos)
We say
It’s safe to say that Lyon’s pre-season did not go entirely according to plan. As other Top 14 clubs negotiated pay cuts with their players, Lyon reportedly struggled to find a consensus. There was even far-fetched talk about the president and manager, Pierre Mignoni, walking.
Coronavirus
To make matters worse, three players tested positive for Covid-19 three weeks before the first scheduled pre-season friendly. One was a false positive, but two players went into quarantine for two weeks, while health measures for the rest of the squad meant training plans were immediately restricted.
There are worse times to have such necessary restrictions imposed – just ask Stade Francais. Despite the sudden halt in training plans, Lyon have had time to adjust.
The two players in quarantine were – pending a requisite final batch of tests – due to return to training the week of August 17, ahead of Lyon’s opening pre-season friendly against Racing 92 – their opponents on the opening weekend of the Top 14 campaign.
European ambitions
Lyon are looking beyond domestic borders. Two disappointing Champions Cup campaigns, in which they have won just once, is chafing. Lyon are better than that and Mignoni will be determined to prove that.
Recruitment has been interesting, too. There’s no doubt Lyon, once perennial yo-yoers between the Top 14 and Pro D2, have the French championship – a title they have not won since 1933 – in their sights.
There may be something distinctly short-term about some of Lyon’s latest recruits. Bastareaud (31), Remy Grosso (31) and Alex Tulou (33) are all careering to retirement. But look closer – five academy signings are 20 or under. The youngest is 16. The captain, Baptiste Couilloud, is 23. This is a side that starts a dynasty.
Arrivals
Joe Taufete’e, Izack Rodda Matthieu Bastareaud, Colby Fainga’a, Gillian Galan, Leo Berdeu, Remy Grosso, Alex Tulou
Departures
Kevin Yameogo, Hendrik Roodt, Martial Rolland, Julien Puricelli, Carl Fearns, Liam Gill, Tanginoa Halaifonua, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Jean-Marcellin Buttin
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"Your Fodens and all these other players…They kind of disappear into the background whereas this guy absolutely does not.”
– @rugbyunitedny founder talks about the impact of @BastaOfficiel with @heagneyl #FRAvENG #MLRugby ???? https://t.co/asNSLRjYI3
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) February 2, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Except 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 commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to comments