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Top 14 club-by-club 2020-21 Season Preview: Clermont
Clermont’s coronavirus-curtailed Top 14 season was far from one for the record books. But what will the 2020-21 season – one they will enter without president Eric de Cromieres, who died in July after a battle with cancer – look like?
Key signing
Kotaro Matsushima. Scoring five tries at the 2019 Rugby World Cup will get you noticed, and Clermont wasted little time making Matsushima their big signing. Sebastien Bezy’s switch from Toulouse to challenge Morgan Parra for the 9 shirt is also interesting.
Key departure
Nick Abendanon. You could pick any one of the 18 players leaving Clermont this summer. A sharp dip in international player compensation from the FFR has forced Clermont to clip its spending wings, as has the need to slash overseas player numbers. Quite the coup, too, for ProD2 side Vannes to pick up the experienced fullback.
They say
“We’ve got a younger and younger group, so we’ve got fewer leaders. We’ve lost Chouly, Rougerie, Kayser, Zirakashvili, Abendanon … leaders in the dressing room and on the pitch over the last two years. It’s going to be important that players take these positions and responsibilities. We need leaders to emerge. To aim high in this sport, you need a mindset, you need to be competitive, but you also need leaders” (Morgan Parra, La Montagne)
We say
Despite what the little general has to say about the experience drain of the past two years – and he’s not wrong – there’s plenty to draw on in Clermont’s squad for the 2020/21 season. Rabah Slimani, Fritz Lee, Arthur Iturria, Wesley Fofana, Sebastien Vahaamahina, Parra himself, and Camille Lopez are the foundations and first few floors of a formidable leadership group.
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Nor is Clermont unique in trading in old heads for younger models. It’s a common thread among Top 14 sides right now, as they seek to rebalance their books with a noticeably smaller bottom line in the wages column. On paper, the signings look smart. Sebastien Bezy is good enough to push Parra all the way for the nine shirt, while Kotaro Matsushima adds some pace to an already not-so-slouchy backs division.
French 7s star Tavite Veredamu, brought in as short-term cover for the injured Peceli Yato, should offer some explosive options off the back of the scrum.
Coaching change at Clermont
There’s a key change in the coaching staff, too. Franck Azema remains in charge, but he is taking a strategic step back on the training pitch. He’s leaving the day-to-day running around to Bernard Goutta (forwards), Didier Bès (scrum), Xavier Sadourny (attack) and the returning Benson Stanley (defence). Expect to see him pacing philosophically on the sidelines on matchdays, however.
It makes sense. The coaching looked in need of a revamp. Azema was looking done-in more often than not. When the 2019/20 season was abandoned after 17 of 26 regular season rounds, Clermont were a middling sixth in what had been a humdrum season. It’s not as if they could blame the World Cup, either, for their indifferent season. While 11 players were in Japan, Clermont were running along nicely, and were a solid fourth after eight rounds of the Top 14 – close to a third of the domestic season.
But the expected push-on when their international stars returned failed to materialise, and Clermont stuttered in the Top 14 as they put their eggs in their desperately wanted European basket. They duly reached the Champions Cup quarter-finals comfortably enough, and are at home to Racing in the quarter finals in September – but leaked tries domestically.
Strong on paper
Yes, a sixth-place finish ensures a Champions Cup place next season, regardless of the tournament’s eventual format. But Azema, his staff and the players would be lying if they ever claimed it was good enough. Which they never have.
On paper, the 2020/21 Clermont squad looks stronger, more balanced and has a back line to terrify even the most organised of defences. ASM fans expect better fare than they saw sometimes last season. With this squad, they should get it.
Arrivals
Peni Ravai; Christian Ojovan; Adrien Pelissie; Etienne Fourcade; Sebastien Bezy; Kotaro Matsushima; Bastien Pourailly; Tavite Veredamu (short-term contract)
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Departures
Davit Zirakashvili; Loni Uhila; Beqa Kakabadze; John Ulugia; Mike Tadjer; Faifili Levave; Julien Ruaud; Greig Laidlaw; Charlie Cassang; Isaia Toeava; Remy Grosso; Nick Abendanon; Donovan Taofifenua
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments