Top 14 2020/21 club-by-club season preview: Castres Olympique
Castres have waved the clearout wand and – in common with a number of Top 14 clubs – have started the process of refocusing on youth. There is still plenty of experience to count on… but how things work on the pitch remains to be seen.
Key signing
Uruguay scrum-half Santiago Arata, 23, heads to France with a growing reputation and the job of, eventually, taking over from marmite nine Rory Kockott… who is one of three vice-captains at the club this season. A mention, too, for Canada’s Tyler Ardron, who has quickly been handed a leadership role since joining from Chiefs.
Key departure
Rodrigo Capo Ortega: An excellent try on what turned out to be his last outing in the bleu-et-blanc was something to remember, but it was far from the farewell the 39-year-old deserved after 18 years and 400-and-some outings for the same club. ‘Capo’, one of 14 now-former players as Castres rapidly turn down the experience, is heading into an ambassadorial role.
https://twitter.com/CastresRugby/status/1296015823996420098
They say
“The group needed renewal. We chose to bet on players with very strong potential.”
Coach Mauricio Reggiardo – Midi Olympique
We say
It seemed there was plenty wrong at Castres last season. They lacked lustre on the pitch and looked shorn of anything approaching a plan.
Problems, problems
Not all of it can be laid at the door of the ageing playing squad – and some of it was a long-lingering hangover from the previous season, the last under Christophe Urios, which ended badly. To be fair, successor Reggiardo hasn’t tried to hide from his part in the problems that plagued the club in the early skirmishes.
“We started to rectify the situation from December,” Reggiardo told Midol recently. “We had finally found the right operation.
“Before that, I believe that we had not sufficiently respected and maintained certain values of this club. It reminded us that these values are never acquired, that they must be constantly maintained.”
‘Success’ in Europe
The Challenge Cup, unusually, offered a rare highlight in an otherwise thoroughly abject season. Castres qualified for the quarter-finals with a 33-27 win at Worcester in the final match of the group phase to finish top of Pool One.
They are due to head to Leicester in September, with an outside chance of stealing a place in next season’s Champions Cup – despite finishing 10th in the Top 14.
There is little doubt Castres’ playing pool was in desperate need of refreshing. The oldest of this summer’s signings – Ardron and Kunatani – are 29. Four of the nine new faces are 23 or younger. Meanwhile, only four of the 16 departures are under 30. Capo was nearly 40; Karena Wihongi was 40.
Are you local?
Captain Mathieu Babillot and vice-captain Baptiste Delaporte, meanwhile, are Castres born and bred. Prop Antoine Tichit and full-back Geoffrey Palis were born just up the road in Gaillac. Academy graduate Jeremy Fernandez is from nearby Mazamet. It all feeds into the ‘small town, big team’ underdog image the club loves to play up and play to.
More usefully, the squad now boasts more diverse skills in a range of positions, giving Reggiardo the ability to adapt the Castres style according to their opponents. Last season was, pretty much, a write-off. This season should see some strong consolidation. Word from the training ground is that this season should be better than the last.
One thing Castres must do – and urgently – is get to grips with their ongoing indiscretion issues. Giving away 20 penalties a game, as they did in their pre-season opener against Agen, isn’t going to cut it when the serious rugby starts.
Arrivals
Julius Nostadt, Gaetan Barlot, Tyler Ardron, Ryno Pieterse, Semi Kunatani, Stephane Onambele, Kevin Kornath, Santiago Arata, Adrea Cocagi, Vilimoni Botitu, Bastien Guillemin
Departures
Marc Clerc, Paea Fa’anunu, Tapu Falatea, Morgan Phelipponneau, Jody Jenneker, Paul Sauzeret, Rodrigo Capo Ortega, Christophe Samson, Victor Moreaux, Alex Tulou, Camille Gerondeau, Kevin Gimeno, Ludovic Radosavljevic, Robert Ebersohn, Julien Caminati, Taylor Paris
'To a man, they all talked very proudly about getting the s*** kicked out of them but serving it back with interest'
Russian Roulette, murder and who tore open Shelford's scrotum: @dberesford12 tells @OwainJTJones how France's hardest players opened up https://t.co/nFV9jO63Gc
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 19, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
“Cortez Ratima is light years ahead of anyone on current form, while TJ Perenara has also skyrocketed into contention following the unfortunate injury to the talented Cam Roigard.” At last some sanity. Hitherto so many pundits have been wittering on about Finlay Christie to the point one wondered if they were observing a FC in a parallel universe where the FC they saw wasnt just the mediocre Shayne Philpott project of Fosters hapless AB reign in the real world. Ratima, Perenara and Fakatava are the ONLY logical 9s for Razor now Roigard is crocked.
2 Go to commentsThis game was just as painful as the Hurricanes game. It was real fork-in-the-eye stuff.
2 Go to commentsNow if they could just fire the Crusaders ground PA guy who likes to play his dance music and just loves the sound of his own voice the entire game, even when play is going on. And I thought their brass band thing of a few years ago was bad.
5 Go to commentsUnfortunately when you lose by far the two form players this season in Roigard and Aumua, you're left replacing two game changing Tanks with a couple of pea-shooters. Which is also about the speed of TJs pass.
2 Go to commentsBit rich coming from the guy with zero loyalty to anyone or any team, including happily taking a players place in a league world cup squad because well, SBW wanted to play in it and thus an already named player got told he was no longer going. And airing stuff like this, which may or may not be true, doesn't exactly say you're a stand up guy either SBW. Just looking to keep his name in lights as usual.
37 Go to commentsTamati Tua. …the Taniwha NPC midfielder. Ollie Sapsford, Hawkes Bay NPC midfielder…doing well
2 Go to commentsFiji deserve to be in the rugby championship, fans love seeing the Fijian national team play, the Fijian Drua is a wonderful idea but the players can still be stolen to play for NZ and AUS…
1 Go to commentsThe first concern for this afternoon are wheather forecast…
1 Go to commentsWhy cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
5 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
33 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
5 Go to comments