Déjà Vous is a concept we’re all familiar with, but it
generally applies to pretty minor or irrelevant circumstances. For example, I had that feeling the other day
when chatting to a friend about Bon Jovi’s best album (I have no shame) – I suddenly
felt we had had that conversation before, when I am pretty sure that I had
deliberately kept my 80s glam rock fetish under wraps before that. Usually, like then, it is an illusion, but
sometimes it is entirely justified – when my other half was talking to me about
table centre-pieces for our wedding, I once again found myself overcome by a
sense of déjà vous, but then I realised we actually had had the exact same
conversation every day for the last 4 days.
And it’s a similar case here.
Albeit on a much larger, more significant scale.
And how appropriate that it’s an all French final to back up
a very French feeling. In Dublin in, 2013,
these two met and Clermont, early in the second half, cut loose with some glorious
rugby, only to suffer a sucker punch try (courtesy of Delon Armitage’s cheeky
score and moronic gloating) and the metronomic boot of Jonny Wilkinson. Clermont, again regarded as the best team in
Europe, again went home empty handed.
Toulon were crowned Champions of Europe and last year, in Cardiff, they
joined the elite group of Leicester and Leinster as being the only side to
successfully retain the title. Now,
today, at Twickenham, they have a chance to go out in a league of their own and
win the tournament for a third successive time.
I don’t want them to do it.
Why? Well, aside from the lack of
variety, I simply don’t particularly like Toulon. A lot of people would say that’s envy, which
could play a part to be fair, but I also think that they signify everything
that’s wrong with professional rugby and, specifically, French rugby. Most top sides, even the big spenders, still
retain that core of players who identify with the club, and the rest is
sprinkled with stardust. In England,
Leicester have the Youngs brothers, Cole, Croft and Tuilagi, Bath have Hooper,
Banahan and Wilson, whilst Saracens have Farrell, Kruis and Goode. They’re blokes who have risen from within the
club and have that tight connection – a spine around which success can built
and stars can be brought in. Even in the
French league, Clermont have this – Wesley Fofana, Rougerie and Bonnaire all
live and breathe Clermont. I would argue
that Toulon do not have this; they have no identity. They are simply a rich man’s toy, an
expensively assembled group of mercenaries who are there to win at any cost.
Not that I blame the players themselves – who wouldn’t want
a huge pay packet and a trip to the south of France in the twilight of their
career – nor necessarily Mourad Boudjellal, who is free to spend his money as
he wishes. But without restrictions he
has put together a frankly ludicrous side which, although world class
throughout (they have Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe on the bench), lacks soul and
drains talent from other leagues abroad and at home. Couple this with the fact they have Delon
Armitage, Bakkies Botha and the Jocelino ‘Choker’ Suta in the squad and play
(usually) some pretty stodgy rugby, and they’re really not the most likeable
team out there.
That’s why Clermont, who will try to counteract Toulon’s
territory game with their fast-paced attacking mindset and invention, will be
the neutral’s choice today. And that’s
why we won’t be feeling déjà vous later this evening.
Clermont Team News
Clermont have made two changes to the side that beat
Saracens in last month's semi-final. Morgan
Parra replaces Ludovic Radosavljevic at scrum-half and Fritz Lee is returning
at number eight, with captain Damien Chouly moving to open-side flanker.
Subs: J Ulugia, T
Domingo, C Ric, J Pierre, J Bardy, L Radoslavjevic, C Lopez, A Rougerie.
Key Player
Morgan Parra. A fan
favourite for the men in white, and a man who is finding his way back into form
at just the right time. Parra has had a bit of a middling season by his
standards but this is the setting he was made for – he seems to thrive on the
big occasion. He will know that Toulon
very rarely win games by explosive, counter-attacking rugby – they win by
pressurising the opposition and twisting them to breaking point. The temptation will be for Clermont to run
everything back, but that’s exactly what Toulon want. Instead Clermont must apply pressure
themselves and that means Parra putting it on the money every time for his chasers
– he is faced with a back three who are all very strong under the high ball, so
accuracy is everything for Parra if he wants to beat Toulon at their own game.
Toulon Team News
Former England full-back Delon Armitage misses out on a
place in Toulon's squad after breaking a bone in his hand during the semi-final
win against Leinster. But his brother
Steffon starts in the back row, reward for an impressive performance as a
replacement against the Dublin-based side. Matt Giteau will orchestrate the defending
champions at outside-half, with Frederic Michalak dropped to the bench after an
ineffective display in the semi-finals.
Starting Line
up: L Halfpenny; D Mitchell, M
Bastareaud, J M Hernandez, B Habana; M Giteau, S Tillous-Borde; X Chiocci, G
Guirado, C Hayman (capt), B Botha, A Williams, J Smith, S Armitage, C Masoe.
Subs: J-C Orioli,
A Menini, L Chilachava, J M Fernandez Lobbe, V Bruni, R Wulf, F Michalak, R
Taofifenua.
Key Player
Steffon Armitage.
Yawn, how entirely predictable.
Picking the openside flanker in any match-up is usually a pretty safe
bet when picking out a ‘key player’, but there’s more at stake for Armitage
than *just* a Champions Cup winners medal.
Yes, he is key to this game in that Clermont have picked a very big,
powerful backrow which possibly provides an opportunity for the squat seven to
cause mayhem by getting underneath them and over the ball at the breakdown, but
the reality is that if Armitage wants to go to the World Cup, this is his
audition. With Robshaw – correctly –
indispensible for England and Vunipola/Morgan as a world class selection
dilemma at number eight, there is only one spot to target – a spot which James
Haskell and Tom Wood are currently battling for, but a lack of trust over discipline
and a lack of top form has raised question marks over both. And a backrow of Robshaw, Armitage and
Vunipola does seem to have the lot. But
if Armitage wants Stuart Lancaster to agree, he needs to make himself
un-ignorable with a man of the match display on Europe’s biggest stage.
Key Battle
Wesley Fofana v Juan Martin Hernandez. Two magicians of the game start at 12 today,
but they are two men with very different skill sets. Fofana is probably the smoothest runner in the
northern hemisphere, balancing speed and agility with surprising strength,
whilst Hernandez – who has largely been a bit-part player for Toulon this
season – has one of the most cultured boots in world rugby. His critics will, probably rightly, state that
his best days are way behind him (remember when he was the key man behind the
Pumas semi-final run in 2007?) but he is a man who the capacity to perform on
the big occasions. His role will be to
frustrate the Clermont backline by pinning them back into the corners – but Fofana
will be in his face all afternoon. The
purists will want the Clermont man to come out on top...but Toulon have proven
that, when push comes to shove, pragmatism generally trumps all.
Prediction
We enter new ground this season with Toulon bidding to
become the first side ever to win for three consecutive years. I’ve already made it clear I don’t want them
to win but, if you look down their line-up, it is arguable that they have
improved year on year since that first title (with the exception of Jonny
Wilkinson’s retirement, of course) and it is difficult to pinpoint any sort of
weakspot. But if there is any side who
can exploit the tiniest opportunity, it’s Clermont. For too long they have been regarded as ‘unofficially’
the best side in Europe and they will still harbour bitter memories of
2013. Will it be enough? On paper and on reflection of previous
results, possibly not, but I get the feeling that they won’t be in the mood to
choke this time around. Clermont by 5.
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