Whenever there’s an all-French final, the rest of Europe
tends to switch off. Let’s be honest,
nobody likes to see the French winning anything – or a happy Frenchman, for
that matter. The general European rule
is that the English hate the Welsh, the Celts hate the English and everybody
hates the French. I wouldn’t be
surprised if a Lions bonding technique is to take the various players from the
four nations to a medieval re-enactment of the Battle of Agincourt. And for that reason, the press elsewhere in
Europe would rather bury its head in the sand and pretend the Heineken Cup
final isn’t happening this year. But,
look a little closer at the teams – especially Toulon – and you’ll see that
this is a bit more of a multi-cultural affair than you might expect.
Clermont head into this final having seemingly spent the
last 4 years being acclaimed as the “best team in Europe” without actually
getting that close to picking up its biggest prize. Having steamrollered Montpellier in the
Quarters, they were given a real test by a superbly motivated Munster side in
the semi-final stage – showing that they could be rattled if faced with an
explosively aggressive attitude and superior workrate. But this Clermont side will have learnt the
lessons from that day – and with captain Aurelien Rougerie back in the side,
you can bet that the men in white won’t let themselves get bullied again. The ex-France wing is a formidable presence
in the centres, still showing impressive speed and colossal physicality, and he
will be relishing his battle with human barrel, Matheiu Bastareau in the middle
of the park. Around him, experienced
guys like Julien Bonnaire, Nathan Hines and Wesley Fofana all have the know-how
and ability to take pretty much any team in the world to task. They’ll be relying on getting quick ball to
the backs to try and move the aging Toulon pack around the park, and when the
likes of Sivivatu and Nalaga are lurking on the wings, getting the ball wide
with space to spare can be lethal.
Toulon are still relatively green on the European side,
being the Manchester City of the egg-shaped game. Their vast wealth has seen them collect an
unfathomable selection of stars from throughout the rugby globe – from the rock
solid Carl Hayman, to Bakkies Botha, to the legendary Jonny Wilkinson
himself. The downside? Well, as I’ve pointed out previously, their
starting line-up reads like a dream team from 5 years ago; none of these guys
are getting any younger. Leicester
showed in the first half of their quarter final that, if you manage to get on
top of the Toulon pack and play quick rugby, then Toulon do struggle to live
with sides. But the second half of that
game, and their performance against Saracens, showed exactly what the Top 14
leaders are capable of. Taking a strangle
hold on the game and playing with a controlled rage, the big pack thumped into
the Tigers and drove them back, allowing Wilkinson and Giteau to play territory
perfectly. This side may not be the
flashiest of the lot, but they have the know-how to strangle the life out of
their opponents.
So, come Saturday afternoon in Dublin, if you’re at a loose
end, then you could do a lot worse than watch this game between two massively
contrasting teams. And don’t be put off
by the fact it’s two French clubs battling out – Saturday’s battle will take
place between 2 starting line-ups consisting of 12 Frenchmen, 4 Englishmen, 4
Kiwis, 2 South Africans, 2 Australians, a Fijian, an Argentinean, a Welshman, a
Scotsman, a Georgian, a Canadian and a partridge in a pear tree. Maybe this final is not just a European game,
but an international one, after all.
Clermont make 2 changes to the side that suffered a scare
against Munster in the semi-final.
Captain Aurelien Rougerie is back again in the centres after being
injured for the previous round, and he takes the 13 shirt with Regan King
dropping to the bench. Flanker Gerhard
Vosloo also returns at openside in place of Julien Bardy who takes a place
amongst the substitutes.
Starting Line up:
Lee Byrne; Sitiveni Sivivatu, Aurelien Rougerie (capt), Wesley Fofana,
Napolioni Nalaga; Brock James, Morgan Parra; Thomas Domingo, Benjamin Kayser,
Davit Zirakashvili, Jamie Cudmore, Nathan Hines, Julien Bonnaire, Gerhard
Vosloo, Damien Chouly.
Subs: Ti'I Paulo,
Vincent Debaty, Clement Ric, Julien Pierre, Julien Bardy, Ludovic
Radosavljevic, David Skrela, Regan King.
Key Player
Julian Bonnaire. You
can’t underestimate the importance of Aurelien Rougerie’s return but, for me,
Bonnaire is a symbol for everything good that the Clermont pack does. The big flanker is a colossal presence in the
lineout, helping the men in white dominate the set piece, and is ferociously
physical and mobile about the park. His
ability to out run and out run his opponents is key to Clermont’s game – but he
will have to be at the top of his game if he is to get on top of Juan Martin
Fernandez Lobbe and co.
Toulon named an unchanged team to the side that turned over
Saracens at Twickenham in the semi-finals, with Steffon Armitage remaining on
the bench. The Toulon squad actually
contains 5 Englishmen, with the Armitage brothers, Jonny Wilkinson, Nick
Kennedy and Andrew Sheridan all taking place within the Galacticos 23.
Starting Line up:
Delon Armitage; Rudi Wulf, Mathieu Bastareaud, Matt Giteau, Alexis Palisson;
Jonny Wilkinson (capt), Sebastien Tillous-Borde; Andrew Sheridan, Sebastien
Bruno, Carl Hayman, Bakkies Botha, Nick Kennedy, Danie Rossouw, Juan Martin
Fernandez Lobbe, Chris Masoe.
Subs: Jean
Charles Orioli, Gethin Jenkins, Davit Kubriashvili, Joe Van Niekerk, Steffon
Armitage, Maxime Mermoz, Frederic Michalak, Jocelino Suta.
Key Player
Matt Giteau. The
Aussie playmaker has quietly developed into the complete inside centre during
his time at Toulon. Renowned for his
deft touches and intelligent kicking game with the ball in hand, the ex-Brumbies
centre has solidified his defence in the south of France and began to hit intelligent
lines at real pace, making him a genuinely physical threat in attack. His ability to create space for big Bastareau
outside him is critical, but of even more importance are his game-management
skills which allow him to take the pressure off Jonny Wilkinson. His tactical game will need to be top notch
in order to keep this dangerous Clermont back 3 pinned back.
Key Battle
Brock James v Jonny Wilkinson. Despite being completely different sorts of
fly halves, they are both focal points for how their sides play the game. For
Clermont, the Aussie Brock James is a master of dictating play from the
gainline, bringing big runners into the face of the opposition and unleashing
the speed of Fofana, Sivivatu and co outside him. Wilkinson meanwhile, has given masterclass
after masterclass in tactical game management, playing for territory with
clinical precision and hitting countless drop goals under pressure when the points
are on offer. Any similarities – well,
they both look a bit wobbly under pressure and it will be interesting to see
who can hold their own and implement their gameplan when the inevitably aggressive
defence flies up into their faces.
Prediction
Toulon have a team of all stars but surely this has to be
Clermont’s year. They’ve been there or
thereabouts for the last 3 years and I just think the speed and power of this
side will be too much for the aging “Galacticos” – but with Jonny Wilkinson at
the driving seat, you never know what might happen. Clermont
by 7 – Heineken Cup Champions.
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