Will Goode shine ?

No-one can have failed to notice that foreign imports are figuring heavily in this season’s recruitment, some with allegedly huge salaries. A certain Dan Carter is rumoured to be receiving 700,000 Euros for 7 month. The average salary in the top 14 is 15,000 Euros a month but many will be on less than this because of the huge salaries paid to the chosen few, usually foreign, players.
Although no-one can see a way of limiting foreign players because of European employment law it is hoped that rules can be put in place to stop the short term contracts such as Dan Carters and Victor Matfields last season. They don’t have time to settle and really add to the teams they play for before they are off clutching their dosh.

Matfield was extremely mardy about the physicality of the French second division and did not show anything like his best form. If he did not know that the lower divisions here have a tendency to go by the “if you can’t beat them, beat them up” school of play. It sometimes creeps back in the Top 14 when an all out battle with all the players involved is known as a “generale”. French refs don’t seem to bother too much about an occasional punch, although the league is trying to take steps to clean things up.

I will start with the biggest recruiters

Toulon with 18 new recruits has the most new boys of whom Jerry Collins is the most high profile and Sonny Boy Williams the most contentious. Despite howls of protest from his Australian League team who want to pursue him for player breach of contract, he has signed for Toulon. The IRB don’t want to know about sanctions (possibly as Graham Henry wants him for the All Blacks when he has learnt his trade at the 15 man game). He has come in to France on his Samoan passport as both his parents are Samoan. They have 15 other recruits including very surprisingly Ramiro Pez (who must by now merit a place in the Guinness book of records for the who has played for the most different clubs)

Missoup (Oyonnax) - Koyamaibole (Padoue) - Kubriashvili (Montpellier) - Castle (Waïkito) - Vidal (Béziers) - T. Liebenberg (Stormers) - Suta (Mont-de-Marsan) - Filitoga (Albi) - Ribes (Albi) - Larrouy (Albi) - Van der Merwe (Stormers, Afs) - Rooney (XIII)- Pez (Venise, Ita) - Fauque (Montauban) - Eksteen (Narbonne)

They are a bit of a mixed bunch and it will be interesting to see if they manage to gel as at team in the top level. Of the bounty hunters who helped them to promotion last season 5 of the prominent foreigners are amongst the 20 players to have left – Gregan and Oliver retired, Roussouw and Matfield have returned to South Africa and Andrew Merhtens is now at Racing Metro. It is difficult to predict what they will do but with so much disruption, despite their talent I think they will find it hard going and are likely to be in the bottom half of the league.

Bayonne now has a budget that should enable them to compete with the big boys for the first time in years. They have been one of the biggest recruiters with 13 new players and a new coaching staff. Remy Martin (7) from Stade Francais is a big signing he is a player who always gives 100% and never stops tackling. Thibalt Lacroix may be remembered as the 19 year old Biarritz centre who played so well against Tigers in Heineken Cup. He then moved to Stade Francais where he stagnated in the development team as there were too many established centres blocking his path. He flourished with his move to Albi and regular game time has really developed him into a class player who regularly breaks the gain line, but solid in defence also. He got his first French cap in this season’s summer tour and despite the drubbings they received he was one of the players who showed up well. Denis Avril from Biarritz is a very solid, if aging prop. He is the full list of recruits:-

Avril (Biarritz) - Lacroix (Albi) - Rennie (Bourgoin) - Garcia (Montauban) - Fall (Bordeaux espoirs), Puricelli (Castres), Blake (Queensland) - Maillard (Albi)- Martin (Stade Français) - Bolavucu (Brive) - Bernard (Toulouse) - Salabogi (Bordeaux-Bègles) - Froustey (Bordeaux-Bègles)

There is a completely new coaching team. J-P Ellisade left towards the end of last season and his assistant coaches followed him at the end of the season. It was all a bit unsavoury, but now they have Richard Dourthe as a completely untried Director of Rugby and Mentières from Blagnac and Coyola from Dax as assistants. Both have coached Bayonne before. The J-P Ellisade episode left several renowned coaches not wanting to touch Bayonne with a barge pole and whether the trio they have in place have the ability to take them into the Heineken Cup for the first time remains to be seen. The squad is certainly strong enough to be in contention for a Top 6 place but the league is getting more and more competitive with probably only Dax and Mont de Marsan looking as if that target is out of reach at this stage. Bayonne also has a fantastic set of fans who really are the 16th man whether they are playing well or dismally.

Brive is another club that has managed to wangle big sponsorship deals which means they have the cash to compete with the best.

Laurent Seign remains as manager with Ugo Mola and Christophe Laussucq assisting him. - Exeter (prep. physique) I’m not sure about a back coaching the forwards but scrums halves do see quite a bit of forward play and are probably best placed to see what is going wrong.

Brive’s recruitment looks amongst the strongest. Andy Goode will hopefully benefit from a change of air and should be a big benefit to them. Idieder from Auch is a very impressive young prop. He looks a real fat boy but he can certainly scrimmage and is remarkably nimble round the park as well. Alex Popham has played well for Llanelli at 6 and 8. Argentinians, Horacia Agulla from Dax, the young wing who did so well in the World Cup, and Pablo Henn ex Stade Francais and Montauban who is at last developing to his full potential as a prop are both newcomers. They are with the Argentinian team for the match against South African.

Full list of recruits


Brown (Northampton) - Vosloo (Castres) - Mela (Albi) - Idieder (Auch) - Pic (Clermont) - Henn (Montauban) - Popham (Llanelli) - Agulla (Dax) - McKay (Western Force), L. Davies (Llanelli) - Bianco (Albi) - Short (Northampton)- Goode (Leicester) - Jaulhac (Bordeaux-Bègles, loan)



Like many others Brive are hoping to qualify for Europe but much will depend on how the new coaching team works and how the team, which has undoubted talent, gels. They have also recruited that essential for teams that want to last the season in good shape – new Australian fitness coach Mark Exeter who is highly thought off.

This is one of the most interesting French seasons with many more teams looking like they can qualify for Europe and even for the Top 4. Although Toulouse and Clermont are hot favourites for the final and Dax and Mont de Marsan for the drop in between all 10 teams are going to have to really take things seriously.

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