Top 14 2016-2017 Season Preview

The French domestic championship – the Top 14 – starts a new season on Saturday. Competing for the ultimate prize in France will be clubs from large cities and small towns. They come from far and wide with the competition increasingly being nationwide as south-west small town representation has deteriorated.

In the 2016-2017 season there will be four small town clubs – Bayonne, Brive, Castres, and Pau. The remaining 10 are all city sides, a remarkable change from the landscape of a decade ago. From the 2006-07 season only half of the clubs remain. No longer in the Top 14 are Agen, Albi, Biarritz, Bourgoin, Montauban, Narbonne, and Perpignan.

Taking the places of these sides are Bordeaux, Grenoble, La Rochelle, Lyon, Pau, Racing 92, and Toulon. Six of them fall outside of the characterization of small town sides. Furthermore five of them are located far away from the south-west.

The 2016-17 season should continue with these two noted trends. The clubs most likely to be battling to avoid relegation will be small town clubs while larger city sides will be playing for the title. France’s south-west clubs are present in those likely to face relegation.

Castres survives as the lone club from the south-west considered safe from relegation. It has been a surprise package over recent seasons and should be a mid-table side this season. It joins Stade Français as not falling in the contenders for the title or relegation this season.

PLAY-OFF’S

There looks to be a solid group of six serious title contenders:

Racing 92
Reigning champions Racing 92 start as favorites to retain their title. They do so based not only on making both finals in 2016 but also on having a complete roster. World class athletes including Dan Carter, Johan Goosen, and Juan Imhoff join some of France’s best to make a dominant unit. Next season the club will move into a new home. The 32,000 capacity Arena 92 will add to the prestige of what has become a leading club in France.

Clermont
The bridesmaids of European rugby also have a strong roster. Despite losing six players the club has arguably gained more through recruitment. The arrival of Rémi Lamerat from Castres is a significant boost to the midfield. He joins Wesley Fofana and veteran Aurélien Rougerie to give the club three of France’s best centres. They will have potent finishers outside them and also play with gifted halves. The backline will breath magic. Expect Clermont to be in the mix for French and European titles.

Toulon
Coming off a below par season will only make Toulon stronger. The club was unable to defend its European title and also fell short, again, in the Top 14. Injuries rattled the club last season with both Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe and Samu Manoa among the casualties. Both are fit again now and roaring to go. The club has acted to repair the damage from poor signings, notably releasing Quade Cooper. With the stadium being upgraded and money better spent Toulon are a team to follow closely. Expect them to be in the Semi Finals.

Toulouse
Rumbles from down south have the former giants entering the season in better conditions than in previous years. Having joined in 2006, former Pumas lock Patricio Albacete remains at the club and is joined by quality recruits. Sofiane Guitoune, Richie Gray, and Leonardo Ghiraldini have all arrived while Yoann Huget is fit and ready to fire. The combination of established Toulouse players with new blood ought to make for a great campaign. Toulouse will likely be a threat to all in both the Top 14 and Champions Cup.

Montpellier
The European Challenge Cup champions have lost star flyhalf François Trinh-Duc to Toulon but have gained a number of others. A very potent roster makes this season one in which Montpellier could make history. The club has never won the Top 14 but has come close. The 2011 beaten finalists now have their best chance at going one better. A large contingent of South African players has been a talking point but do not be fooled the club has talent to burn and plenty of Frenchmen.

Bordeaux
A club yet to rise to the top is Bordeaux. Expect this to change sooner rather than later with the upcoming season to be the best for the club yet. The club has a highly talented, yet very underrated roster. Baptiste Serin exploded on the test scene in Argentina in June and he will join Irishman Ian Madigan in the halves. Significant firepower exists across all positions for Bordeaux to make history this season. An appearance in the Semi Finals is entirely attainable.

RELEGATION

The six clubs identified below have all played at least one season in the Pro D2 since France hosted the Rugby World Cup nine years ago. Some of them have been genuine yo-yo’s who have come and gone from the Top 14 while others have established themselves as mid-table sides.

Mid-table does not mean safety in the Top 14. Indeed many clubs have suffered the fate of complacency in being caught late in the season and relegated. Oyonnax went from the barrages in the 2014-15 season to bottom of the table one season later. Similarly Stade Français went from 2015 champions to relegation contenders earlier this year.

Bayonne
Straight back from one season in the Pro D2 is Bayonne. The Basque club faces a mountain of a task to avoid relegation this season. Midi Olympique favors Bayonne for relegation and by quite some distance. The club does have what it takes to avoid relegation but it is in for a real dog fight. They begin as pre-season favorites to drop straight back into Pro D2.

Brive
Serious over-achievers in previous seasons, Brive is a club which defies odds to win more games than its fair share. A common factor in Brive’s favor has been the unearthing of significantly underrated players, many of whom having been underused by rival clubs. Second row Julien Le Devedec is a prime example. Back at Brive from Bordeaux he had a superb 2015-16 season, making the French roster which toured Argentina. Le Devedec was a standout in the second test time in Tucumán. With other instances such as Gaetan Germain and Lucas Pointud on the roster expect Brive to survive.

Grenoble
It may come as a surprise that Grenoble makes this list. The club has been a genuine mid-table side in recent years and has been developing nicely. Playing at home at the Stade des Alpes the club is always strong but away it is not so convincing. An additional point to note is the recruitment which has not been as comprehensive as that of rivals. After Bayonne, Grenoble looks most likely for the drop.

Lyon
The 2016 Pro d2 champions have come and gone with regularity. In an effort to avoid relegation this time around the club representing France’s second-largest city has invested heavily in recruitment. Among the arrivals are Frédéric Michalak, Delon Armitage, Mike Harris, and Francisco Gómez Kodela has joined from Bordeaux. Local government are also wanting the club to do well as the club is to move to the Stade de Gerland. It hosted FIFA World Cup matches in 1998 and rugby in 2007. Realistically Lyon should have enough strength to avoid relegation and stay afloat in the Top 14.

La Rochelle
With three current French forwards in the pack the club has genuine grunt. It is reinforced this season by All Black no8 Victor Vito. In the backs the club has Fijian dynamo Levani Botia, the best inside centre in France last season. Arriving from Clermont to play at fly half is Brock James. Additional players of note can be identified which points to a positive season for La Rochelle. It is true that the club lacks the depth of others but it ought to not only avoid relegation but push for a place in barrages.

Pau
A club with long-term plans of rising up the ranks is Section Paloise. The south-western French club took nine years to win promotion back to the Top 14 and after one season appears to have the foundations in place to survive. The Stade du Hameau is undergoing a significant upgrade to make it the ‘Clermont of the South’. Upon completion in 2018 it will seat 18,436. Additional high investment has gone into the roster. Conrad Smith is joined this year by the likes of Steffon Armitage and Ben Mowen. Relegation is a danger but the star power of these, and others, should see Pau avoiding the drop.