2017-18 Top 14 Season Preview

As the French summer begins to close it is time for the Top 14 to begin. The 2017-18 Top 14 season gets underway on Saturday, August 26.

The demanding season will run through until Saturday, June 8. The final will be at the Stade de France in Paris and predicting who will be involved is no easy task. Also requiring a prediction is which two clubs will be relegated.

The 2017-18 season sees an important change. For the first time only the 14th placed team will be automatically relegated to the Pro D2. The 13th placed team will face the runner-up of the Pro D2 play-off, with the winner of that play-off taking up the final place in Top 14 for the subsequent season.

Agen
Back again in the Top 14 is Agen. Remaining so is the ambition and it will require solid home wins and away victories when possible. Gone is Taylor Paris with the Canadian now at Castres. Pumas hooker Facundo Bosch and flyhalf Ignacio Mieres have both been recruited as has Italo-Argentine second row Leandro Cedaro. The join the US-eligible prop Dave Ryan as the Americas players at the club this season.

Prospects: Play-off vs Pro D2 runner-up.

Bordeaux
The club with the largest home attendances in Europe is Bordeaux. The club has developed significantly but has had a tendency of fading away late in the season. Could this season see an historic appearance in the barrage or Semi Finals? The roster has the means to certainly make history. In the past the club has been home to players from the Americas, Nicolás Sánchez being among the most noteworthy. The club starts the new season without any though.

Prospects: Barrage

Brive
The fighting spirit of Brive is legendary. Attending a home match at Brive is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The club has an amazing record and has been able to continue competing in the professional era. The club ought to be strong enough to avoid relegation this season but reaching the barrage play-offs or better seems to be out of the question. US Eagles winger Taku Ngwenya will fly the flag for the Americas this season for Brive, though young Argentine flyhalf Gonzalo Mansilla is in the academy.

Prospects: Lower Table

Castres
Very comparable to Brive in that Castres is a small town yet is able to compete against the best, particularly at home. Canadian winger Taylor Paris is one of the marquee additions to the club in the off-season. Meanwhile Horacio Agulla has returned home to Argentina with Hindú. Both his countryman Benjamín Urdapilleta and former Uruguay captain Rodrigo Capó Ortega signed new deals with the club to remain there this season. Overall Castres has a quality roster and could, again, exceed expectations but will most likely finish mid table.

Prospects: Mid Table

Clermont
The reigning champions enter the new season as favorites to go all the way. But balancing an extremely tough European Champions Cup pool draw will see serious questions asked of the club. Managing both competitions will be a tough ask. With France likely to have a huge number of players picked from Clermont for test duty the club’s chances are further complicated. Argentine flyhalf Patricio Fernández remains at the club, as does former Pumitas prop Justo Durañona. USA midfield prospect Moses Fuala’au is entering his third season in the academy. It’s not clear whether Canadian counterpart George Barton will return after being conspicuously absent from the initial 29-man Elite Training Group.

Prospects: Semi Finals

La Rochelle
The surprise package of the 2016-2017 season was La Rochelle. The club’s tremendous run saw the club finish the regular season top of the table. This brought with it an historical spot in the 2017-2018 European Champions Cup. La Rochelle missed out on playing in the 2017 Top 14 Final, falling 18-15 to Toulon in the Semi Final. The club is, in theory, still a mid table team. Could there be another run of upsets? For the new season La Rochelle is without players from the Americas.

Prospects: Mid-Table

Lyon
Now firmly established in the Top 14, Lyon is a club to look out for in the future. It has large financial backing which includes an amazing stadium courtesy of the City Hall. The club is still in the early stages of building but within the coming seasons it ought to be within reach of competing for the title. Gone from last season are Pumas Agustín Figuerola and Facundo Isa. The former has retired while the latter is now at Toulon. Tighthead prop Francisco Gómez Kodela remains while flyhalf Piero Domínguez, the son of the legendary Diego Domínguez, joined the club this season. Delon Armitage, born in Trinidad & Tobago, will again play for Lyon. Colombia’s only Top 14 player Andrés Zafra is seeking to make his first senior start as part of the academy.

Prospects: Mid-Table

Montpellier
Packed with talent, Montpellier’s title ambitions are well documented. This coming season is as good of an opportunity to go all the way. The club has recruited heavily with some marquee signings. They include Yacouba Camara, Louis Picamoles, Aaron Cruden, and Jan Serfontein. On paper it is a roster that could win the title and worth a bet. No players from the Americas are at the club at present.

Prospects: Champions

Oyonnax
Like Agen, Oyonnax is straight back in the Top 14. The club’s one season back in the Pro D2 was highly successful and now the club is focusing on remaining in the Top 14. Doing so will likely prove to be extremely challenging. The resources of others and comparatively more travel will harm Oyonnax this season. Jamie Cudmore has played for the final time for the club but has taken up a role in the coaching staff. Among the new arrivals this season is Pumas 7s star Axel Müller who joins on a one year loan deal from Toulon.

Prospects: Relegation

Pau
A club to have developed well last season is Pau. Now safe in the Top 14 the club have plans on becoming a force. Upgrades to the stadium are also well advanced. Canadian lock Cam Pierce and Argentine duo Santiago Fernández and Joel Sclavi have all moved on. A pair of young Canadians remain in the academy in the form of lock Matt Beukeboom and prop Matt Tierney. Argentina XV hooker Ignacio Calles is also still on the books, having also experimented as a prop last season with the Espoirs. Trinidad & Tobago are again represented by former England flanker Steffon Armitage.

Prospects: Lower Table

Racing 92
An extremely poor 2016-17 season saw Racing 92 unable to defend their 2016 Top 14 title. The team was a far bigger flop in the European Champions Cup, crashing out in the pool stage. With strong player recruitment and a move to the new Arena 92 big things are expected for the new season. Both Manuel Carizza and Juan Imhoff are to play again for Racing 92 this season. Joining them will be Patricio Albacete who does so after 11 years at Toulouse.

Prospects: Finalists

Stade Français
The 2015 French champions have said goodbye to head coach Gonzalo Quesada. The former Puma is now in charge of Biarritz in the Pro D2. Still at the club is Argentine-born Sergio Parisse. The captain of the Azzurri has had a tremendous career at Stade Français and is chasing further titles. Although the club has not made a public confirmation, the French media have declared that Pumas prop Ramiro Herrera will play for the Parisians this season, joining the club after the Rugby Championship. The club’s roster is stronger than that of 2016-17 but, overall, it is not as complete as are those of rivals.

Prospects: Mid Table

Toulon
In looking to win titles again, Toulon have continued recruiting extensively. The roster for the new season is impressive. Among the marque arrivals is Argentina’s Facundo Isa. He joins countryman Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe and USA star Samu Manoa on the roster. The roster runs deep across all positions and is expected to be involved beyond the regular season both in France and in Europe.

Prospects: Semi Finals

Toulouse
With the departure of Albacete the club finds itself in a rare situation, having no Pumas. At the club Albacete played together with Omar Hasan, Nicolás Vergallo, and Alberto Basualdo. The glory days of the club under Guy Noves officially ended this past season. Returning to the summit is unrealistic for the immediate future but a goal to build towards. For the upcoming season a return to the play-offs is attainable. Glory will likely have to wait.

Prospects: Barrage