News: Heineken Cup Pool 1 R2 Perpignan v Northampton preview
By Mark_H
October 13 2009
10th Oct 2009, Franklin's Gardens, Northampton, shortly before 7.45pm. A whistle, just over 100 metres away, and the occupants of Z Block, row H, seats 785 and 786 simultaneously jump up with arms in the air. One stays in the air, the other sits down, broken. Saints have just produced their best performance at home in many, many years, and taken four points to start off the European campaign.
6th June 2009, Stade de France, Paris, shortly before 10.25pm. As the ball is knocked on with just three minutes remaining of the French season, one end of the stadium falls into the sort of silence that only heartbreak brings. At the other end, the party of a lifetime is starting. In a little longer than those three short minutes, Union Sportive Arlequins Perpignan will win their seventh Bouclier de Brennus, but a first for 54 years.
On the streets of Perpignan (and by the looks of the thousands of supporters at the Eiffel Tower that morning, they are streets without signs), tens of thousands come out, and stay out until the they have seen Jacques Brunel's side bring the old wooden shield back to its southernmost point the following evening. Indeed, if you believe the locals, it has left France.
Welcome to Catalonia, home of the best football team in Europe, the best rugby side in France, and the centre of the universe.
You can actually find the point which Dali declared Perpignan station to be the "centre du monde", but this weekend it's certainly the centre of our universe, as Saints meet the hosts for the first time; where one team looks to get their competition back on track, whilst the other looks to effectively knock the other out. Treviso’s win over the French champions last weekend was more than a shock; Saturday’s L’Equipe quoted Maxime Mermoz as saying that “a win without a bonus would be like a defeat”. Well, they got their bonus, but seemed to underestimate the opposition and couldn’t pull back a nine point deficit, and so have to pay the price that is called “a must-win”.
For those of us going south, you won't hear Perpignan referred to as the team as such, but listen for reference to "L'USAP" (generally pronounced loo's app). The supporters are a fiercely proud bunch and list most French supporters, are not afraid to give the bird to whoever - own team included - is cheesing them off. The Stade Aime-Giral is probably the most atmospheric ground in France, particularly now the bowl has been completed with the Tribune Goutta, the corner of which being where most of the Saintly support will gather, and named after their captain up to two seasons ago, Bernard Goutta (who's now the forwards coach). Le Sang et Or - the legendary blood and gold of Catalonia - colouring is all round the stadium, and the nine o'clock kick off should lend itself perfectly to what we all hope will be a night to remember.
L'USAP have started steadily in the defence of their title - a second week loss in 42 degree heat at Montpellier was an early blip, as was the 27-12 loss in their last league game at a resurgent Biarritz. That loss at Aguilera caused them to drop from leading the Top 14 to being fourth at the European break, with Stade Francais to come next week. Their record at home though is superb, with the last defeat coming on the first weekend of September last year to the Parisians, but they are not unbeatable at home in Europe - Leicester, and in a memorable war, Wasps, have both won here in recent years, whilst a fair few Saints supporters will remember Leeds coming close to winning four years ago the day after our game in Narbonne. It has to be said that Europe was a different priority back then - like Clermont Auvergne, the priority was always to get the domestic title above anything else, and with that already in the back pocket, they have a chance, as does whichever side gets out of this group in top position, of going all the way this season.
It also helps that this USAP side is a very good one when they decide to play, or haven’t had half their team rested like on Saturday. Captained by Nicolas Mas, the pack pride themselves on having the combination of grunt and ability right. Watch out in the back row for Gerrie Britz, a South African flanker regularly joining the opposition line, whilst the front row clash will be a big test for Tiny (against Mas), hopefully in the same way that Bonorino or Mujati will exert either Sebastien Chobet, Kisi Pulu, or our old "friend" Perry Freshwater.
It is, however, in their backs that USAP have their brightest lights. For a team that signed Dan Carter to win them the championship, it's probably going to be his work off the field during his injury lay off that could provide his biggest legacy. Gavin Hume is an under-rated fly-half, and whether he or Nicolas Laharrague takes the ten shirt, they could, should he recover from injury, be accompanied at half back by Nicolas Durand - annoying, sniping, but with a big boot and bigger ability (think Matt Dawson with hair). The midfield is a potent force with David Marty, scorer of the only USAP try of the final but the score that put them into a lead that they never lost, being the solidity we have through Jimmy Downey, whilst Maxime Mermoz, so nearly a Newcastle player eighteen months ago, is the class act of the back line. When he left Toulouse to move out of Yannick Jauzion's shadow, he could never have believed that he'd win a championship so soon, but his man of the match performance in the Top 14 semi-final was the culmination of a tremendous season at the Aime-Giral - indeed, when the Top 14 dream team was announced just over a week ago, he was the only USAP played in the side. Also keep an eye out for full back Jerome Porical - superb boot and a fluid runner who may find the 2011 World Cup slightly too early for him, but he will win fifty caps before he retires; he scored the points last Saturday but missed the kick that would have won them the game.
The man on the touchline is an interesting character too - the ever expressive Jacques Brunel. He'll think nothing of being right on the touchline for the full eighty minutes, cajoling and haranguing both his players and the officiating team, despite having a heart scare just days after the victory in the final. Even in defeat on Saturday, his face underneath his hoodie was a picture. That's what rugby does for you, it drives you mad.
The two sides have never met, although there is one direct link between the clubs in Renaud Peillard, who having been a cornerstone of the USAP pack for many years, came to the Gardens just after playing in the 2003 Heineken Cup Final, but could only manage a game and a half before being forced to retire with a serious neck injury. His knowledge of the French game though provided a vital input into that season's win in at the Stade Armandie, where Agen had only lost once in the previous 54 games.
That final in 2003, a 22-17 gale-spoilt loss to Toulouse in the ultimate game of two halves (think Worcester this season), is USAP's best performance in the competition - before or since, the best has been a trip to the quarter-finals. Should they get there this time around (and this has been planned for so many years that it may eventually happen) and get a home quarter final then a trip to Barcelona is planned, either to the 56,000 capacity Estadio Olympico, or to Espanol's brand new 41,000 seat arena. Should we get to the quarters, we'll probably be in Milton Keynes. But other than an Olympic Stadium, what's Barcelona got that MK hasn't?
Some bits and pieces for the travellers that you may find useful to know about the city of Perpignan.
3) Perpignan railway station should be on your list of places to visit (a) because of Dali calling it the centre of the universe and (b) because you'll know where to stagger back from after the match, because...
4) Stade Aime-Giral is about a 20 to 25 minute walk out of the centre. There is, however, on match days a number 2 bus service that leaves from the railway station (see, joined up thinking) that goes to the ground. The destination you're looking for on the front of the bus is "Avenue Languedoc", and get off at the Aime-Giral stop. The buses run from between two hours and 30 minutes before kick off, and is free for match ticket holders. The return bus runs from 30 minutes following the end of the match for an hour. For those of a nervous disposition at wandering streets in a foreign country after 11pm, it's a good option to consider (and especially if you have a three year old to carry).
5) Perpignan is eminently walkable, with the canal running through the centre. On the quayside you’ll find the world’s best patisserie (I kid you not, and where we’ll be working our way through the menu each morning), and Chez Imbernon. For travelling perspective, Imbernon's is about a ten minute walk from the railway station. And whilst we're on that subject...
6) Jean-Francois Imbernon played in the second row for USAP for many years, and was part of the French grand slam winning team of 1977. Since his retirement, he's opened a bar/restaurant (Chez Imbernon) on the canal side which serves good beer (of the French variety) and excellent food. Its location, right in the centre of town, make it an must-do over the weekend - a very convivial host awaits. Point of note though - and I'm not sure if this has changed recently - on our last visit the bar was closed on Sunday, in which case we can recommend another excellent little restaurant on the other side of the canal opposite the Quick burger bar(but can we remember its name – er, no).
7) The food and drink situation at the ground is, like most French grounds, managed through the token (here it’s called a tincset) system, where you pay for your tokens at one kiosk, then exchange them for beverages at another. The tokens are equivalent to €1.50, with a half of beer being two tokens, and a sandwich (probably half a baguette) three.
8) Other matches in the immediate vicinity over the weekend are the Federale 1 (equivalent of the new National One) clash between Beziers and Nice at 6.30pm on Saturday, and the Pro D2 encounter between Narbonne and Grenoble on Sunday afternoon at 5.15pm. Federale 1 consists of 48 clubs split into six pools, with the top four teams in each pool going into the second promotion pools after Christmas, to ultimately get down to home and away play offs in for the last eight teams. The two finalists then gain promotion to Pro D2, one step away from the Top 14.
Beziers currently lead pool three by a point, with 14 out of a possible 15 points so far, whilst Nice sit fourth with five points from their two games. There is Saintly interest in this one, with Ross Beattie having joined the club this season, to join other Premiership exiles Will Johnson (you know who’s brother), Rudi Keil (ex-Sale), Dan Luger, Stuart Mackie (ex-Irish and Falcons), and Kevin Yates, but Beziers will be expected to win comfortably to try and regain the D2 spot they lost last season.
On Sunday, third placed Narbonne host second placed Grenoble in a televised battle. There are more ex-Saints in this one, with Andy Newman and Wylie Human in teh Grenoble squad. Pro D2 works on the basis that the champions go up, whilst second to fifth play off for the final promotion place, and with both teams desperate to get back into the big league, this should be a cracker.
Back to our match. It’s a weird situation where a win for Saints would actually put us at a slight disadvantage in the longer term picture of the pool. Sure, two wins out of two would, in this pool pf champions, be an unbelievable start, but in turn it would also knock out Perpignan. Given the French clubs’ general record for not wanting to “compete” in Europe for any longer than they have to once eliminated, it would almost certainly mean a ten point haul for Munster in December. A USAP win, and they are still in the pool, and will put up a challenge before Christmas.
The moral of the tale, therefore, is not to believe anyone who suggests that the bonus point Munster won on Saturday will prove crucial in the long run. To win this pool, Saints will still have to win at Thomond Park in January, a feat only achieved by that lot up the road in European competition. A win on Friday night will be a great, great step on that path, and would, in my opinion, be our best result ever in France.
As I write this on Monday night, it’s too early to say what the team may be. I suspect, even on the back of that win, that there may be a change in the pack. That’s the beauty of it, we just don’t know.
But Jim and Dorian do. And on what is going to be another monumental evening, in them we trust.
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No alcohol for January. I'm a dryathlete in aid of cancer research.
Dryathlon
Hundreds of pickpockets?
Saint til I die
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2009:10:14:11:47:10 by Stockers.
Chez Imbernon was, indeed, closed on part of Sunday 4 years ago, but only as a mark of respect to Jaques Faroux who had died the day before. We will be back in blighty by sunday, but unless another ex french international decides to pop his cloggs, I am sure those who need a sunday afternoon pastis will be accomodated.
Come On You Saints
^ of us going on to Canet Plage on the saturday can we catch a bus to Canet Plage? I take it the Bus Station is next to the Railway Station?
Regards