So, are the coaching changes worth it?
CHANGING boss mid-season is never a decision taken lightly – which makes it unusual that there has been such a high turnover of head coaches in the Top 14 this season. Four of the 14 clubs are under new management since the start of the campaign in September.
Jeremy Davidson was the first to leave his role in charge of Brive, just over a month into the season; in November, Bordeaux parted ways with Christophe Urios. In January, Jono Gibbes was shown the door at Clermont, and in February Castres parted company with Pierre-Henry Broncan, following their first domestic loss at home on his watch, after 30 matches.
Davidson and Urios have already found work in the French top flight – the former is now at Castres, while the latter has taken charge at Clermont. Broncan is reportedly joining the Australian coaching set-up for the World Cup, working with good mate Eddie Jones, and Gibbes is said to be in discussions to join Toulon’s dream coaching ticket.
But, as the Top 14 returns for a one-week ‘derby’ special between the end of the men’s Six Nations and the resumption of the Champions and Challenge Cups, how are the new bosses doing – and is it any better than the old bosses?
Ex-Ireland lock Davidson’s takeover at Castres is the hardest to judge. Saturday’s match against Toulouse in front of a sold-out Stade Pierre Fabre was just his third since taking the management reins at the club he had played for between 1998 and 2001, and worked as forwards coach between 2007 and 2009. But his record – after Castres won 27-17 thanks to two tries from captain Julien Dumora – now stands at two wins and one loss in three. A positive position, built on an apparently newly rediscovered defensive solidity and desire for the fight, but it’s still too early to judge.
Ironically, Davidson never played Toulouse during his time at Castres – the French top flight was split into conferences at the time, and the two sides did not meet in the regular season.
Visiting coach Ugo Mola had resisted recalling his returning Six Nations internationals immediately, preferring to rest them ahead of next weekend’s Champions Cup round-of-16 match at Stade Ernest Wallon against URC side Bulls. As such, the Toulouse side was long on potential and short on star quality – though it still featured Melvyn Jaminet, Peato Mauvaka, Rynhardt Elstadt, Tim Nanai-Williams, Sofiane Guitoune and Emmanuel Meafou.
Two of the sides under changed management met at Stade Marcel Michelin as Clermont entertained Brive.
Christophe Urios has struggled to impose a workable gameplan at Clermont since taking over mid-January. He had lost four of his first six matches in charge heading into the derby against Brive; but they had, at least, moved one place up the table – to 10th.
The visitors, meanwhile, now coached by Patrice Collazo, who has endured a torrid time since joining the club at Christmas. A nine-match losing streak ended when he took charge. But, after three Top 14 wins in a row followed by an unlikely Challenge Cup triumph over Cardiff, they started losing again, and slipped to the foot of the table during a run of five losses on the bounce.
And Brive’s problems got worse yesterday, as they lost 38-10 – shipping six tries, and finishing with 13 players as Setareki Bituniyata and Marcel van der Merwe were both sent off. They are now eight points adrift of Perpignan and 11 from escaping the relegation places altogether. It’s hard, now, to see how they will survive.
Bordeaux, meanwhile, are under the temporary control of Urios’s former assistants Fred Charrier and Julien Laïrle. Seven wins and seven losses on their watch has seen the club climb from seventh to fifth, but their hold on a play-off place remains precarious with five Top 14 matches to play.
And Bordeaux could not improve their position last night, as La Rochelle made it four wins in a row with a hard-fought 36-6 victory over Bordeaux at a sold-out Matmut Atlantique. Ronan O’Gara’s side host Gloucester next weekend in the Champions Cup round-of-16 match at Marcel Deflandre.
Switching focus away from those clubs that have switched coaching horses in mid-stream, Perpignan dropped back into the relegation play-off spot after losing 22-23 in front of a full Aime-Giral against defending champions Montpellier. Philippe Saint-Andre’s visitors needed those points, which kept their hopes of making the play-offs alive.
Bayonne switched their ‘derby’ against Pau from Jean-Dauger to the Estadio Aneota, in San Sebastian, where the Top 14 semi-finals will take place later this year. A sold-out 40,000 crowd witnessed something of a thriller, as Gregory Patat’s Bayonne lost at ‘home’ for the first time this season – going down 20-30.
Cheslin Kolbe suffered a nasty-looking ankle injury in the act of scoring for Toulon as they won 27-24 at Lyon. He left the Stade Gerland pitch on a buggy.
Tonight, Stade Francais entertain Racing 92 at Stade Jean-Bouin. The visitors will be out for revenge after losing 48-10 in the reverse fixture at La Defense Arena on Christmas Eve, courtesy of a massive performance from France international Sekou Macalou. After spending much of the Six Nations on the bench, Macalou is straight back into the starting line-up for the final match of the weekend. Racing, meanwhile, have Christian Wade on the wing and Cameron Woki back in the squad after injury.
“Christophe Urios has struggled to impose a workable gameplan since his move to Clermont”