It’s seven heaven for Armitage with Pau
Life has been somewhat eventful for Steffon Armitage, the back row forward voted the finest player in Europe not too long ago. Those heady days accompanied by major trophies with Toulon persuaded many to support his ambition to become a major World Cup star with England.
Not so as it turned out. Instead he fell out with his Toulon paymaster, appeared before a court after a night club dust-up and joined a club fresh from Division Two.
Steffon, whose brother Delon did something similar in swapping Toulon for Lyon, is on the way back. That’s the least you can say.
Now playing in the centre of the back row for Pau, they registered an amazing seventh consecutive win to confirm a place in the top six, rivalling his old pals at Toulon for a play-off place. And just to put the cherry on the cake in a 39-22 victory over Grenoble, he was the man whose try shortly before half-time set Pau solidly on their way.
Armitage is loving being coached by Kiwi legend Carl Hayman with whom he played at Toulon. So much so that Pau can count Clermont, Racing and Montpellier among their recent victims on their own ground.
It did not help relegation-threatened Grenoble that they lost players to three yellow cards. Especially with a deadly kicker like All Black Colin Slade lying in wait. He gathered 22 points.
Pau scrum-half Thibault Daubagne and substitute prop Sylvain Charlet added the other tries that open up even wider horizons for Armitage in this remarkable turnaround in his fortunes.
Another full house for La Rochelle, the sun high in the sky and flags waving in every corner of the ground. What more than a visit from the Top 14’s worst away side could they want?
Well, in the end, they did secure the 37-18 win over Stade Francais that left them level on points at the top with Clermont, though conceding the lead- ership. Not in the style of potential champions, however, after No.8 Victor Vito, their All-Black recruit had scored an early try full of promise.
Stade Francais, champions themselves two seasons ago, arrived with the shameful label of having only one bonus point to their names on their travels. They left without improving that stain on their record despite scoring two tries that left La Rochelle without the bonus their fans expected.
In fact, when Fijian winger Waisea Nayacalevu went over early in the second half, there were only four points between the sides. South African captain Jono Ross, their No.8, had obtained the first after good work from rejected French international centre Jonathan Danty.
France training sessions had, admittedly, deprived La Rochelle of key players but they did have Aussie fly-half Brock James, high-class signing from Clermont, to fall back on.
James kicked six penalties and two conversions to keep Stade Francais at bay before Fijian centre Levani Botia came off the bench to make a decisive impact. First, he paved the way for flanker Romain Sazy to score a try before grabbing one, himself, with an elusive thrust.
A yellow card for visiting Aussie prop Aled de Malmanche gave La Rochelle the chance of a grandstand finish. It fizzled out. Thus losing them their top spot – on account of the bonus point secured by Clermont in their somewhat predictable 47-22 win over Bayonne, apparently doomed now to return to Division Two.
There were excellent performances from Englishmen Nick Abendanon, at full-back, and winger David Strettle, replaced only three minutes from time by new recruit Remi Grosso from Castres.
That is nine wins out of nine at home for Clermont, who have the Top 14’s finest attack and trust they can make it count at last when the trophies are within their grasp. Veteran captain Aurelien Rougerie set them on their way with a try in the second minute before young scrum-half Charlie Cassang added two more, the second thanks to the initiative of Abendanon.
Damien Penaud, another kid at 20 in the absence of French internationals, added a fourth before half-time. Flankers Judicael Concoriet and Alexandre Lapandry topped things off before the close.
Champions Racing are battling to recover from a season dogged by European elimination, disappointing defence of their trophy, doping allegations and a walk-out by South African Johan Goosen, voted the Top 14’s best player last season. That is a heavy burden, not totally lifted by a 33-25 home victory over Brive with six tries shared between the teams.
Racing had the game won before Brive substitute hooker Guillaume Ribes ended the scoring at the close. Thanks to tries from locks Gerbrandt Gobler, from South Africa, and Fijian Leone Nakarawa, twice.
In the end, after opening Brive tries from winger Benito Masileva and Georgian prop Karlen Asieshvili, it was the consistent kicking of Irish scrum-half James Hart that made the difference.
Toulouse have suffered grievously in the past from their players being taken by France in the Six Nations. Already outside the top six, that could develop into a full-blown crisis when their depleted team visit Montpellier today.
In the late game, Toulon scored four tries, two of them from fliers Joe Tuivosa and Bryan Habana, to beat Lyon 31-17.
“There were excellent performances from Englishmen Nick Abendanon, at full-back, and winger David Strettle”