IT’S SOMETIMES SAID that the French clubs don’t truly care for Europe, but three of the last five Heineken Cup titles went the way of Top 14 clubs.
Toulon and Toulouse, the top dogs and the former giants, have long invested emotional energy into European competition, although their vast resources have made it easier to do so.
It’s the second-tier clubs about whom doubts have always existed, and heading into the inaugural Champions Cup, the story is no different.
Toulon are deserved favourites to win a third consecutive title, while Clermont still greatly desire a first crown, but it’s difficult to forecast exactly how much Castres, Montpellier, Toulouse and Racing Métro will put in to this competition.
Of most immediate concern for the Irish sides are Toulon, Clermont and Castres, each of whom will compete with one of the provinces in the pool stages.
For Leinster in Pool 2, the fact that Castres are in trouble domestically bodes well. The Tarn-based club, who have been in the two most recent Top 14 finals, never had a love for the Heineken Cup and that’s unlikely to change in the new competition.
Three wins from nine games in the league and important players like Rory Kockott, Rémi Talès and Richie Gray performing inconsistently means their concerns lie elsewhere. With coaching duo Serge Milhas and David Darricarrère under pressure to improve Top 14 results, it would be no surprise to see them field slightly weakened teams against Leinster.
Matt O’Connor must target two wins from two against Castres.
Munster face an enticing December double header against Clermont in Pool 1, and the hope will be that they have two wins in the bag at that stage. Aside from a bizarre 51-21 defeat to Bordeaux, Franck Azéma’s men have been impressive this season and sit top of the Top 14.
Vern Cotter has departed and appears to have carried some of Clermont’s emotional baggage with him. There is a freshness to the squad thanks to lively personnel additions such as Camille Lopez and Nick Abendanon, while Jono Gibbes is adding more convincing steel to the forward pack.
With Wesley Fofana and Jonathan Davies offering threat in midfield and captain Damien Chouly playing some of the best rugby of his career, there is quality throughout.
Clermont are genuine trophy contenders again, and Munster would probably be thrilled with a losing bonus point at the Stade Marcel-Michelin and a win at home in December.
Ulster have the toughest task of them all in facing champions Toulon, who have shown few signs of slowing down after Jonny Wilkinson’s retirement. Round two sees RCT visit Kingspan Stadium in what should be an exceptional game of rugby.
Toulon are not quite untouchable, as demonstrated by their three defeats in the Top 14 so far – two of which were on the road, while the other saw Stade Français shock Bernard Laporte’s side at Stade Mayol.
Neil Doak’s Ulster will back themselves at home, and the muscular, territory-obsessed game plan we saw them use against Glasgow last weekend would appear to be the ideal blueprint.
As for French interest elsewhere, Toulouse and Montpellier are both involved in Pool 4, with the first meeting between the pair taking place this weekend. Guy Novès’ men are a shadow of the side that once dominated Europe and it’s very difficult to see them advancing into the knock-out stages.
Montpellier, with the enigmatic Fabien Galthié in charge, are capable of playing spectacular, open and incisive rugby, but the loss of out-half François Trinh-Duc for the next three months dents their hopes.
That said, the quality of players like Rene Ranger, Ben Mowen and Alex Tulou means that Montpellier remain more than capable of progress into the quarter-finals.
Finally to Johnny Sexton’s Racing Métro, who open at home to Northampton tomorrow evening.
Club president Jacky Lorenzetti has stated his desire to see the Parisians get out of their pool for the first time ever, but the real estate magnate is a man whose words have proven to be misleading before.
There is little doubt that Racing’s priority is the Top 14 title, although they do have a degree of depth in their squad, allowing them to potentially compete on both fronts.
With Sexton back in action tomorrow, Les Franciliens will throw everything into their clash with the Saints at Stade Yves du Manoir. Win and the interest will be piqued, lose and it’s likely Racing will forget about the Champions Cup.
In a competition where losing at home looks like being unforgivable, assistant coach Ronan O’Gara admitted: “We’ll either be alive or dead on Saturday night.”
