Pitty its not live on setanta##Preview - Stade F. v Biarritz
Friday March 03 2006
Stade de France ready to party again
Five months after Stade Français broke the French record for a crowd attendance in any domestic sporting event in France by hosting Toulouse in the national stadium, Biarritz are the visitors in the Stade de France sequel. Last year's runners-up host the champions.
The match is more than just a table-topping clash. It is a repeat of last season's final, which Biarritz won 37-34 after extra time , and the return match of one of the illest-tempered Top 14 matches of this season to date.
Back in September, the Parisians came away with all four points from Biarritz's Parc Aguilera, in a match which players from both teams sent off and sent to the bin. Referee David Rosich at one point threatened to abandon the game completely.
Biarritz's disgruntlement that day was compounded by Olivier Sarramea's winning try two minutes from time. Revenge hangs thickly in the air over this fixture, and the likely 80,000-strong crowd may get more of a battle than they witnessed the last time Stade played in the Stade de France, when they comfortably beat Toulouse 29-15.
A physical battle anyway. Rumours are strong that Biarritz will field a weak and experimental side for the match, using their six-point lead at the top of the table to cushion the likely defeat. Although Dimitri Yachvili and Julien Peyrelongue are in the squad, the mooted half-back pairing is apparently to be Sylvain Dupuy and Damien Traille.
These rumours could also be a good healthy round of French coaching mind-games of course, although the doubt surrounding the fitness of Imanol Harinordoquy is genuine enough.
But Biarritz are never easy to beat, and boast a couple of proud records on their current winning streak of six: two half-centuries of points, wins away at Brive and Perpignan - the first team to win in Perpignan for over two years. The Basques are undefeated since their derby defeat to Bayonne in November.
The Parisians have endured a miserable and disrupted start to 2006. They won their first game of the year unconvincingly over Narbonne, then there was the fall from grace in Leicester, which saw their Heineken Cup ended.
A home game against Toulon ought to have been the chance to run in a few tries and get the confidence back, but the weather put paid to that, and since the postponement, the only game they have had was the 12-8 defeat in Agen, a match utterly destroyed by the wind and rain.
So all said, Stade Français have not had a satisfactory match since they smashed Montpellier just before Christmas. They have named their strongest squad, but when it comes to the moments of inspiration needed to open up the resilient Biarrot defence, match practice is sadly lacking.
"In rugby, you generally say you must not lose at home," said hooker Mathieu Blin to Le Site.
"If we want to stay on course for the semi-finals, we have no choice but to win. It is our Leitmotiv for this meeting.
"That is a small moment in the past," continued Blin, when asked about the match earlier in the season.
"Now both teams are concentrating on their target for the season ahead. It was a little heated after the final last year, but we should ignore the squabbles in the past... Biarritz inspire respect in us.
"We will not distinguish ourselves outside of gameplay. We are concentrating entirely on finding the technical and strategic methods of overcoming Biarritz. And above all, it is a privilege and an honour to play at the Stade de France."
Meanwhile, Traille and his Biarritz team are travelling to Paris with less pressure upon them, according to the centre who may be playing fly-half, and who missed the match in September because of injury.
"It is a Championship match just like any other," he said, also to Le Site.
"We are well-prepared. They want to win, to keep themselves on course for the semi-finals and to please their home fans, and so we can go without pressure to Paris."
"They came in September with the intention of stopping us from playing and did very well at that. We have not forgotten this match - it is the only one we have lost at Aguilera this year."
On Saturday, after the singing, karaoke, fireworks and live music has died down, we will see if it is forgiven, not forgotten, or only not forgotten. The firecrackers being handed out as a result of Max Guazzini's efforts to create the ultimate rugby occasion may pale into insignificance compared to the flashpoints on the pitch on Saturday night.
Stade Français (squad): Marconnet, Roncero, De Villiers, Montes, Szarzewski, Blin, Auradou, Du Plooy, James, Martin, Rabadan, Parisse, Sowerby, Mauro Bergamasco, Pichot, Fillol, Skrela, Hernandez, Messina, Sarramea, Lacroix, Dominici, Mirco Bergamasco, Corleto.
Biarritz (squad): Johnston, Lealamanua, August, Noirot, Lecouls, Couzinet, Carizza, Olibeau, Betsen, Harinordoquy, Dusautoir, Lièvremont, Yachvili, Peyrelongue, Dupuy, Traille, Lison, Bidabé, Martin Aramburu, Gobelet, Bobo, Brusque.
Date: Saturday, March 4, 2005
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Kick-off: 20:45 (19:45 GMT)
Referee: Joël Jutge
Touch judges: Franck Florens, Patrick Dellac
Assessor: Joël Dumé
Goal judges: Romain Poite, Jean-Michel Schutz
21:35 Stade v Biarritz - French Top 14 Rugby
Full deferred coverage of tonight's big game from the top flight of French rugby. Stade Francais and Biarritz are two of several sides involved in a thrilling fight for title glory.