Sale v Agen Preview (ECC)
By Chorlton Chimp
January 5 2005
After a brief sojourn in the ZP, it's back to the European Challenge Cup this week. Time to put Sunday's disappointment behind us and look forward to more French opposition. Chorlton Chimp dons his beret, uncorks a fine Beaujolais and lights up a baguette to bring us his thoughts on SU Agen.
Friday 7th January 2005 brings with it the first of our two quarter final games against French Top 16 side Agen. Although nothing will be won or lost on Friday, with there being a second and deciding game taking part in France on Saturday week, it is of vital importance that Sale finish with a victory, 2 match points and preferably a commanding score differential.
It seems to be one of the unwritten rules of European rugby that French sides do not lose at home (Narbonne being the obvious exception) and, with this in mind, Phillipe and all Sale fans will be hoping that the team can pull off a win and take a healthy lead with them to France.
Sporting Union Agen--to give them their full name--are a club with a proud history. Founded in 1908 by one Alfred Armendie (after whom their stadium is named) and two other local worthies as a boxing and rowing club, the Agennais soon took to the oval ball game, winning the first of their national titles in 1930. Subsequent years brought the Brennus shield back to Lot & Garonne region a further seven times, with the 60's alone bringing three titles. Recent history, however, has not been as kind to SUA with the Brennus last being won in 1988, although they were losing finalists only two seasons ago. The club has supplied the national side with no fewer than eight captains, amongst them some of the game's biggest names, who have included Pierre Berbizier, Abdelatif Benazzi and possibly the clubs greatest player: ex XIII-a-sider and 100+ cap winner Phillipe Sella. Other French internationals of recent years have been Brian Moores' playmate Gregoire Lascube, the mighty Phillipe Benneton and PS-A's former colleague and good friend Laurent Seigne.
Agen have courted some controversy in recent years: amongst other things, factions within the club have campaigned in a most hostile fashion in vain attempts to prevent Rugby League being played at the Stade Armandie. It seems that some prejudices are still, unfortunately, alive and well. Perhaps a better-publicised incident happened in the Parker Pen Shield in the 2001/2 season (a fine team raised the trophy that year I recall). Agen were due to play at Ebbw Vale in the final pool game (the tournament was of similar structure to the Heineken Cup then) and domestic fixtures were piling up around their ears. Mathematics were done, priorities were looked at, and it was decided that the League was what mattered, and that Europe was an unnecessary distraction. To ensure they didn't qualify Agen needed to lose and concede eight tries in the process. This they duly did and Europe ceased to be a problem. Unfortunately, the tournament organisers took a somewhat dim view of this and Europe wasn't a problem for SUA the following season either as they were the recipients of a 12 month ban from European competition.
Enough history, what of the team of today? Rather like Sale, Agen enjoyed a solid start to the season and went unbeaten for seven games, taking the scalp of Biarritz at home and, even more impressively, coming away from the home of reigning champions Stade Francais with a win. Also rather like Sale, things became a little shaky after game seven and at the time of writing SUA are currently 8th in the Top 16 at the half way mark, having won 8, lost 7 and drawn 1 with 39 points. While that doesn't sound particularly impressive you need to bear in mind that St. Francais--who are seven places above Agen at the summit of the table with 51 points--have won a mere two games more, such is the strength in depth of the Top 16. Try scoring seems to have been a problem with only 25 scored in 16 games; of the sides outside the relegation zone only Castres have scored fewer. All of the sides above them in the table, again excepting Castres, having scored 35 or more tries in the same number of games.
Agen's European progress has been somewhat mixed so far. Round one saw them dispose of L'Aquila with almost contemptuous ease and Round Two saw them squeak past Viadana by two points on aggregate. Whether SUA are taking the competition seriously remains to be seen - on paper Viadana although much improved should have been blown away. Was this French laisse-faire or a more subtle attempt at repeating the 2001/2 euro exit? Perhaps Friday will tell.
On to the likely composition of the team, Agen have, due to a combination of rotation and injury, not had an entirely settled line-up so far this season. After a bit of analysis and a fair amount of crystal ball polishing, I would expect the team on Friday to look something like this.
15 - Full-back - Pepito Elhorgha - has been a 'coming' player in French rugby for some time now: has 10 full caps to his name and has been a squad member for Les Blues for some time. A little slight, but very quick. Highly rated by Bernard Laporte.
14 - Right Wing - Luc Lafforgue - veteran winger, highly versatile, and has played at centre and scrum-half already this season
13 - Outside Centre - Conrad Stoltz - solid Bokke, been around for a while; will cause problems
12 - Inside Centre - Sylvain Mirande - at 20 years old, the baby of the team and a bit of an unknown quantity.
11 - Left Wing - Rupeni Caucaunibuca - the danger man. Snatched from under Squeaky's nose last year the signing coup of the rugby world. Lightning fast and unpredictable, the Fijian is, along with Joe Rokocoko and another JR, one of only three truly instinctive rugby players in the world today. One of a kind and I can't wait to see him with ball in hand - although not too much I hope.
10 - Fly-Half - Jerome Miquel / Francois Gelez. Gelez was seen for sometime as the heir apparent to Gerald Merceron for the 10 jersey for France. He was somewhat more unpredictable than Merceron and had a little more of the 'gallic flair'. Has fallen out of favour under Laporte and has seen Miquel sneak in front of him in Agen's pecking order. I expect both to play some part in the match. Both are decent kickers but I think Miquel is more of a Jonny and Gelez a bit of a Charlie.
9 - Scrum-half - Francois Tandonnet - Agen-born player in his 12th season with the club having joined as a schoolboy. I think that Mathieu Barrau has been first choice but is currently struggling with an arm injury.
8 - No 8 - Aca Ratuva - Large Fijian; I know nothing about him
7 - Open-side - Colin Yukes - Canadian lock/eight; decent player and it will be interesting to see how he fares at open-side.
6 - Blind-side - Mathieu Lievremont - club skipper, younger brother of Thomas, one of the tribe of Lievremonts from Argeles-sur-mer - think of a Franco-Catalan version of the Vyvians without the red hair.
5 - Lock - Santiago Dellape - Argentinean born Italian; several caps, good dependable player.
4 - Lock - Sorin Socol - highly regarded Romanian with something of a reputation as an enforcer - also plays 8.
3 - Prop - Christian Califano - one of the modern greats: teak tough in the scrummage and great around the park. 69 caps for France and has played in some of the world's great club sides, and Saracens.
2 - Hooker - Jalil Narjissi - young hooker of Moroccan extraction - if he's half as good as a certain other Moroccan--Abdel Benazzi--he will be a fine player.
1 - Prop - Jean-Jacques Crenca - veteran prop, 11 years at Agen, 35 caps for France and was a mainstay of the France bench for years. I bet he has the same wallet as Samuel L. Jackson in 'Pulp Fiction' - a hard, hard man.
What are our chances? Luckily, the areas of greatest strength for Agen are also our strongest areas. I would call it honours even in the back three although Mark Cueto will have to be wide awake to Caucau's threat. The centres have a real job on their hands, especially if Robert Todd doesn't start, and I expect they will also need to be alert to Caucau cutting inside. In case you haven't noticed Rupeni's talent excites and scares me in equal measure. I think that Charlie will have the measure of Miquel at 10 although if Gelez starts and hits form it should be great contest (and refreshingly free from hype). I don't know enough about Tandonnet to comment on the scrum half situation although he is more experienced than Richard Wigglesworth; it would be nice if Martens got himself fit for Friday. I think we just about edge the back-row, although if Socol plays 8 with Lievremont and Yukes/Ratuva we may have to start with the Chabal, Carter & White combo to counteract the Agen mega-tonnage. Second row seems even to me although if Socol does play 8 we may have a slight advantage. Hooker is no contest, if Narjissi was better than Bruno he would be in the French side and, for my money, Titterell is a better player than the French number two. Prop is a cause for concern; Califano and Crenca bring a lot of experience, technical nous, ability and down right hardness to the table. It will be a titanic tussle in the front row and whoever gets on top there could very well win the game.
Sale can win. The forwards need to play for a whole 80 like they did for the second half in Newcastle. If they do that Agen will not be able to live with us in the loose. The tight may be a different matter and I expect our scrummage to come under its sternest examination yet. If we can eradicate a few of our stupid errors and not get sucked into a dog-fight I can see a Sale victory. We need to win primary possession, play a fast tight game, look after the ball well and be a bit more clinical. On Sunday the Falcons were on the floor with our foot on their throat and we let them get back into the game: we simply cannot afford to do this on Friday. My final prediction is that Sale will bounce back to record a win; just, for god's sake, don't kick the ball to Caucau!