Top 14 club-by-club 2020-21 Season Preview: Clermont
Clermont’s coronavirus-curtailed Top 14 season was far from one for the record books. But what will the 2020-21 season – one they will enter without president Eric de Cromieres, who died in July after a battle with cancer – look like?
Key signing
Kotaro Matsushima. Scoring five tries at the 2019 Rugby World Cup will get you noticed, and Clermont wasted little time making Matsushima their big signing. Sebastien Bezy’s switch from Toulouse to challenge Morgan Parra for the 9 shirt is also interesting.
Key departure
Nick Abendanon. You could pick any one of the 18 players leaving Clermont this summer. A sharp dip in international player compensation from the FFR has forced Clermont to clip its spending wings, as has the need to slash overseas player numbers. Quite the coup, too, for ProD2 side Vannes to pick up the experienced fullback.
They say
“We’ve got a younger and younger group, so we’ve got fewer leaders. We’ve lost Chouly, Rougerie, Kayser, Zirakashvili, Abendanon … leaders in the dressing room and on the pitch over the last two years. It’s going to be important that players take these positions and responsibilities. We need leaders to emerge. To aim high in this sport, you need a mindset, you need to be competitive, but you also need leaders” (Morgan Parra, La Montagne)
We say
Despite what the little general has to say about the experience drain of the past two years – and he’s not wrong – there’s plenty to draw on in Clermont’s squad for the 2020/21 season. Rabah Slimani, Fritz Lee, Arthur Iturria, Wesley Fofana, Sebastien Vahaamahina, Parra himself, and Camille Lopez are the foundations and first few floors of a formidable leadership group.
Nor is Clermont unique in trading in old heads for younger models. It’s a common thread among Top 14 sides right now, as they seek to rebalance their books with a noticeably smaller bottom line in the wages column. On paper, the signings look smart. Sebastien Bezy is good enough to push Parra all the way for the nine shirt, while Kotaro Matsushima adds some pace to an already not-so-slouchy backs division.
French 7s star Tavite Veredamu, brought in as short-term cover for the injured Peceli Yato, should offer some explosive options off the back of the scrum.
Coaching change at Clermont
There’s a key change in the coaching staff, too. Franck Azema remains in charge, but he is taking a strategic step back on the training pitch. He’s leaving the day-to-day running around to Bernard Goutta (forwards), Didier Bès (scrum), Xavier Sadourny (attack) and the returning Benson Stanley (defence). Expect to see him pacing philosophically on the sidelines on matchdays, however.
It makes sense. The coaching looked in need of a revamp. Azema was looking done-in more often than not. When the 2019/20 season was abandoned after 17 of 26 regular season rounds, Clermont were a middling sixth in what had been a humdrum season. It’s not as if they could blame the World Cup, either, for their indifferent season. While 11 players were in Japan, Clermont were running along nicely, and were a solid fourth after eight rounds of the Top 14 – close to a third of the domestic season.
But the expected push-on when their international stars returned failed to materialise, and Clermont stuttered in the Top 14 as they put their eggs in their desperately wanted European basket. They duly reached the Champions Cup quarter-finals comfortably enough, and are at home to Racing in the quarter finals in September – but leaked tries domestically.
Strong on paper
Yes, a sixth-place finish ensures a Champions Cup place next season, regardless of the tournament’s eventual format. But Azema, his staff and the players would be lying if they ever claimed it was good enough. Which they never have.
On paper, the 2020/21 Clermont squad looks stronger, more balanced and has a back line to terrify even the most organised of defences. ASM fans expect better fare than they saw sometimes last season. With this squad, they should get it.
Arrivals
Peni Ravai; Christian Ojovan; Adrien Pelissie; Etienne Fourcade; Sebastien Bezy; Kotaro Matsushima; Bastien Pourailly; Tavite Veredamu (short-term contract)
Departures
Davit Zirakashvili; Loni Uhila; Beqa Kakabadze; John Ulugia; Mike Tadjer; Faifili Levave; Julien Ruaud; Greig Laidlaw; Charlie Cassang; Isaia Toeava; Remy Grosso; Nick Abendanon; Donovan Taofifenua
Comments on RugbyPass
Surely there’s a ‘no knobheads’ policy ?
2 Go to commentsWallaroos have no chance of beating the Black Ferns unless Canada upsets them in Christchurch tomorrow but I doubt that as well!
1 Go to commentsWhat a joke. Could the victim do a course to reverse the long term CTE damage from the cheapshot?
2 Go to commentsTruely great player. In social media and opinion pieces he was held up and flogged for the results. People wanted someone to crucify, and he was the captain. He was still an immense presence respected by his peers. His battles with Siya Kolisi belong up with with Collins vs Burger in my opinion. Unlucky to be carded in the final, but I don’t agree that his red card was the defining moment. Not when you look at the dominant performances of the Springboks (PSDT in particular.) I think Cane should be remembered for the spirit and physicality that is special to test rugby.
12 Go to commentsSam was the man until he got injured .
12 Go to comments_Crusaders versus Leinster _at the moment might be a rout! But I would like to see the Blues play Toulouse, the Hurricanes front up against Stade Francais, and the Chiefs go against Toulon.
157 Go to commentsLove it when we overlap! Promise it was not forethought.
18 Go to commentsjfc can this guy plz stay out of the news for one week
2 Go to commentsIf stormers aren’t available. Based on form and likely availability at the time of the wales Test, you’d think Masuku would be a no-brainer to start. But starting Jordan also makes sense having Masuku come off the bench to close out the game. I’d start Jordan with his brother Jaden. Masuku and Nohamba off the bench.
2 Go to commentsGlad Tom Curry not playing needs time to recover such a great player also his brother Ben how well is he playing now .
1 Go to commentsLet’s examine what might be irking the brainless E: Up until 20 years before this coming Julys tests: 16 games: 14 wins for SA; 1 win for Ire; 1 draw From 20 years until July’ tests Ireland V SA: 13 matches Ireland won 8; SA won 4; 1 draw Points scored Ireland 261; SA 189 Ave Winning Margin: Ireland 11 points; SA 4 points (away 3, home 6) Away win record: Ireland 33.33%; SA 25% Neutral matches 1: Ireland win RWC France 2023. Last SA win June 2016 (8 years ago) They boast 3 World cups in that period (they do boast). The above record is not good, probably not much better than theirs against NZ for same period. That’s why the dopey E is starting fights in his head. He will probably ship a yellow when things don’t go their way in the first test.
127 Go to commentsGoode is like a wet fart on The Rugby Pod and should be shoved aside. Jim knows what he is on about and can get on better without Goode’s nasty little cheap shots.
127 Go to commentsBrumbies will win, crusaders are pretty awful this year
1 Go to commentsThis has the makings of a good match. That’s Leinster’s second team but its a good one (stronger than the teams in SA recently). Ulster are really turning a page. Ryan back is huge, and Keenan too. This could be a cracker.
1 Go to commentsThe Farrells are one of the great father and son combinations. Andy was an RL great, and had he played Union as his first sport, I would be sure he would have been avery significant forcewas in League. And Owen, a Union great, who had he played League, would could have been a great there too i all probability. I feel my attitude to Owen has mellowed as he has aged, and in the post Jones era, evolved and shown his full range of talents. He really is an all round player, and I have wold hope his move to France will be successful. He may even be the piece in the jigsaw that Racing need to rise to challenge Toulouse and LAR. He is ofc now approaching 33 years of age but should still have enough left to make a big contribution in France for at least2/3 years.
45 Go to commentsI reckon it may be Jordan at 10 and Nohamba at 9, both players have played together alot and both have been on the Radar for a long time. After Pollard got injured in 2022 with Elton sidelined on a path of self destruction Erasmus and Nienaber indicated that the other options in the country at the time were thin but that Jordan and Manie were the 2 they were looking at. In the end Frans steyn played flyhalf, Willemse slotted in there on the end of year with Libbok as back up. Jordan was right there in the thinking back then so expect him to take the Jersey either as the starter.
2 Go to commentsHaha did he also* say it in a sarcastic teacher sort of manor or was it the petulant English snob sort of wail?
45 Go to commentsWell said Mils. It is a big boost at last having Fergus Burke back at 10 for the Crusaders. Had a great season last year as the article says. Mils is also right about captain Codie Taylor’s performance in his return to the Crusaders last week. He was all class.
4 Go to commentsLet’s make them both Capt. I think we'd get the best of both of them and it would help alleviate some of the pressures of the role. They'd have to confer over on field decisions which should lead to “ learnings “ for both. They are our two best consistent performers.
16 Go to commentsOur best player by far..but not a good Captain..poor tactician cost the AB'S and Canes games by not taking the easy points and going for tries when the lineouts were a shambles..can he read a game? And his throat slitting gesture should disqualify him from the AB Captaincy..it is not the appropriate behaviour of an AB Captain.
16 Go to comments