To Paris for yet another “Top 14 choc”.

It’s a classical for the french championship. But nowdays less than in the past, because of the bad position of Stade Francaise, which is really performing one of its worste season .

That’s way also the few “bulls” performing for Stade Toulousain colours, in the end, will by large gain their win…

Show before the start is amaizing, with dancers and men flyng and wearing Stade Francais colours. More than 78.000 spectators.

Stade Toulousain is impressive as team: very regular, no faults, very concrete, precise. Stade Francais simply inexisting.

Among payers, Clement Poitrenaud and Yannick Jauzion, the “Equipe de France” full back and centre, are very good, togheter with “bleu” hooker Servat (ST pack is largely the strongest for all the match long). Also the former “bleu” Outside Half Skrela performs a very good match.

Good luck to France for the rest of its 6 nations effort to play for yet another “Grand Echelem” then…

6th March 2010 16:30
Stade de France Paris Top 14
Stade Francais 0 v 29 Stade Toulousain

“He may not be 100 per cent match fit but he still has probably the best pass in Northern Hemisphere rugby and is a big physical presence so we know he won’t let us down.”
Wales boss Warren Gatland, talking about 27 years old Lions scrum-half Mike Phillips, who has been named among the replacements of tomorrow 6 Nations clash with France at the Millenium Stadium (after he made his comeback from a four-month lay-off with a 40-minute stint for the Ospreys on Sunday)

It’s always a pleasure, for me, to go for some interesting rugby matches around.

But what I like the most in this french team, estabilished since 1882, is that 2/3 of the forwards are italians, both former players of the Italy squad. Both of them are friends of mine, and one of them, hooker Carlo Festuccia, comes from my same Region (the other one is prop “Il barone” Andrea Lo Cicero).

They played together for L’Aquila, in the italian first division, for several seasons. And they are the forwards core of this team since three seasons now. The manager himself, Pierre Berbizier, is the former Italy squad manager.

There is a lot from Italy there, especially from my Region, then. And even their colors are so familiar … in fact white and “blu ciel” are the same as my City’s, Pescara.

I follow Racing Metro 92 since Pro D2 season 2007/2008, when new President Jacky Lorenzetti took over.

Meanwhile, other italians players has joined the team, full back-centre Andrea Masi, same from L’Aquila, and back row-lock Santiago Dellapé (both still in the Italy Squad).

Starting from the season 2009/2010, racingmen are finally back into the Top 14… and as they are playing very well so far, they are already at the top of the ranking, 5th position with 54 points and 6 matches not particularly tough still to play before “barrage”/semifinals stage.

Yesterday was the biggest “choc” of the top 14 week-end. Racingmen received Castres Olimpique, the championship leader.

With two very important players out, back row-lock Lionel Nallet and full back/centre Andrea Masi, and some others not at their top (especially number 8 Sebastien Chabal) the task was not simple.

In front of them, full back/centre Romain Teulet (I hear someone around call him “Robocop”, but I don’t figure out why… he’s not so big, actually), which seems particularly good today, along with one of the best french teams, as “ensemble”, of the entire season.

Excellent wing Sireli Bobo to remark from racingmen side.

The final score is 24-24, with a penality scored for racingmen by Jonathan Wisniewski just at the last second.

Yet another very nice afternoon of rugby then. Waiting for the final, most likely very surprising, stage of the season…

20th February 2010 14:15
Stade Yves-du-Manoir Colombes Top 14
Racing Metro 92 24 v 24 Castres Olympique

Indeed, Ireland will not win the “Grand Slam” for sure this year… but France will most likely do.

At “Stade de France” it’s freezing.

I put my scarf over the heat on my head to get some more warm. Match starts.

What I see is a magnificent team… very strong with their forward and back rows (Domingo and Nallet above all)… fast, concrete, concentrate at the half side (Francois Trinh Duc and Morgan Parra are simply perfect and the last one gets also a score of 100% at kicks, which is not bad at all) … Poitrenaud, Jauzion and Palisson (both first two score excellent tries and the last one would have probably done if he was not rouled out by a Flannery’s bad fault).

O’Driscoll (excellent again) is not enough for Ireland today. Jonathan Sexton, (who is on for the last fifteen minutes of the second half) cannot make more.

Something still to improve at line-outs for France (they score a 70% something. Indeed, Ireland is very strong over there… but if “Equipe de France” succeed, they will win the tournement for sure (their “Grand Chelem” as well?)

See you on the 14th of March for Italy then (hopefully, with most of your best player… come on!)

13th February 2010 16:30
Stade de France Six Nations
France 33 v 10 Ireland

Dublin is “brilliant”.

I spent here two months in 1991. Nowdays a lot has changed, but people is still very nice, as they used to be before, actually.

I get to know Frances and Robert who are hosting me at a B&B which is very close to Fairview.

Croke Park is only at fifteen minutes walking. City centre either.

Saturday morning is rainy. At noon it gets to become warm and sunny.

Either colours or athmosphere are amaizing inside at outside the stadium. Me, Gian and Tamara have fun.

Two years ago I was here for the same match…it was freezing… Italy more dangerous and concrete… but the result was the same.

After having seen Ireland this year, I’m quite sure that they will not repeat last year performances (Grand Slam).

Jonathan Sexton was not playing today. I’m very sorry with that …yes, Ronan O’Gara is still one of the best outside-half…but Jonhatan is the future, simply.

Good luck guys!

6th February 2010 14:30
Croke Park Six Nations
Ireland 29 v 11 Italy