PLAYOFF REVIEW | TOP 14 & PRO D2 ACCESS MATCH

WIth the action from the weekend still fresh in our minds, Joe and Tim reflect on the 2 knockout games, look ahead to the semi finals in Bordeaux AND review Grenoble against Montpellier - "the richest game" in rugby.

[@whatisthepointofahandle]

Hey thanks for doing these videos on France rugby as a french person living in the UK its great to see some content on the subject.

[@amyeasterbrook4257]

Thanks from me too. English person living in Toulouse and fan of ST and French rugby 🖤❤️

[@Scud_and_thesTig]

Love the wedding dress story 😂

[@GBNE-kh1fs]

Loving the channel - really getting into the top 14 this year

[@ChrisBrown-or8ky]

Enjoying the new channel. Hopefully it grows as I'm keen to learn more about the top 14. Watching from NZ and don't know much of the history. Looking forward to this weekend's semifinals

[@markeasey469]

Interesting discussion. I for one hope that Joe's prediction for La Rochelle are wrong. As an English "expat" living reasonably close to La Rochelle i have been a supporter, watching most home games for the past 6 years at the Stade Marcel Deflandre and will be in Bordeaux tomorrow night for the semi against TLS. Allez Allez La Rochelle. Subscribed 😁

[@kenrehill8775]

Just watching this before jumping on the train to Bordeaux for weekend. Dog and duck this evening.

[@raphaelg17]

Nice video ❤🖤
To add a bit of context and drama to the access match you need to understand that (almost) every supporter of Top14 (and rugby in general if you're fans of its values) were rooting for Grenoble and not only in order to root for David against Goliath.
The direction of Montpellier has been involved in numerous scandales involving money (Bernard Laporte & Mohed Altrad) and their management of class players like Carbonnel and Garbisi has been shameful this season for the players and for their team (they almost the season without a 10 😅). Yet they criticised the previous headcoach's team for the bad results. Bernard has a great idea of himself and do not suffer from low self esteem that is for sure...
They are recruiting players with serious issues off the pitch (sometimes even on the pitch) like Haouas (wife beater and has been red cardes 2 times for punching a Scottish player in the face), Chalureau (has been involved in a racist altercation in Toulouse), I think there is more but now they add to their roster the wonderful Stuart Hogg and Vunipola 😅 Enzo Forletta was a hero for a lot of people during the Top14's winning season but during the title's celebration he has been violent with people in a bar... what a hero 😅
As you can see there is a lot going on off the pitch with this team and I haven't been exhaustive I may have omitted a rapist or 2 but what can we say nobody is perfect *obviously ironic*
I thought it was a nice thing to know to catch the whole drama and pressure around the team and why not a lot of people like them

[@raphaelg17]

Biarritz is also a club that is going for player that are not doing good on the market due to being BAD people (emphasis on bad meaning player with a criminal record with multiple rapist condamnation for exemple).
Oyonnax too is quite popular with players with a criminal record (I am only aware of Rory Grice being a rapist in the squad)
I would say this says something different for the club as they do not go search for them instead they "just" hold on to them by keeping them in the squad no matter the extrasportive thing going on. Maybe it's just because there are a really small club but I think we could help the clubs by doing the same thing when there is a lot of injury. A club could recruit a joker to help the team because it was not part of the contract that the guy would end up being an awful person.
Special mention to the wife beater Hounkpatin in Castres because I hate this guy and it is a great representation of what no support given to the club can do in those situations to the rugby's values.
Hounkpatin told everybody on instagram when he has been accused of being a wife beater that he was feminist and tried to play the victim only to be proven guilty. Castres suspended him at first but didn't fully commit as they needed him to secure a win at home against Toulouse. They put him on the team sheet based on trust on what the player said and the "innocent until proven guilty" but they had given their trust to the wrong guy
Rugby needs to change to give support to the team because otherwise values would be accessible to big clubs only.

[@kenrehill8775]

Done the work for you:
English players 24/25 top 14
Bayonne
Alex Moon
Bordeaux
Scotsman Jonny gray
Castres
Will collier
La Rochelle
Theo Williamson
Jack Nowell
Lyon
Jarlath Gleeson
Montpellier
Harry Williams
Sam Simmonds
Billy vunipola
Scottish Stuart Hogg
Stade français
Joe marchant
Zack henry
Pau
Joël Kpoku
Dan Robson
Joe simmonds
Perpignan
Kieran Brooke’s
Ali crossdale
Racing
Will Rowland’s
Junior Kpoku
Sam James
Owen Farrell
Dan Lancaster
Henry Arundel
Toulon
Kyle sinckler
Lewis Ludlum
Ben white
Toulouse
Jack willis
Pro D2
Agen
Jack maunder
Henry Purdey
Aix en Provence
Tomas Francis
Welsh george north
Béziers
Christian judge
Cam Dodson
Harry Glynn
Biarritz
Johnathan Joseph
Zach kibirige
Brive
Courtney lawes
Ross moriarty
Lewis noon
Colomiers
Brett herron
Grenoble
Pierce Phillips
Mont de marsan
Myles edwards
Montauban
Lewis bean
Karl Wilkins
Rouen
Will witty
Soyaux Angoulême
Jonny May
Kiwi Ben Bottica
Valence romans
Gareth Milasinovich
George worth

[@kenrehill8775]

And French rugby continues to do everything well, that English rugby does badly.