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Kiwis in Europe: Kiwi-Lyonnais Top 14 dream still alive
By Campbell Burnes
There is to be no fairytale ending to the 2018-19 season for the Kiwi trio of Ma’a Nonu, Malakai Fekitoa and Alby Mathewson at Toulon.
Toulon, French Top 14 champions in 2014 and three-time former European champions (2013-15) drew 19-all with Lyon in the Top 14 playoffs at Stade Mayol, but will not progress to the semifinal on the first try rule. The visitors scored the opening try of the clash, which went to extra time.
Nonu, who turns 36 today, but is keen to extend his career, was yellow carded but was otherwise in compelling attacking form, setting up what should have been a try to former England wing Chris Ashton, who duffed the simple regather from a grubber.
Fekitoa, who has scored seven tries since his November debut, and Mathewson, both featured from the bench.
For Lyon, which has not won the top flight championship since 1933, Mike Harris slotted three key goals, while fullback Toby Arnold scored a try. Rudi Wulf (13) and Taiasina Tuifua (8) also turned out for Le LOU. Lyon’s reward is a semifinal trip to Vern Cotter’s Montpellier, for whom Aaron Cruden will run the cutter.
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In the other semifinal, Castres will travel to Paris to meet Racing-Metro after the south-west club tipped over bigger neighbours Toulouse 23-11. Maama Vaipulu and David Smith started for the victors, while Alex Tulou and Paea Fa’anunu added impact off the bench.
Toulouse, who will welcome Jerome Kaino in August, fielded Charlie Faumuina and Joe Tekori.
The Guinness PRO14 final will pit defending champs Scarlets against newly crowned European champs Leinster in Dublin.
Wayne Pivac’s charges defeated Dave Rennie’s Glasgow Warriors 28-13 in the semis, with Johnny McNicholl and Hadleigh Parkes starting in the backline. Callum Gibbins and Siua Halanukonuka appeared for Glasgow.
Captain Isa Nacewa, at second five, and James Lowe, played for Leinster in the tight 16-15 win over Rhys Marshall’s Munster.
In the Champions Cup playoff, Sean Reidy’s Ulster beat Ma’afu Fia’s Ospreys 35-17, but there was no happy ending to Charlie Piutau’s Ulster career. The former All Blacks wing, about to take up a lucrative deal with Bristol in the 2018-19 Aviva Premiership, was a very late withdrawal from the Ulster line-up.
England’s Aviva Premiership final will, as expected see defending champs Exeter face down Saracens. Thomas Waldrom’s Chiefs battered Newcastle 36-5 in the first semifinal. The Falcons fielded Sinoti Sinoti, Nili Latu and Tane Takalua.
Sean Maitland’s Sarries put the cleaners through Wasps to the tune of 57-33. Jimmy Gopperth kicked two goals for Wasps, while Nathan Hughes was at No 8.
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Latest Comments
Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
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