Damian Penaud and Clermont went to crush the English Bristol (38-51), during the first day of the Champions Cup.
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Geoff Caddick / AFP
This weekend, the French clubs will try to confirm their excellent start to the Champions Cup campaign.
Toulouse and Lyon could win on the green carpet.
Consultant for beIN Sports, Julien Candelon looks back on the very good tricolor past, more structural than economic.
After one of the worst decades of its history, the XV of France is on the way to rebirth.
And our clubs, authors of a thunderous entry into the Champions Cup last weekend, seem to follow suit.
Apart from Montpellier, sunk at home by an intractable Leinster (14-35), the seven other French representatives of this edition with 24 “special coronavirus” clubs have won, sometimes nicely (UBB, La Rochelle, Toulon, Toulouse, Clermont, Lyon, Racing 92).
Performances to be confirmed of course from the second day, from Friday to Sunday, but which conquered Julien Candelon.
The former international at XV and VII, now a consultant for beIN Sports, admits to being pleasantly surprised: “The French clubs have made a success of their beginnings while they were disturbed in their preparation by the absence of the internationals [selected for the end of the VI Nations Tournament and the Autumn Cup], by the management of the Covid which struck some of them and while they had to manage a stressful competition format.
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📽️🏉 #RugbyExtra with @LaurentBidot
🏆 The European Cup is back!
🇫🇷 French clubs got off to a perfect start in the Champions Cup
💥 The Cheslin Kolbe show in Toulouse
👌 Matsushima's triplet of testing!
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- beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) December 14, 2020
With only four group matches instead of six in previous editions, the room for error is almost nullified.
“In addition, the game developed was often very attractive,” continues Candelon.
We think here (in particular) of Clermont, Toulouse or Lyon, winners with the offensive bonus.
The Covid is coming
The last two teams will not have the opportunity to continue this weekend, respectively against Exeter and Glasgow.
These matches were canceled due to cases of Covid in the workforce of the English club European champion, which torpedoed the Scottish team last Sunday (46-0), which therefore finds itself with about twenty contact cases forced to l 'isolation.
While waiting for the verdict of the EPCR, big boss of the continental events (victory with bonus for the two French teams?), Julien Candelon saw his weekend program lightened, since he had to go Sunday to Ernest-Wallon.
The unbearable doublet that he forms with journalist Rodolphe Pirès will be "content" with a nice Scarlets (Wales) - Toulon this Friday (in the cabin) and a very tempting Clermont - Munster (Ireland) on Saturday.
Clermont-Munster, "the big match of the weekend"
“It's the big game of the weekend, saliva already the former winger.
ASM gives the impression of being cut out for Europe.
When we compare its last two performances [defeat at home 15-21 against Montpellier in Top 14, then success at Bristol 38-51], we see that it knows how to raise its level of play. Opposite, Munster remains on eight successes in a row, seven in Pro 12 [ex-Celtic League] and one against the Harlequins in the Champions Cup [21-7].
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For the specialist, the seven victorious French teams at the start can dream of the quarter-finals.
It would be as sublime as it is historic, but we will have to watch for the awakening of the English.
These will not renew their pitiful 2/8 initial every weekend ...
In addition, the performance of the Tricolores could be more of the tidal wave than the epiphenomenon.
“The clubs have recovered internationals full of enthusiasm and confidence, notes Julien Candelon.
The rule which limited the number of matches per player to three made it possible to review the workforce, and see that French rugby could count on a fairly large pool of which we were not used to.
All these players want to be part of the adventure of the next Six Nations Tournament.
To appear well in the European Cup can open doors to them.
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French and foreign talents in tune
Former third choice in Blue such as Toulon opener Louis Carbonel or Bordeaux-Béglais third row Cameron Woki, present during the near feat at Twickenham, thus shone in the Champions Cup.
If we add to these French talents, those of Kolbe (Toulouse), Skelton (La Rochelle) and Matsushima (Clermont), among many others, we say that Toulon, the last French winner of the “big” Cup of 'Europe in 2015 will no longer have to wait for its successor.
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XV of France