Toulon’s Herve on his way to Castres

JAMES HARRINGTON

FRENCH COLUMN

TOULON fly-half Enzo Herve is on the move, a few months after he rejected a proposed swap deal that would have taken him to Stade Francais – passing on the way, somewhere over the Massif Central, prodigal ‘son of Mayol’ Louis Carbonel heading back to the Var.

Despite his thoroughly admirable insistence he wanted to stay to fight for his place, it was clear that he has fallen behind Italian international Paolo Garbisi and new arrival Mateo Garcia in manager Pierre Mignoni’s thinking.

So, when Castres suddenly needed a medical joker as cover for Louis Le Brun, who suffered a ruptured ACL in last weekend’s win over Bayonne, Herve was one of their early calls. They also looked to Montpellier‘s Thomas Vincent – but his ability to play 15 as well meant that Joan Caudullo’s side were unwilling to let him leave until at least November, when Stuart Hogg is expected back from injury.

His recruitment is a relief for Castres, whose fly-half stocks looked very limited following Le Brun’s injury. Pierre Popelin has started the season well, following his own return to full fitness from an injury plagued 24/25 campaign. Even so, he was still very much second fiddle in the early games. And after Popelin, their specialist fly-half slots are filled by promising academy players, including Louka Guilhot, who arrived this summer from Clermont, full-back Theo Chabouni – who started out as a fly-half, and has been training there as cover if needed, and Vilimoni Botitu.

Herve may get his first start since June sooner rather than later, after Popelin suffered a thigh injury early in the first half of Castres’ 59-12 defeat at Toulouse. He’d started decently enough in a blood-and-thunder derby encounter at Stade Ernest Wallon – Castres had already lost hooker Loris Zarantonello to a brain injury, and Josh Brennan limped off at the same time as the visitors’ 10.

The hosts’ hooker Guillaume Cramont scored a first-half hat-trick, while Theo Ntamack and Mathis Lebel weighed in with second-half doubles as Toulouse bounced back from last week’s thumping loss at Montpellier.

The most important part of Stade Francais’ 28-7 win over Bordeaux that kicked off the fourth weekend of the Top 14 season? It wasn’t the win – though that mattered, obviously. It wasn’t the three tries they scored. Cameron Woki pulled one back for the visitors just after the break, so Paul Gustard’s side were denied a try-scoring bonus.

It was the fact they conceded that Woki touchdown.

“Fly-half had fallen behind Italy‘s Garbisi and new arrival Garcia in the pecking order”

In their first three outings they had shipped 14 tries and exactly 100 points in their three previous matches. This match, against the most potent attack in the league, albeit one without a number of key players, was always going to be a to-destruction test of their defensive systems – Gustard, and defence coach Rory Kockott will be pleased to report it was one his players passed.

The Ile-de-France – the French region that contains the capital – has not been a happy hunting ground for Yannick Bru’s Champions Cup holders. They lost 44-32 at Racing 92 a fortnight ago, and have now conceded 114 points in four games. Only promoted Montauban, with 165 after their four games to date, have given up more.

Speaking of the ProD2 champions, the Bouclier they proudly – and, if we’re being strictly honest, surprisingly – lifted at the end of last season was stolen from pride of place at an agricultural show in the region last week.

Passed the test: Joe Marchant in action for Stade in yesterday’s win against Bordeaux-Begles

PICTURES: Alamy

The crime certainly seemed to light a fire under Sebastien Tillous-Borde’s side, as they faced Montpellier at Stade Sapiac, and came within seconds of picking up their first win of the season, courtesy of 17 points from Jerome Bosviel and a try for Maxime Espeut. But a try on the final hooter for Wilfried Hounkpatin – converted by Hugo Reus – saw the visitors draw level at 22-22.

The long enforced absence of winger Theo Attissogbe, out for four months with knee-ligament damage, appears to have had little immediate effect on Pau’s early season form. They scored four tries and conceded none en route to a 40-15 bonus-point win that saw them provisionally leapfrog opponents Lyon at the top of the table.

Clermont legend Alivereti Raka scored his 100th club try on Saturday afternoon in a losing cause, at Racing 92, going down 43-31 in a 10try encounter. Patrice Collazo’s side – well marshalled again by their young half-backs Leo Carbonneau and Ugo Seunes – have won three in a row, and find themselves in the upper reaches of the table early on. Pretty soon, if this carries on, they may forget all about their galactico hinge years that brought them a single Brennus at great expense.

Old man of the ruck Levani Botia scored the crucial bonus-point try as La Rochelle – relatively rested after an unexpectedly heavy deluge meant their game at Toulon last Sunday could not go ahead – came from behind to beat bottom-of-the-table Perpignan 31-8 at Stade Marcel Deflandre.

Jules Favre, Oscar Jegou, and Louis Penverne scored the Rochelais’ other tries as manager Ronan O’Gara’s newly discovered youth policy continues to pay dividends.

Toulon, the other side affected by last Sunday’s cloudburst, head to the far south-west of France tonight to face Bayonne.

Scottish international Ben White is set to make his first appearance of the Top 14 season at nine, while Antoine Frisch will be at centre alongside veteran Ma’a Nonu. But fans will have to wait a little longer for Charles Ollivon’s return. He is back in group training after recovering from an ACL injury, but will only feature this weekend if there is a late withdrawal. Herve, too, despite his imminent departure, was in the extended squad for the trip to Jean Dauger.