SA players in France - Stade Francais and Montpellier

The following from News24:-

"Bankrolled by a billionaire and boasting a squad bursting with international talent, Stade Francais still require a minor miracle if they are to avoid a fourth successive season of failing to make the French Top 14 playoffs.

On Sunday, the Paris giants slumped to a 41-25 defeat at home to Clermont, a result which allowed the visitors to ensure their place in the post-season along with Toulouse.

Stade are six points adrift of the final playoff spot with just three games left - trips to Racing 92 and Montpellier sandwiching the visit of Pau.

Failure to reach the playoffs would be a blow to South African coach Heyneke Meyer as well as club owner Hans-Peter Wild, the billionaire businessman whose wealth helped pay for the arrival of big name stars such as Argentine playmaker Nicolas Sanchez and French standouts Gael Fickou and Yoann Maestri.

Sunday's loss was a fifth at their Stade Jean-Bouin home this season and each time it has been against a playoff rival - Racing, La Rochelle, Lyon, Toulouse and now Clermont.

"I'm very disappointed. We played a decent game, especially in the first half but unfortunately we showed too much indiscipline," said captain Sergio Parisse in reference to yellow cards for winger Julien Arias and centre Fickou midway through the first half which left them temporarily down to 13 men.

"What's missing at Stade Francais? We are not going to discuss everything. But we have to be more consistent in performances, especially at home where we have lost too many matches.

"We have had players injured and suspended yes, but just like all the other teams, and that's part of the game."

Stade had led 19-17 at the break on Sunday thanks to a try from hooker Remi Bonfils as well as five successful kicks at goal by Jules Plisson.

Clermont stayed in touch with a penalty try and a score from Fijian centre Apisai Naqalevu who added a second after the interval.

Australian hooker John Ulugia also grabbed a try as did prop Etienne Falgoux whose last-minute score ensured a bonus point for Clermont.

Scottish international flyhalf Greig Laidlaw booted a personal haul of 14 points.

On Saturday, table-toppers Toulouse ensured a semi-final spot with a 21-20 win at defending champions Castres.

However, Perpignan were relegated, 10 years after they won the last of their seven top flight titles.

Perpignan's fate was sealed by a 51-29 rout at home to La Rochelle, their 21st loss in 23 games this season.'

I never thought that Stade Francais had a chance to be in the play-offs and took a look at what happened in the game on Saturday and found the following stats as a basis for discussion:-

STADE FRANCAIS

Passing of the ball 

The fact is the ball was passed by the scrummie Van Zyl 52 times in the match,   However, in the whole 51 minutes Plisson played at flyhalf in the game - the ball was handled exactly 4 times,  Where did the ball go to then?

The technique of using forwards to pass the ball to was used by the Bulls when Meyer was the coach there and was used by Meyer in the 2015 in the WC with monotonous regularity,   Totally predictable and consequently useless.    

Be it as it may Plisson did as best as he could and by the time he was replaced at minute 51 the score was 22-24  - Clermont leading by 2 points.   So Plisson was not to blame for what really happened subsequently    After that the sitruation changed  drastically in favour of Clermont and whilst Clermont scored 17 points - Stade Francais only scored three points.

Ball possession 

tade Francais only had possession of the ball 17% of the time and te problem must be why?   We know that Parisse is an excellent no 8 at breakdowns - but that even though Stassen  is good in respect of other asect of the game - competing at breakdown situations is not one of those.   The third loosie used was Willem Alberts who have never known anything about breakdown ball protection and recovery - so Stade Francais was thoroughly beaten at breakdowns. 

Tackle situation

With the ball possession being 73% of the game with Clermont one would expect a huge tackle count by Stade Francais players compared to that of Cler mont.      So what really happened:-

*   Stade Francais made 103 tackles out of 140 tackle attempts for a success rate of  73%

*   Clermont made 119 tackles out of 134 tackle attempts for a success rate of 89%

This is weird - Clermont with a ball possession rate of 73%  made just 6 tackle attempts less than Stade Francais so where did that go wrong?

The first aspect one has to look at is what happened with the tackle ratio of the loosies:-

*   Parisse       14  tackles made missing 3  -  Missed tackle ratio =  17,64  

*   Stassen      11 tackles made missing 2   -  MTR                         =   15,38

*   Alberts        12 tackles made missing 7  -  MTR                         =   36.84        

The end result is that of the 37 missed tackles of Stade Francais 7 was missed by Alberts alone.   Not exactly a good record at all - especially since he always was an ineffectual defender,   In this case he actually have a record of trying to make difficult tackles and failed.

Meyer as coach

It is clear that the French club owners are not patient when it comes to failing of coaches and the series thus far showed serious deficiencies on the part of Meyer - being 9th on the log out of 14 teams is just not good enough,   

How long would the out-of-date coach Meyer last at Stade - it would be a miracle if he survives the  2019-2020 season with that kind of record.    

MONTPELLIER

Bearing in mind I took a look at specifically two SA players specifically - namely Jacques du Plessis and Jan Serfontein:-

*   Du Plessis playing at lock was good in all aspects of the game - but as proven in Montpellier this season was always  verye ffectve no 8 as well.

*   Jan Sefontein was good in attacking play - but his defense was questionable at best.

It was not yet on TV here and I will watch the game later this weak.   Had nothing else to go on yet - but I think the stats tell us a lot of reasons for the problems faced by Stade Francais.    

If Meyer and Alberts weren't somehow involved, this post wouldn't exist.

Are we not to discuss pertinent issues on site when the topic stems from a local news media outlet?

I'd wait to watch the game before you comment. Stade actually had more rucks than Clermont (88 vs 78) - with just 17% possession? When the Boks had just 25% possession in their game against NZ, the ruck count was 44 vs 158.

A quick count of the players' number of pass/run possessions show both teams equal at 242 - far from 17/83 possession, that hints at closer to 50/50 possession. Something is off with that possession stat.

Edit: I see now they have Clermont with 100% possession in the second half. Simply impossible. Makes you wonder which of the other stats are also incomplete/inaccurate .

Maybe the possession stats are wrong - but the tackle stats are always adjusted by now.   So the fact is that Alberts made an utter asshole of himself again.   Useless as per normal.  

And the actual result told me a lot more than the stats did.   His team is now no 9  on the log out of 14 teams - not good enough,   He has a huge player recruitment fund and what did he kept and drawn in?    A few good selections - but mainly losers like Alberts and Morne Steyn.   Then there is the problem - Meyer was always clueless about backline play and his selection and usage of backline players are really useless. .     

No I will not do any suggestion by you,   I do not need to look at games when a team is on number 9 on the log comprising 14 teams with a sky high  budget to recruit players,    What can obne look at that has happened over moths bow and what did the stats tell you about the situation the team is in at present,  

Most of what I wrote about does not cover only the match on Saturday - but rather what is to be done for the whole season thus far,   I looked at the stats in the latest match to confirm what has been in evidence for the whole season and it does  confirm what I wrote is correct,

I do not do what you routinely do.   I do not use selected stats to try and discredit specific  players - so there is a vast difference in my realistic approach and your prejudiced tripe.             

Balls as per normal - why are you afraid to comment on what I wrote above.   Get it?  

Yet this entire thing is so transparent. First you needed to make an excuse for Plisson, ever your foil for Morne. Next you dragged loosie tackle ratios into a nonsensical explanation about tackle counts based on wrong possession stats to get the knife into Alberts. You used the same wrong possession stats to then blame Alberts for Stade being "beaten at the breakdowns", yet Stade won 97% of their rucks to the 93% of Clermont. Then you gave Meyer a klap while you were at it. You're very good at fooling yourself Mike. Not so good at fooling others.

Listen Mozart - the fact is Stade Francais is number 9 on the Top 14 log - do you deny it?   Did Alberts make 12 tackles and missed 7 = do you deny it? 

I obviously will watch the game if it is on Super Sport.   I certainly do not need to watch the gane if I deal with log positions - now do I.

And what I wrote is vastly dofferent from the junk you write using selective stats - I was nice to Alberts - I wrote down the full defense stats and did not mention the possession turnover.   I do not use selective stats and invented occurrences to discredit players like you do.

No Mozart 

The score was 22-24 when he was Subbed,   So he did not contribute to the subsequent disaster with the game ending 41  -   25 in favour of Clermont.

Anyway Plisson was not the weak problem in the team - the real problems remain Alberts made 12 tackles and missed 7 and aside from them and the position of Meyer because of th log position was what was discussed.

The matters mentioned in the previous paragraphs were the issues dealt with in discussions.   So why not be sensible for a change and comment on those two issues,    

Mozart

I am getting more and more amazed by your total illogic -  the worst tackle stats normally come from scrummies and flyhalfs when bigger players made attacks in the channel.    Did you never notice the poor tackle stats even of Pollard and especially Jantjjies?

When dear Morne made 8 tackles and missed 7 in the Perth test the same desperate effort to hush up that deficiency was  at play as well.  

So when Alberts made 12 tackles and missed 7 it must be hushed up as if it did not happen - by going bananas again.   What a farce.   

No Hook - just one in your wild  imagination.   Fact is given and you and Pakie try wriggle out of a situation that you two refuse to face.   

And Mozart picks of total failures like Morne and Fat Fransie  - what about them?

I never picked Swiel anyway - I just said he must be looked at in future depending on his development. 

I wonder who is piss-on?     

LMAO     

I watched the game at last last night - it was a shocking display of Meyer-ball that Sade Francais deserve to lose.    The rule seems to be - never pass the ball to the flyhalf and if you do make the pass a piss-poor one.