French League/ Biarritz 57 Montpellier 7: Biarritz would appear to be in a state of rude health compared to their opponents in next weekend's Heineken European Cup final. Completing their penultimate match in the Top 14 eight days before the Cardiff denouement, a near full-strength Biarritz maintained their lead atop the table in a manner which scarcely does justice to the term facile.
Only Petru Balan of their frontliners was rested from yesterday evening's game in le Stade Aguilera with a foot injury which is not expected to sideline him from la finale de Coupe d'Europe. "La Finale commence ce soir", L'Equipe's morning match preview reckoned, but on last night's effort, any similarities between Munster and Montpellier end after the first letter.
Although Montpellier lay 11th in the table and should almost certainly survive the relegation trapdoor, their body language looked utterly defeatist from the moment Sireli Bobo scored the first of his three tries (taking his tally to 13 in the championship this season) in the second minute. Despite already securing their place in the play-offs for the Bouclier du Brennus, coach Patrice Lagisquet obviously felt there was little risk in putting out his first choice team against such relatively lightweight opponents, and Montpellier's marshmallow challenge vindicated his decision as his team emerged unscathed.
They barely broke sweat in eclipsing their biggest win of the season, 59-10 v Narbonne, and recorded their 12th win out of 13 in their final home game of the season. With their new 4,500 all-seater stand closed, there was a surreal air to this non-contest, try though the crowd did to strike up a few chants of "Allez B.O.", although the anticipatory excitement about their first European Cup final was almost palpable.
There was much to admire in their play nonetheless, as they broke free from the self-imposed shackles of the quarter-final and semi-final wins in the European Cup. With their opponents displaying little in the way of physical intensity in the tackle, Biarritz played with plenty of width and fluidity.
Thomas Lievremont, hors de combat for the Bath game, led the side with a rampaging number eight display before Lagisquet had the luxury of emptying his bench from the 53rd minute with his captain's withdrawal.
The power of their pack, especially at maul time, was largely kept under wraps, but there was also the opportunism and deadly eye of Dimitri Yachvili, who contributed 18 first-half points, the sheer power of Damien Traille in midfield and the almost frightening pace and finishing power of Bobo.
There was little to find fault with, save for Nicolas Brusque throwing out a couple of poor passes, although he did hit the line beautifully late on.
Serge Betsen left a hole when shooting up defensively and the ex-winger Philippe Bidabe showed a tendency to die with the ball. But how relevant any of this was in the context of next Saturday is a moot point.
Jean-Baptiste Gobolet having made tracks up one wing, there were numbers aplenty as the ball was spread across the line for Bobo's opening try. He soon had another following fingertip passes by Bidabe and Brusque after Betsen had made inroads off the tail of a lineout before Yachvili called for a quick throw by Benoit August on his 22 to score untouched against sleepy opponents.
Bobo completed his hat-trick and secured Biarritz's bonus point when scoring off Brusque's chip through with time aplenty. The slaughter of the innocents reached farcical levels when referee Romain Poite ran past an injured Montpellier player, who was being treated under his posts, to take Biarritz back for a penalty after he had played an advantage.
Loosehead Sebastien Petit attempted to draw attention to this, and was sinbinned for preventing the quick tap. Biarritz duly mauled over against Montpellier's seven-man pack for their fifth try by Benoit August.
The first of Damien Traille's brace helped them to a 43-0 interval lead. As is their wont, Biarritz eased off and Montpellier did breach the Biarritz line soon after the resumption when replacement Regis Lespinas eluded Yachvili's tackle for that rarity, a consolation score in the 46th minute.
Biarritz roused themselves for replacement scrumhalf to score and convert his own try with the game's last play.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 2 mins: Bobo try, Yachvili con 7-0; 7: Bobo try, Yachvili con 14-0; 12: Yachvili try, con 21-0; 26: Bobo try 26-0; 34: August try, Yachvili con 33-0; 37: Traille try, Yachvili con 40-0; 40: Yachvili pen 43-0; (half-time 43-0); 46: Espinas try, Aucagne con 43-7; 54: Traille try, Yachvili con 50-7; 80: Dupuy try and con 57-7.
BIARRITZ: N Brusque; JB Gobolet, P Bidabe, D Traille, S Bobo; J Peyrelongue, D Yachvili; B Lecouls, B August, C Johnston, J Thion, D Couznet, S Betsen, I Harinordoquy, T Lievrement (capt). Replacements: O Olibeau for Couzinet (44 mins); T Dusautoir for Lievremont (53 mins); S Ormaechea for Johnson (56 mins); J Dupuy for Yachvili (58 mins); M Carizza for Harinordoquy (64 mins); B Dambielle for Traille (74 mins).
MONTPELLIER: F Benezach; D Bortolussi, R Lubbe, A Stoica, L Arbo; D Aucagne, S Bouda; S Petit, N Grelon, C Baiocco, M Bert, J Daniel, M Acurdy, S Galtier, M Russell. Replacements: R Lespinas for Lubbe (23 mins); H Crane for Stoica (32 mins); P Tolefoa for Russell (39-43 mins); J Boussuge for Bortolussi (62 mins). Sinbinned: Petit (33-43 mins)
Referee: Romain Poite (Midi-Pyrenees)
