BRIVE v LEINSTER: GERRY THORNLEYon the feisty welcome the champions can expect from the hosts on their Heineken Cup return
BRIVE’S RETURN to the Heineken Cup for the first time since reaching the final in 1998, having lifted the trophy in only the competition’s second year the season before – is mighty big news in the region of Limousin.
The town itself is abuzz; the game is a 15,519 sell-out – including a projected 2,500 Leinster fans – and, accordingly, team manager Laurent Seigne last night announced what is effectively a near full-strength and first-choice starting team for the visit of the European champions.
There’s only one change in the backline, with Alexis Palisson coming in for Argentinian Horacio Agulla on the right wing. In the frontrow English hooker Steve Thompson replaces Jean-Philippe Bonrepaux and Pat Barnard starts ahead of Jonathan Garcia at tighthead. Damien Browne now partners fellow former Connacht lock Christian Short instead of Arnaud Mela, while Gerhard Vosloo replaces the injured Welsh flanker Alix Popham.
Thus, all the big guns are there, including their go-to number eight and vice-captain, all-action South African number eight Antonie Claassen, who French coach Marc Lievremont is apparently considering for a call-up to the French squad when he qualifies under the three-year residency rule.
There’s also their core of English internationals – save for the injured Rikki Flutey – with Shaun Perry and Andy Goode at halfback, Jamie Noon in midfield and Thompson at hooker.
“If Brive can win this game then it will give the team confidence for the games that follow,” said Seigne, who has returned to the club after coaching them in their glory years of 1997 and 1998, though he admitted: “It’s going to be a great challenge for the team to beat Leinster.”
Ugo Mola, the well-travelled former France fullback-cum-winger who has played with Toulouse, Dax and Castres, coaches the team with Christophe Laussucq, and scarcely hid the club’s excitement about the game in prospect or his sense of optimism.
“We have the feeling that it is like an international match,” he said. “It’s probably the most important game of the season for us; the most beautiful and the most exciting. We have few opportunities to play this kind of game against such a team, but we shall not say we are invited,” he added, meaning they do not doubt they can play at this level.
The H Cup enjoys unusual significance for Brive because that stunning 28-9 win over Leicester in the ’97 final at the Cardiff Arms Park – when the Christophe Lamaison team scored four tries through their outside backs – remains the highlight of the club’s history.
They have never won the Top 14, or mystical Bouclier du Brennus, losing out on the final four times, in 1965, ’72, ’75 and ’96. They fell on hard times financially, even spending time in the Pro D2, but have bounced back, albeit scraping into the top six and this season’s Heineken Cup in literally the last few minutes of the last day of the season.
Their honorary president is Patrick Sebastien, a Saturday night prime-time TV talk show host, though the money man is Daniel Derichebourg, whose security firm also looks after airport logistics. However, he sold his share-holding in the club and the fear is their budget will be trimmed next season.
At the outset of this season, Brive were credited with the fourth highest budget (€16 million) in the Top 14, after only Stade Français, Toulouse and Clermont, but given that, their results have been disappointing. Three wins in nine games have left them 10th in the table domestically.
The club’s managing director is Simon Gillham, who has been involved for a long time in the club, which, along with the strong English presence in the region, may explain the overtly Anglicised tone to the club in the last year or two.
Their website, which greets you with the words “12 ans après, retour d’Europe” and cuts between montages with musical backdrop of Brive’s success in 1997 and Leinster’s last season, can be read in French or English.
Brive is the sous-prefecture of the departement of La Correze, and the area generally is noted for high-quality traditional regional food (ie truffles, all types of duck dishes, etc).
As part of the Region of Limousin (three departements Creuse, La Correze and Haute Vienne), this area is also noted for its superb beef (boeuf du Limousin or race Limousine). Hence, perhaps, the sizeable English contingent in the local community.
Relatively isolated from the remainder of the rugby playing map to the south of them, with Clermont their nearest neighbours, the rugby club forms a big part of the social structure of Brive – the population of which is only about 50,000 – and has a very large, and raucous following, who really know their rugby.
They have, by all accounts, been talking about little else this week except this evening’s match.
Mola expressed confidence that Brive can win, although admitted the game will probably be of a much higher tempo than most of their Top 14 games this season and their opening Heineken Cup match away to the Scarlets.
“Leinster will try to play on our weaknesses, so we will try not to show any.
“We know it’s going to be difficult for us but we have things to show and things to prove.
“We are not going to play with little ambition.”
BRIVE:F Estebanez [capt]; A Palisson, J Noon, L Mackay, V Waqaseduadua: A Goode, S Perry; D Kinchagishvili, S Thompson, P Barnard, C Short, D Browne, G Vosloo, V Forgues, A Claassen. Replacements (from): P Toderasc or P Henn, J-P Bonrepaux, P Idieder, A Mela, R Uys, S Azoulai, F Domingo, J-P Pejoine, L Orquera, R Cooke, S Spedding.
