Preview: 'Everybody is coming for us'
Top 14, ROUND ONE: Former South Africa prop and La Rochelle scrum coach Gurthro Steenkamp says his side are starting from “zero” as the new French Top 14 campaign begins this Saturday, despite winning last season’s European Champions Cup.
La Rochelle beat four-time winners Leinster in the continental final in May before losing to Toulouse in the Top 14 play-offs.
Montpellier went on to lift the more than century-old Bouclier Brennus. They visit La Rochelle on opening day.
“We know everybody is coming for us. We’ve taken that stance that we won last year, awesome, we enjoyed it but now we’re starting again on zero,” the 41-year-old Steenkamp told AFP.
“The club has the ambition to continue to win titles but we’ve been working with massive humility.”
La Rochelle said goodbye to retiring former New Zealand back-rower Victor Vito and former Junior Springbok captain Wiaan Liebenberg during the close season but can still call on 125kg Australia lock Will Skelton.
“He’s a guy that consistently gives us the go-forward ball,” Steenkamp said.
“Also, for the man’s size, he plays 80 minutes and I can’t believe it. It’s ridiculous, he gives energy to the team.
“He’s also a leader in the team, especially in lineout defence and defence in general.”
This season starts the build-up to next year’s World Cup in France.
Steenkamp, a former Toulouse loose-head, believes the Springboks can retain the Webb Ellis trophy.
“Being a South African, I do rate our chances, it’s going to be hard, tough,” he said.
“Before it was a top three. Now it’s everybody up there: the likes of Ireland, New Zealand, England, France.
“It’s not like before. You can lose on any given day.”
‘Weekly fight’
This weekend, Steenkamp’s focus will be on hosting Montpellier at raucous Stade Marcel-Deflandre.
Steenkamp said the team needed to focus at the start of the campaign to avoid playing an additional Top 14 play-off match at the end of it.
“Winning a European Cup and a Top 14, you need to put in the work, you need to be at the top of the table, to avoid that extra play-off game,” Steenkamp said.
“It will be the goal of the players to get a great start to the season so we can lay a platform to build our ending for the table.
“We know it’s going to be a fight every week.”
Elsewhere this weekend, promoted Bayonne and their Olympic 7s gold medallist Sireli Maqala head to three-time European champions Toulon.
Maqala’s fellow Olympic champion Asaeli Tuivuaka could make his competitive Racing 92 debut as they host last season’s runners-up Castres.
Toulouse and their World Rugby player of the year Antoine Dupont travel to Bordeaux-Begles.
After nearly 300 games for Clermont, former France scrum-half Morgan Parra begins a fresh chapter with new club Stade Francais. His first opponents are none other than Clermont.
Fixtures
(All times GMT)
Saturday
Racing 92 v Castres (13.00)
Stade Francais v Clermont (15.00)
Toulon v Bayonne (15.00)
Pau v Perpignan (15.00)
Brive v Lyon (15.00)
La Rochelle v Montpellier (19.05)
Sunday
Bordeaux-Begles v Toulouse (19.05)
