'He's not a magician': Antoine Dupont's form addressed before Six Nations

Have Toulouse, the six-time Investec Champions Cup winners, really become “a bit ordinary”? That was the verdict of Ugo Mola, their head coach, after they were beaten 20-14 at Saracens to leave the Top 14 leaders in danger of facing another potentially dangerous road trip in the last 16 of a competition synonymous with their name.

Mola, who has been in charge of the Toulouse Galacticos since 2015, said: “We’ve certainly become a bit ordinary and being ordinary isn’t enough to qualify for the top spots in the Champions Cup.”

They could still potentially claim a home tie if they bounce back with a big win over Sale Sharks this weekend and that is highly likely given the pattern of their season.

Across all competitions, they have lost six of nine away matches so far this season against Montpellier, Bayonne, Pau, Glasgow Warriors, Perpignan and Saracens. However, their response has been to then destroy their next opponents at their Stade Ernest Wallon fortress, putting 60 points on La Rochelle and 59 on Castres and Toulon.

This frailty on the road was clearly demonstrated at Glasgow where they led 21-0 in their second round game in December only to lose 28-21 – their first Champions Cup pool defeat since 2022.

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Their critics now believe Toulouse no longer have the mental fortitude, composure, and self-control that made them so formidable, even with captain Antoine Dupont back from his ACL injury. Other key players are still out including Juan Cruz Mallia, Kalvin Gourgues, Ange Capuozzo, Romain Ntamack, Francois Cros, Cyrille Baille and Pierre-Louis Barassi.

Benjamin Kayser, one of the most astute members of the Premier Sports team of pundits, has little time for those talking down Toulouse and said: “Let’s not put Toulouse in the bin, they are still in the top three teams to win the Champions Cup and the top two to win the Top 14 title again this season.

“Bath are serious contenders and also Northampton, despite having their arse whipped, and Bordeaux are strong in both competitions.

“If you sum it up as Bordeaux are on fire and Toulouse are rusty then that is not true. You lose to Saracens by six points with rain bucketing down and six British & Irish Lions in their side and you are missing six or seven starters through injury then it’s a hiding!

“One of the rewards of being so good is that people expect perfect all the time. Ugo Mola agrees with that and that is why he is super harsh with them and says they are a bit ordinary. But their squad has been dropping like flies in the backs and Juan Cruz Mallia’s injury is a huge blow for them. During the Six Nations, Mallia is always there for the team and he is a glue player and a bad loss.

“We will see how they go against Sale Sharks and they could be back in business in two games time and all this will be a dusty old story. I would not be too dramatic because they are not on top form due to a little breach in their armour,

“People now talk about their mental fortitude but how many teams can repeat their Top 14 title win and they won three in a row.”

Antoine Dupont’s performance against Saracens has also been put under the microscope. It was his sixth match since recovering from an ACL injury he sustained in the Six Nations clash against Ireland last year and Kayser dismisses suggestions the scrum-half is not in top form

He added: “Dupont is an extraordinarily good player but he is not a magician and I am not worried about his form. In his first game back he was great and it was as if he had never been away, and now are you saying the opposite? You have to keep things in perspective.

“I was in Bordeaux for the win over Northampton and it was like when I played for Clermont in the Champions Cup with a real buzz around the town. Everybody was up for it and Matthieu Jalibert is a wizard and is walking on a cloud at the moment and let’s hope he stays fit for the Six Nations.

“He is some player and it’s also great to see Cameron Woki back on form. When Maxime Lucu comes back then that is a great back line and they are French. Bordeaux is a serious machine at the moment but don’t put Toulouse to bed just yet.”

Benjamin Kayser is part of the Premier Sports team, bringing 15 live games from the final pool rounds of the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup this weekend. Tune into Premier Sports 2 on Saturday from 5.15pm for live coverage of Toulouse v Sale Sharks followed by Gloucester v Toulon. Benjamin joins the Premier Sports team of Lauren Salter, Lawrence Dallaglio, Matt Banahan, Jamie Lyall and Martin Gillingham for all the action. Big Games. Bigger Moments – visit www.premiersports.com to join in from just £11.99 a month @PremSportsTV.