How Toulouse rebuilt a legitimate European power capable of toppling anyone
The four-time European champions remain undefeated in Champions Cup pool play after a back-to-back double over Wasps and are currently sitting second in the Top 14 league, back in vogue as a European power.
Just two years removed from missing the Top 14 playoffs for the first time in 40 years, how did they become a legitimate force in the running for European glory again?
Toulouse has quickly regained status as a French powerhouse under ex-French international Ugo Mola, but it has been a testing process. When Mola replaced Guy Novès as Toulouse coach in 2016 there could not have been a harder act to follow, with old habits dying hard and locker room loyalty proving hard to sway.
Novès is a living legend in Toulouse, having played over 250 games for the side through the 70’s and 80’s before moving into the coaching staff immediately in his post-playing career where he resided until 2015, overseeing all four European titles. He was likened to the French equivalent of legendary football manager Sir Alex Ferguson, a transcendent icon in sport.
“When Ugo was named, he did not have his locker room,” winger Yoann Huget explained to Sport24.
“He replaced an icon of Stade Toulousain – we can compare Guy Novès to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United – so it was tricky and complicated as a succession.”
The transition became difficult with Mola looking to change what worked in the past and take Toulouse into a new era. There was resistance from a playing group constructed by Noves, with little buy-in for Mola’s controlled attacking game plan based around the collective – not individual – achievements. Immediate results did not come to fruition.
Aside from replacing a local hero as head coach, the club chartered rather unfamiliar waters towards Top 14 success, pioneering a different approach to recruitment under former club captain Fabien Pelous, who took over recruitment and development as part of the sporting director role.
Under Pelous, Toulouse rebuilt their roster around premium home grown talent sprinkled with astute signings, both undervalued journeymen and high-profile superstars, but on balance they bet heavily on developing their own.
Toulouse’s tight five is still extremely young, with the majority of the starters still 25 years or younger, headlined by 23-year-old hooker Julien Marchand (RPI – 85) who has already notched 95 appearances for the club. He is joined in the front row by 22-year-old Clément Castets (RPI – 75), while 21-year-old lock Florian Verhaeghe (RPI – 83) often packs down in the second row.
The youth policy is starting to pay dividends for Mola, who was able to shape his vision with fresh faces and young minds. It helps that this bunch of talent are also highly-touted prospects, with six of the side that started against Wasps having represented France at the under 20 level since 2015. There are age-grade stars littered throughout the side, mixed in with experienced veterans.
With knowledge of the national youth system, there were times where Pelous saw opportunities to snatch other up-and-coming French talents. He went after young star halfback Antoine Dupont (RPI – 87) who had already notched 60 games for Castres by the time he was 20-years-old.
“Even if Antoine is new to the French public this season, we have been following his progress for several years,” he said at the time of the deal.
Toulouse were able to sign him to a three-year deal ahead of the 2017-18 season and pick up one of the best halfbacks in the country with the majority of his career ahead of him.
The club had just reached a low point, however, with a 12th placed league finish in 2016-17 a historically-bad result. The investments in a young team were building experience but whether this would translate into success was an unknown.
Along with Du Pont, Toulouse picked up former All Black Charlie Faumuina, Australian first-five Zack Holmes and South African dynamo Cheslin Kolbe, who was judged the best Top 14 signing of the season, and propelled back up for a third-placed finish last year, earning Champions Cup qualification.
They uncovered and debuted another France under-20 star, 18-year-old midfielder Romain Ntamack (RPI – 82), son of former French international Émile Ntamack. Another under-20 product, 23-year-old speedster Thomas Ramos (RPI – 89) solidified himself at fullback and proved to be an ace goal kicker, striking at around 80 percent.
Toulouse had put together an exciting young core and needed time to master Mola’s grand plan of uniquely French rugby.
Under the guidance of Mola, the side aims to win through a ‘controlled offensive game’. The output of which is discernibly still French, with a laissez-faire attitude of throwing the ball around, however, there is a knack for scoring points against the run of play and enough unpredictability with ball-in-hand to confuse modern defences.
Mola’s emphasis has been on counter-attack, which players describe as the ‘DNA’ of the team. While players like Kolbe and Ramos are always imminent threats to breakaway, the side is full of promoters of ball able to pop and offload immediately after winning a turnover.
The young workers of the pack are complimented by extremely experienced ball carriers like damaging 34-year-old Samoan lock Joe Tekori and 35-year-old All Black Jerome Kaino at number 8. They flourish together in a predatory fashion to take the ball away from the opposition and open up Toulouse’s counter game.
There is nothing clinical about their style of play, when they have ball-in-hand it can look very ugly and seem like it isn’t achieving much before someone somewhere will do something unexpected. The only time there seems to be a detailed plan of attack is from first phase plays, where they use Cheslin Kolbe frequently as a first reciever.
On defence, it is about disruption, and turning that disruption into points through free-flowing play.
In plotting the upset against Leinster, their first 11-points were all built on loose Leinster turnovers and capitalizing immediately. A try on the stroke of halftime was scored in unorthodox fashion with no form of structure and a loose forward dancing around, drawing defenders and freeing up strike centre Sofiane Guitoune with a well-timed offload.
Leinster methodically worked their way back on top only to be undone by an intercept in which Toulouse threw two offloads to keep the movement alive and score from 80-metres out.
Bath were undone by a Toulouse side coming back from a 20-12 deficit, and a never-say-die try saving effort from club legend Maxime Medard on Freddie Burns in the in-goal. Wasps have been dismantled in a similar fashion to Leinster, twice.
Toulouse embrace chaos and thrive on imperfection, and so far have remained perfect. They may not remain that way for long, such is the style that they embody, however with a young core of French talent Toulouse have built a contender for the long-term that is able to beat anybody on any day in a uniquely French way.
Rugby World Cup City Guide – Oita:
Comments on RugbyPass
“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
3 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
2 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
3 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
3 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
3 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
4 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to comments