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Top 14 club-by-club 2020/21 season preview: Toulouse

By James Harrington
Romain Ntamack got the Toulouse show on the road going versus Montpellier (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Toulouse have been quiet in the rugby transfer market as head coach Ugo Mola looks to build on his youth dynasty.

Key signing

Alexi Bales. Toulouse have been noticeably quiet in the player market – with their academy production line in full flow, who needs big-name transfers? But, after losing Sebastien Bezy to Clermont, they needed cover for Antoine Dupont. The experienced Bales is a smart signing from La Rochelle.

Key departure

Florian Verhaeghe. Given their youth policy, it seems strange that Toulouse would let 23-year-old lock Florian Verhaeghe go, but he’s heading to Montpellier next season. A mention, too, for Scotland’s Richie Gray, who was there in the tough times.

They say

“We are training to attack [the game] hard in September and be ready because, for us, the objectives, the most important matches, come immediately” Sofiane Guitoune (France Bleu)

We say

Toulouse are not the only side facing a two-step domestic and European start to the season. There are five more Top 14 sides across the two competitions, as well as five Premiership and five Pro14 clubs.

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But they are notable in having set out their Champions Cup stall. After winning the 2019 Top 14 title, and having fallen at the semi-final stage of the Champions Cup at Leinster in the same year, the four-time European champions have their eyes on a prize they last won back in 2012.

Like Clermont, they lost many players to the World Cup. Unlike Clermont, their returning internationals made a noticeable difference, helping drag Toulouse up from 11th when the tournament in Japan finished to seventh when the season ended early. Their 26 points from nine Top 14 games after the World Cup ended compares more-than favourably with the 14 they managed in eight domestic games during it. Only Racing did better.

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Sam Smith returns to Chiefs HQ

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Sam Smith returns to Chiefs HQ

But Toulouse now have to exceed rugby expectations all the time. The long-forgotten high-tempo power-and-pace game they remastered under Mola needs to be faster, higher and stronger as rivals know now what to expect.

Mola knows that – and he knows exactly where to look for the next crop of players. Home. Toulouse’s academy is back to doing what it does best – churning out talent after talent after talent.

It is noticeable that they have been relatively quiet in the transfer market, bringing in just two senior players – Richie Arnold returns to join brother Rory in the engine room; the experienced Alexi Bales – a smart signing from La Rochelle as cover for Antoine Dupont. But president Didier Lacroix may rue missing out on a season of Alex Lozowski, who signed for Montpellier when the Toulouse path went cold at the height of the pandemic.

The most ambitious signing is probably an academy player. Scrum-half Baptiste Germain is just 19 and appears destined for future senior international honours. This is what Toulouse do now – mould and develop young talent. It’s what they used to do, and what they should always have done.

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There have been some key changes in the staff. Forwards coach Regis Sonnes, whose influence stretched beyond the boundaries of his remit, has been replaced in the coaching set-up by former Toulouse flanker Jean Bouilhou.

Those backroom changes shouldn’t make much difference. This is Mola’s empire – and he’s building for the long haul.

Arrivals

Richie Arnold; Alexi Bales

Departures

Maks Van Dyk; Richie Gray; Florian Verhaeghe; Gillian Galan; Pierre Pages; Sebastien Bezy; Tristan Tedder; Maxime Mermoz; Theo Belan

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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