In eight months, the dynamic has been completely reversed.
At the end of May 2023, the Rugby Club Toulonnais won the first Challenge Cup in its history by soundly crushing Glasgow in the final (43-19).
Reversal of the trend.
Last weekend, these same Toulonnais were pitifully eliminated from the Champions Cup, without even finishing fifth and therefore securing a ticket for the Challenge Cup.
After a fourth defeat in as many days, the latter against... Glasgow (29-5).
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An open house operation in the Highlands.
The RCT missed a staggering 40 tackles during this meeting, or 25% of those they attempted.
Impossible to claim anything under these conditions.
The Var club now only has the Top 14 to contest, with the obligation to stop the bleeding during the reception of Stade Rochelais which is gaining momentum after a sluggish start.
Before the start of the Champions Cup, Toulon remained on four consecutive league victories.
Since then, he has conceded six losses in seven matches.
For many months, the discontent among Toulon supporters has been strong.
She came back stronger after this setback in Scotland.
At the start of the season, some RCT “fadas” unfurled a (new) banner in front of the training center with a scathing: “
You are trampling on 116 years of history, aren’t you ashamed?
» Asked at a press conference, manager Pierre Mignoni did not want to comment on this umpteenth manifestation of anger.
“
No reaction, I know where those who really like the RCT are.
Period, next!”
“You could put whoever you wanted on the field, it would have been the same”
The key now is to know how to get this team out of the apathy in which it seems stuck.
Several executives have struggled to get back on track since the last World Cup, notably the Welshman Dan Biggar, the Argentinian Facundo Isa, the Fijians Waisea and Wainiqolo.
After the defeat in Munster against Munster, Mignoni expressed his helplessness.
“We saw that we were not at the level.
In a match with 42 minutes of effective playing time, you hold or you don't.
We didn't hold out and that concerns the whole group, you could put whoever you wanted on the pitch, it would have been the same
,” he said.
More than worrying...
The long-term absence of Baptiste Serin, then the more recent and shorter absences of Charles Ollivon and Esteban Abadie, revealed a glaring lack of leadership in the team.
Another hard blow, the unavailability for 4 to 6 weeks of Gabin Villière (knee sprain).
Also read: Top 14: at what time and on which channel to follow Toulon-La Rochelle?
The weeks go by and the red and black ship is still rocking.
Pierre Mignoni asks for time and indulgence, but the heated environment that surrounds him does not encourage calm.
“
Even if for a month and a half it has been complicated, I have the impression that we have progressed compared to last year,”
the technician nevertheless advances.
Same story from his deputy Sergio Parisse, who advances in the daily
Var Matin
:
“It's true that we are in a negative series, but it happens to all teams.
And since we weren't fired up after our winning streak in November, we're not going to shoot ourselves in the foot and question everything today.
Whether it's the players or the staff, we are extremely convinced of where we want to go.
And how to achieve it.”
“We need a little revolt between us”
The question that comes up is whether the Toulon staff are let down by their players.
“
We have meetings, we talk to each other, I want us to argue with each other and say things to each other.
We say things to each other but we are not in crisis contrary to what some people want to put forward.
Before being in crisis, you have to say things to yourself,”
Pierre Mignoni recently recognized.
The three-quarter Jérémy Sinzelle, lined up last weekend at the opening, for his part calls for better attention from his teammates, to best respect the playing system put in place.
“It requires so much rigor.
Very specific guys in one place on the field.
If just one guy isn't there, you quickly get lost.
We find ourselves outnumbered, we go from a favorable situation to an unfavorable one... It doesn't seem like anything but it's all these little things that we have to sort out,
he details in
Var Matin.
We also have to find the balance between playing rugby naturally, without programming everything, and above all knowing when we have to do it.
Time is running out and the arrival of La Rochelle, which is back on track after a sluggish start to the season, will be under great pressure.
For Jérémy Sinzelle,
“we need a little revolt between us.
We need to switch and start a dynamic.
We did it in November.
Everything was beautiful.
There, it's harder... You have to show character.
Currently, we need it.
It must start this weekend against La Rochelle.
The RCT is still 5th in the ranking.
Be careful of slippery terrain.