The case seemed badly embarked.
The European champion - and his five stars on the jersey - released in the round of 16, it would have been a stain.
And then Antoine Dupont, again him, arose to register the test of the victory of Stade Toulousain in Belfast against Ulster (23-30).
Beaten at Ernest-Wallon in the first leg (20-26, after playing 70 minutes at fourteen), the Rouge et Noir were able to react like champions, and honor their status as the flagship team of European rugby.
A small point of difference that makes the difference.
“It's won by one point against a magnificent team. I don't know if it's pride, but rather pride. The pride of not wanting to let go of this trophy, the pride of playing a quarter-final,
appreciates Toulouse manager Ugo Mola.
Getting out in the round of 16 by losing three out of four matches would not have been up to the quality of this team.
Read alsoTops / Flops Ulster-Toulouse: Dupont the superhero, unrecognizable Baloucoune
All has not been perfect in Belfast.
Far from there.
Stade Toulousain, forced to chase after the score, tried a lot at Kingspan Stadium, to excess.
Hence an impressive and unusual technical waste.
Shovel forwards, unsteady passes, so many rather coarse slags which did not allow the Haut-Garonnais to stand out on the scoreboard.
And Ugo Mola, honest, to make his mea culpa:
“We made a mistake in strategy, we wanted to score very quickly.
Too many easy points are given.
We lacked a bit of foresight.
But hey, we're in the quarter-finals.
Here we go again.
This team does not give up.
I'll be happy with that."
In this lively and intense part, Romain Ntamack shone with high-class gestures, such as this decisive breakthrough which tore the Northern Irish defense for Thomas Ramos' try or this interception which he himself transformed into 5 points.
This game will give us a lot of confidence for the rest of the season
Thomas Ramos
At the same time, his buddy of the hinge Antoine Dupont seemed to be in a day without, committing small errors which are hardly like him.
But that did not prevent the labeled "best player in the world" from making a difference in "money time" when he was replaced at the opening.
A real champion reaction.
“It's the kind of matches we like to win. We knew we were capable of doing it. And we did it,
relishes international full-back Thomas Ramos.
We got off to a bad start after the first leg, but we were able to reverse the trend.
“And to insist:
” There is a lot of joy.
It's been a while since we won away from home.
Especially here, in a rather special atmosphere.
After a serious slack in the heart of winter, in particular due to the absence of its internationals, Stade Toulousain is regaining momentum and color as it approaches the final straights, whether in the Top 14 (currently 5th) or in the Champions Cup.
"This match will give us a lot of confidence for the rest of the season
," said Thomas Ramos.
We will have to raise our level of rugby if we want to win a quarter in Ireland.
Ugo Mola
Serious things resume on Saturday (9:05 p.m.) with a clash of the Rouge et Noir at the Stade Vélodrome against RC Toulon, also in clear recovery.
Several Toulouse executives should be left to rest, to breathe a little.
It will then be time to look ahead to the quarter-final of the European Cup against Munster.
A remake of last year's match, in the round of 16, where Julien Marchand and his teammates won at Thomond Park (33-40), for the first time in club history.
But this year, this quarter-final will take place at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin since two concerts of Ed Sheeran are planned in the enclosure of the Red Army in Limerick.
In any case, one thing is certain:
"We will have to raise our level of rugby if we want to go and win a quarter in Ireland"
, warns Ugo Mola.
Toulouse is still in contention on both counts.
For a new double?
Are we making a movie of it?