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Stade Toulousain: the internationals on the bridge against Munster before joining the Blues

2023-01-21T20:49:16.557Z


Already qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions Cup, Toulouse nevertheless lined up against Munster many of its internationals, before they found the XV of France.


Fabien Galthié unveiled his list of 42 players this week to prepare for the next Six Nations Tournament.

And, as usual, Stade Toulousain has the club that provides the most internationals to the Blues.

In the group of 42, there are indeed no less than eleven Toulouse.

The latter will join Marcoussis on Sunday evening, after having played the fourth and last day of the group stage of the Champions Cup against the Irish of Munster.

Julien Marchand, Cyril Baille, Thibaud Flament, François Cros, Anthony Jelonch, Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, Pierre-Louis Barassi, Matthis Lebel, Melvyn Jaminet and Thomas Ramos have been summoned to Blue.

If he hadn't been hurt, Peato Mauvaka would have been too.

And some announced that Alexandre Roumat and Dorian Aldegheri would also join the CNR, but this will not be the case, they will remain with their club.

“We are not going to listen to me reduce the number of matches of our internationals”

Before the start of the international window dedicated to the Six Nations, Toulouse manager Ugo Mola decided to establish his internationals en masse to challenge Munster at Ernest-Wallon.

Apart from Lebel and Ramos, they will all be on deck.

And, this week at a press conference, the technician from Haut-Garonne mentioned the heavy playing time of his players since the start of the season.

Read alsoSix Nations Tournament: the XV of the great absentees

And to explain:

“As for Antoine Dupont and the internationals, we tried to anticipate that

(the important playing time, editor’s note)

.

We have more staff than in past seasons and a little more material available.

When I look at Aaron Smith

(All Blacks scrum half, editor's note)

who was the international reference on playing time, he had the same playing time as Antoine Dupont at the same age.

What's quite funny is that I think above all that what our internationals need is to play high-level matches, whether for a club or for the France team.

It is obvious.

»

Ugo Mola, who has won two French championship titles (2019, 2021) and a continental crown (2021), deplores the accumulation of competitions for his players.

It is the regulation of our competitions which poses a problem and which raises debate.

But unfortunately, we are not going to listen to me or agree to reduce the number of matches for our internationals.

When it is well managed and sufficiently anticipated, that we have the material to not lose the objectives of Stade Toulousain, we manage to do it.

And we will continue to do so, even if it

means taking 30 points from La Rochelle as was recently the case

(30-7, at the start of January)

.

Record seven-game losing streak last year

Inevitably, during periods of duplication, the Reds and Blacks lose their effectiveness and their strike force.

As was the case this fall, during the test matches of the Blues against Australia, South Africa and Japan.

During this period, Toulouse - which flew over the Top 14 - had experienced three games without a win: a defeat in Bayonne (26-22), a draw against Stade Français Paris (16-16) and another loss in Lyon (21- 14).

“It's been three matches that we haven't won and I hear that we miss people.

But we have to stop with the periods without the internationals.

We know the rule”

, had nevertheless swept Ugo Mola.

Read alsoPatrick Buisson: "I will not be Bernard Laporte's potiche"

Clouds that had quickly dissipated since Antoine Dupont and his teammates had then resumed their march forward, conceding only one defeat (against Stade Rochelais, therefore) in seven outings in all competitions.

However, these periods of turbulence are recurrent.

Already last year, after an almost perfect start to the year (9 wins in 11 days), the Haut-Garonne had experienced a huge air hole in the depths of winter with a record series of six consecutive defeats.

Same causes, same consequences this year?

Even before their match against Munster, Stade Toulousain is already guaranteed to play in the knockout stages of the Champions Cup.

And, in the Top 14, the room for maneuver is narrower: the Toulouse leader is only three points ahead of his runner-up, the surprising Stade Français, and eleven points ahead of Montpellier, sixth and hypothetical last qualified for the final stages of the championship.

An advance that will melt like snow in the sun?

Source: lefigaro

All sports articles on 2023-01-21

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