All week, Philippe Saint-André and his staff have been looking for the best formula to bring down this team against which the champion of France had lost the two confrontations, last season.
On the other hand, the Hérault technician did not no need to insist on the importance of this posterwith his boys: “when you play Toulouse, you don’t need to search your neurons too much to find a pre-match speech, because the players are ready, automatically (…) We are preparing for a big match, for a match of very high level”.
Indeed, when facingthe best French and European team for the last decade“, the degree of motivation is necessarily at most high. Like the number of spectators expected at GGL Stadium this Sunday: “I’ve been here for 31 or 32 months, and this is the first time we’re going to play sold out. They tell me it’s not a good time, but everything will be full“.
And this shock is all the more expected that in case of victory, the MHR will pass in front of the visitorsand will take alone control of the championship, he who totals the same number of successes as the Stadium, for the moment: “Everything is fine ! Four games, three wins, including one away. It’s quite positive. We still have a lot of room for improvement. And having a little bonus to pick up every weekend is pretty good, and you have to keep that, work on it“, confided Anthony Bouthier, Friday morning.
On the counter, only one setback. The one against the European champion, La Rochelle, for the Cistes, in opening. And the one conceded in Pau, a fortnight ago, for the Red and Black.
– Michael Bradley
new blood
Philippe Saint-André is deprived of several elements, and is considering with his management the possibility of recruiting a medical joker, follows the serious knee injury of Arthur Vincent : “We will not take a player to make the number. If we take it, it’s because we think it brings us added value (…) I gave Yvan Reilhac an exit voucher to go to Pau. At the same time, we have Doumayrou who is injured a little, Arthur who has finished the season. It’s often like that. Afterwards, we have solutions, we see if there is an opportunity for a medical joker. Knowing that we have players who arrive on Sunday“.
The MHR records the return of Cobus Reinach, injured last April in the shoulder and who recently resumed with his selection. Otherwise, Karl Tu’inukuafe (29 years old) will indeed be on the trip : “Our New Zealand mainstay will be at the stadium on Sunday“, confirmed PSA.
– Sylvain Thomas
Legal disputes
It is in a particular, even heavy, context that the MHR prepared this match. Two of his players have indeed been sent back to the criminal court and will be judged on February 13.
Enzo Forletta and Thomas Darmonas revealed by Free lunch recently, were in fact prosecuted for aggravated violence resulting in an ITT of more than eight days, after being placed in police custody before the trip to Brive.
Both are accused of hitting a customer leaving a bar in Montpellier, on the night of June 18 to 29, as they celebrated the title. The second is also suspected of attacking a security guard who tried to intervene and who was issued an ITT of less than eight days.
The client of the establishment explains that his companion was bothered by Pierre Lucas within the premises (Australian Bar), that an altercation broke out and that he was beaten by Forletta and Darmon, when he left the premises.
On their side, the players and a video analyst from the club talk about a gratuitous assault on Thomas Darmon. The latter also filed a complaint and allegedly had a fractured nose (ITT of less than eight days). The customer of the Australian Bar is therefore also prosecuted. The magistrates will try to clear things up in a little less than five months, while PSA supported its men : “They have always been transparent with me and revealed the facts to me the next day (…) the first person attacked was Pierre Lucas (…) We trust justice“said the manager.