A few weeks ago, Guillaume Galletier was on the lawn of his club in Montpellier. He had not been able to play against his cousin Kélian. This Saturday, another type of fratricidal confrontation will take place: cbetween Daniel, pillar in Brive, and Joshua, second line. Perhaps Trevor Brennan’s two sons will meet on the pitch tomorrow.
Maybe because Joshua is only a replacement. “I hope I get the chance to play against him on the pitch” admits Daniel Brennan. Rugby, for him, is also a family affair. U20 world champion, he is the son of Trevor Brennan, flagship Irish player of Stade Toulousain, for whom it will be difficult to choose between his two sons. “I don’t know how he’s going to do it. Maybe he’ll have a CAB shirt and a Stade Toulousain sweater” laughs his son Daniel.
Holidays with the grandmother in Ireland
The two sons are in any case impatiently awaiting this match. Joshua Brennan will thus live new minutes with the pros, he who has already played 90 minutes with his training club. He also won the Espoirs championship last year with Stade Toulousain. Daniel Brennan will start for the third time this season, after having rejuvenated in the country. “We vacationed together in Ireland. Obviously, this match was one of the discussions at the table. Our grandmother asked us one thing: no fight! “
A match with stars in your eyes
In the state of mind, however, we will have to fight, no offense to Mamy Brennan. Toulouse have three offensive bonuses in a row, an average of 36 points scored per game. To avoid taking 40, Brive will have to show a beautiful face. “Do the best” even says coach Arnaud Méla. Toulouse face Brive without its internationals victorious against New Zealand, notably Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack at the hinge. “Of course, we will not see Antoine Dupont, the best player in the world for me” comments Paul Abadie, scrum half from Briv, “but we have been basking since the start of the week with the internationals.”
“But, an encore team from Toulouse with Flament, Faumina, Ramos, Miquel, Tolofua, Akhi, Meafou … etc, it’s still a high-performance team with players that any staff would like to have”.
What to be wary of to repeat the good performance of last year, where Brive led 17 to 14 after 55 minutes … before cracking with three yellow cards and nearly 30 points conceded. “If we give 15 penalties, we will lose the match and a lot “ warns Arnaud Méla. It’s up to Brivists to be serious in order to hope for something from Ernest Wallon. Brive’s last victory in Toulouse dates back to 2006, on November 18 … the same day as a certain France-All Blacks.