It took a booster shot to wake the beast. Clumsy at the start of the match despite taking the score thanks to the boot of its international opener Romain Ntamack, Stade Toulousain raised their voice and pulled out their teeth after conceding the first try of the meeting, in Cardiff, Saturday 11 December. If all was not perfect, the defending champion made a success of his Champions Cup debut by winning (39-7) with the offensive bonus for the Blues.
We fulfilled the contract, with flashes that are sometimes very talented, interesting things in terms of the level of play and moments of weakness. We were a good part of the first period within reach of a block, but we took cover then.
Ugo Mola, Toulouse coachat a press conference after the meeting
This meeting on Welsh soil, on a synthetic field that Toulouse are not crazy about this season (two defeats in Lyon and Racing 92), could have turned into a trap match. Admittedly, Cardiff, forced to field eleven neophytes on the scoresheet and bring a player out of retirement because of the Omicron variant, presented a deeply diminished and inexperienced squad, but presented themselves with the energy of a squad’s desperation. who has nothing to lose. Falling balls, dominated in scrum, the Welsh freed from all pressure tried to get the pace to surprise the Toulouse machine.
Carried by a excited public, they even planted the first try of the meeting by Adams (20th, 7-6) and took the lead. For their part, the players of Ugo Mola, weighed down by poor transmissions to start the game after the touches, had until then been content to score through Romain Ntamack (6/8 in front of the posts). In success to penalize the opposing faults, rather inspired to occupy the field, the number 10 of the XV of France allowed his team to keep away from the Welsh too penalized (16 faults in all including 6 in less than 20 minutes) for hope to hang the European champion. Then his friend at the hinge, in the France team and in Toulouse, finished the job.
The trap has been avoided. We knew it would be a revamped (Cardiff) team and they were going to start very strong. We suffered a little. We were perhaps a little surprised for 5-10 minutes, but we did not panic, we were quite sober but efficient. (…) We had to do a little round back on the first period and after the game was unbridled, which we like, and we managed to find solutions.
Romain Ntamack, Stade Toulousain openerat a post-match press conference
In a collective undermined by too much waste, Antoine Dupont, named best player in the world on Friday, put his teammates in the direction of travel. The number 9 first made speak his frenzied canes at the end of a scrum and his devastating noise to pierce the defensive line before serving Ntamack who allowed Anthony Jelonch, thanks to a flash pass, to slip away on the test (24th, 7-13). Toulouse responded to Cardiff and turned their heads right side up. Another devastating acceleration from Dupont allowed New Zealand center Pita Ahki to double down and knock out Cardiff just before the break (20-7). A try (57th) and a decisive pass for Bonneval (66th) to conclude came to flesh out his festival.
“We will savor this victory but we will quickly switch to next week and the reception of the Wasps”, commented Ugo Mola. If the Toulouse beast will have to file its fangs and sharpen its claws before facing the Wasps to offer a more successful copy, it has already provided the essential: to secure a precious victory in its quest to defend its crown.