The manager of Stade Toulousain likes to poke his players who, according to him, have not yet marked the club’s history. Not to his rear’s liking.
The current generation of Stade Toulousain – opposed this Friday in the Top 14 final to Bordeaux-Bègles – has already written one of the beautiful pages of the most successful club in France (22 titles) and Europe (6 titles, the last This year). But Ugo Mola knows better than anyone how to pique his players to push them to win even more. Recently, on the road to the superb victory against Leinster, the Haut-Garonnais technician blurted out: “This team has a lot of appetite, they want to mark their history and their time at Stade Toulousain. For the moment, it’s not bad, but they have not yet marked the history of the club like certain generations.
For many, the generation of Dupont and Ntamack has already hit very hard by winning three Brennus (2019, 2021, 2023) and two Champions Cups (2021, 2024), and this year they are aiming for a new Top 14-European Cup double. after that of 2021. But that is never enough among the Rouge et Noir, where the culture of winning is monstrous and the quest for excellence, permanent.
Will they leave their mark on the club more than other generations? I wish them. I think there’s still a bit missing…
Ugo Line
International fullback Thomas Ramos returned to this permanent thirst to win. “The club has this desire to win. We are in a club that cultivates winning. Since I arrived, that’s what I’ve been told: win. We are a group that wants to have fun on the pitch. We want to mark the history of our club and our sport. But we still have a way to go. This is what motivates us every day.”
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For his part, Ugo Mola evokes the glorious past of the Red and Black. The Stadium having become, over the years, an institution of French rugby, the leading supplier of internationals. “This club has had incredible generations over the past 30 years. Guy Novès had the crème de la crème of rugby at his disposal for 25 years. I have the crème de la crème following, he greeted. My generation had won four titles in a row, with a European Cup, that was pretty good… It was a different kind of rugby, the competition was perhaps less strong and the other clubs less structured at the time. There was also an incredible generation between 2005 and 2012 led in particular by Thierry Dusautoir.”
We are lucky to be coached by coaches who have won more than us. Some know how to remember it more than others…
Thomas Ramos
The manager from Haute-Garonne recalls that “in modern rugby, the better things go, the more competition develops. The Top 14 has never been so competitive. I find this generation quite exceptional. – obviously given what they produce on the pitch, obviously given the trophies they have won – in terms of attitude. I often judge the intention more than the action. I coach incredible guys, they’re good guys.” But he couldn’t help but let out a little dig before the final against UBB: “Will they leave a bigger mark on the club than other generations? I hope so. I think there’s still a bit missing… That’s just my opinion. They’re not bad but there’s something missing.”
A fierce competitor with a strong character, Thomas Ramos does not hesitate to respond to him, between the lines. “We are lucky to be coached by coaches who have won more than us”he emphasizes. Before, with a little grin, insisting: “Some know how to remember it more than others so it allows you to get your feet back on the ground…” Ugo Mola knows how to motivate his players before a final where they are heavily favored.
