With 23 Brennus Shields and six European titles, Stade Toulousain is one of the greatest clubs in history. A host of great players have worn its colours. But, in the end, which is the best team in the history of Stade Toulousain? Is the current generation unique?
The first of Stade Toulousain’s 23 French championship titles was won in 1912. It has been 112 years since the Red and Blacks won their first title. The story began in a beautiful way and it has continued in the same way with many trophies joining the club’s display case. Whatever the players, whatever the categories, Stade Toulousain has always played the same offensive game and with generations of extraordinary players, often elements from the training center.
This is the case of the current generation which is shining brightly on French and European pitches with two European titles (2021, 2024) and four Shields (2019, 2021, 2023, 2024) in five years under the leadership of its two stars Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack, two players whose fame has gone beyond the world of rugby like Sébastien Chabal or Frédéric Michalak before them.
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Novès the builder
This golden generation that forms the backbone of the French team also put an end to one of the club’s worst periods since before winning in 2019, the club had not won a trophy since 2012 despite the presence of talented players like Gaël Fickou, Yoann Maestri or Louis Picamoles. But despite the excellent results of the current generation, it is difficult to designate it as the best in the club’s history.
This is the opinion of Jean Abeilhou, a journalist at France Télévisions who has followed and commented on many Stade Toulousain matches and who has seen countless talented generations of Stade Toulousain come and go:
“It is always difficult to compare. Unlike today, at the end of the 80s they were amateurs, they did not train at all in the same way and they also had excellent results with three Shields (1985, 1986, 1989). This generation brought the Shield back to Toulouse since before 1985 the club had not won it since 1947.”
” In the 90s, at the dawn of professionalism, Stade Toulousain won four titles in a row (1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997), they also won the first European title in the club’s history (1996). All generations of the club have been exceptional with some difficult periods as in all clubs. But these periods are rare in Toulouse. Talents are intergenerational, collective intelligence too”.
“If they played Charvet today, Spanghero would be as good as the current players”
In Toulouse, the game is also intergenerational. The system is identical from youth teams to professionals. When players arrive in the first team, they blend into the collective because they know the different game systems. Toulouse has always produced stars from its training center and has often been the official supplier of the national teams:
“Some great players have worn this jersey. Jérôme Cazalbou and Christophe Deylaud also won a lot of titles (7 Boucliers de Brennus and a European Cup for Cazalbou and 5 Boucliers and a European Cup for Deylaud, Editor’s note). Denis Charvet, Erik Bonneval, Thomas Castaignède, Ugo Mola were also exceptional players. Charvet at 25 was a star of world rugby, Walter Spanghero too, he had a face. If they played today, they would be as good as today’s players, they would prepare the same way.”
There have been so many great teams at Stade Toulousain and great players who have worn this legendary jersey that it is really difficult to compare eras, but the generation of the late 90s with a certain Didier Lacroix in 3th line, Ugo Mola at the back, Emile Ntamack on the wing, an essential hinge with Jérôme Cazalbou and Christophe Daylaud was really impressive.
She won four consecutive Boucliers (1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997) and another in 1999. She truly deserves the title of best Stade Toulousain team in history. While waiting, perhaps, to be overtaken one day by the current generation.
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