Emmanuel LANGELLIER, Media365: published on Wednesday October 9, 2024 at 1:38 p.m.
Quite unusual, Toulouse is in trouble after two losses in a row in the Top 14.
Incredible, the biggest French club, reigning French and European champion, has just lost twice in a row in the Top 14! Dominated on its lawn (12-16) ten days ago by Union Bordeaux-Bègles, the current leader with La Rochelle, Stade Toulousain fell again, last Saturday, this time in Castres (23-28). This year, this had already happened, in March during the doubles period, in Perpignan (17-27) and… Bordeaux-Bègles (28-31). Positioned in 5th place in the Championship after 5 days (3 wins, 2 losses), the Rouge et Noir will now look to bounce back against Clermont on Saturday (9:05 p.m.).
Do better in scrum and on the ground, find those who are absent
We are still only at the start of the Top 14 so there is nothing very worrying yet. But Toulouse will obviously have to do better in several areas and tighten things up under the orders of Ugo Mola. The scrum will in particular have to seriously pull itself together after the 6 penalties conceded against the CO and we will have to do much better on the ground. Poorly supported by the three-quarters, the forwards do not do enough. Would they pay for a shorter summer preparation than usual? It’s quite possible. The return of those absent – Antoine Dupont, Jack Willis, Cyril Baille, Nepo Laulala – could do good, even if their replacements do not deserve it.
Dupont in the center?
This is good, Dupont could already return next weekend. Returning to training on Monday after being crowned Olympic champion in rugby 7, the scrum half could change position and move towards the center this season. Ugo Mola had already mentioned this idea last season. Seeing Antoine Dupont, who loves to play with space in front of him, in the center is therefore quite possible. His manager appreciates the idea, as probably the international himself who alternated between the position of… center and winger on Monday during the opposition. Besides, the scrum-half position is not necessarily the one that suits him best… “Scrum-half is not Antoine’s dream position, because it’s a position where you have to make others play and rarely play for you. It doesn’t instinctively correspond to his game, said his brother Clément a few months ago. Besides, he still didn’t play 10 or center in his early days, at least until his junior years. It was only in Auch, in Crabos, that he started playing 9 because he was the smallest. Then he returned to 10, notably in Castres, at the start. » So, Dupont with the number 13 on his back, it could very well be that we see that soon…
