the essential
After the big defeat at Wakefield during the final (36-0), the TO is licking its wounds and above all awaiting the decision of the Super League which will formalize the name of the 12 twelve clubs called to play at this level.
The final: not the true face of the TO
It was the third Championship final for Toulouse Olympique. If the first in 2021 resulted in a memorable victory against Featherstone (34-12) and the second last year with a short defeat at home against the London Broncos (14-18), the one that ended which took place on Saturday evening at the Belle Vue Stadium in Wakefield, in front of 8,016 spectators, makes your head hurt. In the end, the bill is very heavy (0-36). To find traces of a final lost with zero points for Toulouse, we have to go back to the 1962-1963 season. That year in the Coupe de France, the Haut-Garonne club lost to Carcassonne (0-5) on the Audois pitch.
This large defeat also refers to the final of the French championship in 2005, in Narbonne, where the Toulousains were swept away by the Catalans of Saint-Estève/XIII Catalan (16-66). Saturday evening, Toulouse was physically worn out. The defeat is only legitimate. It was one match too many.
“It’s a shame, we didn’t see the true face of Toulouse Olympique,” explains Sylvain Houlès. “We had difficulty getting out of our camp and attacking. Wakefield mastered his subject well and imposed enormous pressure on us . I congratulate them on this excellent season. For our part, we keep our fingers crossed. We await the decision of the Super League on Wednesday.
The infirmary: Benjamin Laguerre
The Toulouse winger is the last injured of the season. A sign of the intensity of the meeting and the commitment, he fractured his jaw, which will certainly require surgery.
The sporting record: 28 matches, 28 players used
Sylvain Houlès and his management used 28 players for 28 matches. A season with a very positive record punctuated by 19 victories, a draw against Bradford (12-12) and eight defeats.
The future: Super League or Championship?
In sporting terms, the season is over or almost. Next year, we do not know if the TO will play in the Super League or Championship. The Super League steering committee meets tomorrow and will deliver on Wednesday the list of the 12 clubs called to compete in the edition of the Super League, classified according to the IMG index. Promotion is not only based on sporting prowess, but on four other criteria: communication, sports venue, finances and training. Remember that last year, IMG made an experimental classification of 35 clubs, from the Super League to League One. The Catalan Dragons were ranked fourth, Toulouse tenth.
Senegal
