“He won’t be up to standard but he has extraordinary qualities”

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Opposed to La Rochelle during the 14^e day of Top 14, Toulouse should largely call on the depth of its squad in order to rest its executives before its trip to South Africa. At a press conference, Jean Bouilhou notably addressed a few compliments to one of his young nuggetsboth in terms of the game and in terms of her hair elegance.

Jean Bouilhou's praise for Malachi Hawkes

The statistic caused a lot of talk during the 2023-2024 Top 14 season when Stade Toulousain called on 59 players in the conquest of its 23^e shield of Brennus. Training, but also getting young people to play, Toulouse knows how to do it.

Some of them also made a sensational entrance recently on the Lou lawn, starting with the pillars Benjamin Bertrand and Malachi Hawkes who should be called upon again in La Rochelle. Which gave Jean Bouilhou the opportunity to say a little more about his young Australian nugget at a press conference.

“Malachi is an explosive player. It took us a while to get him to play on the right because he has a rather particular size, more of a heel profile. But in the end, I think his position will be right pillar. He will not be up to the standards perhaps of what we can experience in other right pillars, but he has athletic qualities of explosiveness which are out of the norm,” notes the coach of the Haut-Garonne forwards.

Confidence is in the mullet

It must be admitted that visually, Malachi Hawkes does not leave the same impression of robustness as his Spanish international comrade Joel Merkler: 1.81m and 123 kilos for one, 1.94m and 135 kilos for the other.

This “modest” size for a right-hander, however, gives the Sydney native abilities that his counterparts perhaps do not have.

“With the ball he is able to cross any line. And then he doesn't put pressure on himself. He is someone who has great self-confidence, which allows him to approach things with serenity. This is also why he will begin to exist in our squad. Anyway, to have a mullet cut and a mustache, you have to have self-confidence,” jokes the former flanker in conclusion.

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