The coach of the Toulouse three-quarters Clément Poitrenaud was annoyed, at a press conference, about systematically facing Bayonne in a period of doubles, and this since 2020. So, truth or exaggeration?
It was Jean Bouilhou who lit the fuse, having fun doing so a week ago, just after the victory against Toulon (57-5): “It’s a team that we play in doubles all the time, so it’s quite special. I don’t know what the other teams think of it.” And his colleague in the staff in charge of three-quarters Clément Poitrenaud added a layer at a press conference after the defeat of Toulouse in Bayonne (12-8): “The Bayonnais, we are going to play them once again in a double in a few weeks (return match on the weekend of February 22, the same as Italy-France). I think since 2020 we haven't played them to the fullest. It's going to start to show a little… We're going to have to do something.”
So, is Stade Toulouse facing Aviron Bayonnais systematically deprived of its internationals? The pattern is real, but the nuances are numerous.
Last season, no doubt: the Bayonnais hosted the title holders on August 18, 2023 (26-7), during preparation for the World Cup, then on February 3, opening weekend of the Tournament (France 17-38 Ireland in Marseille). The season before, the match in Toulouse (21-16) already took place at the beginning of February, during the Tournament (Italy 24-29 France). And the first leg ended in favor of the Basques (26-22) at the end of October 2022, for what was a true-false double, as was the case this Sunday. Clearly, the XV of France was not playing but was preparing its fall tour.
The 2021-2022 season is not relevant in this count since the Bayonnais had been relegated to Pro D2 for a year to better move up to the elite.
And the exercise before, the first “post-Covid”, is open to debate. Not so much for the first leg, played at Jean-Dauger on December 5, 2020, with both teams “full” (Toulouse victory 24-20). But rather for the next one, having taken place on May 15, 2021. In no case was it an international window but the Toulouse residents chose to do without many executives (except Ramos, Cros, Elstadt, Tekori and the Arnold brothers) because a week later took place the Champions Cup final which they won against La Rochelle (17-22). As it turns out, in this affair between Bayonne and Toulouse, everything is not just a question of the international window and selections…
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