Sharks-Stade Toulousain: “Memories that will come back…” A match with a taste of revenge for Antoine Dupont and his family against the South Africans?

Friday 10th January 2025 11:15 AM

the essential
The compositions of the two teams for the clash of the third day of the Champions Cup have been revealed. The “red and black” will find many players against whom they have bad memories.

When analyzing the Sharks’ starting XV for this Saturday’s match (4:15 p.m.), it is impossible not to notice the presence of six South African world champions. Among them, four fought against the Blues on October 15, 2023, during the quarter-final of the World Cup sadly passed to posterity in France (28-29).

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Sharks-Stade Toulousain: “From 5 to 30°C with 80% humidity in two days…” Antoine Dupont talks about the difficult conditions in South Africa

Opposite, seven of the incumbents chosen by Ugo Mola undoubtedly retained the bitterness of this disillusionment in their mouths for a long time. If the majority of players have since turned the page, a thirst for revenge will inexorably occupy the corner of their minds. “Obviously there is a bit of analogy between what they experienced a year ago and what they will experience on Saturday,” concedes Ugo Mola on the eve of the meeting.

“No story of revenge”

“There will be many memories that will come back,” confirms Antoine Dupont. But the captain assures him, “there is no story of revenge”, the context today is “different”. However, the “red and black” could find renewed motivation in this adversity as former winger Vincent Clerc explains: “S“Coming up against the Sharks with their South African world champions who are in great shape, it’s a great challenge to take on as a team.”

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Stade Toulousain: “A strong moment for us…” The emotion of Antoine Dupont and the “rouge et noir”, who recount the tribute paid to Medhi Narjissi

One thing remains certain, many “world class players”, as Ugo Mola calls them, will be present on the pitch at Kings Park Stadium in Durban. “We all want to see Etzebeth against Meafou, Kolisi against Cros…” salivates the Toulouse manager. Unfortunately, Eben Etzebeth, who became public enemy number 1 in France after his possible voluntary advance against the Blues, will be missing. Injured , the former Toulon player withdrew.