TOULOUSE’S CELEBRATIONS AT the final whistle last weekend in Montpellier made it seem as if they’d won a trophy. Hands were flung into the air, players embraced, more ran on from the touchline, and coaches beamed with pride. Toulouse fans who had travelled south bounced in the sun-soaked stands.
The 29-22 victory over Montpellier, who are fighting for their Top 14 lives, meant Toulouse kept top spot in the league table but the scenes of ecstasy were more about the make-up of the team. With the big guns like Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack resting ahead of the Champions Cup final this Saturday, head coach Ugo Mola sent out a very unfamiliar side in Montpellier. Never mind the B team, this was genuinely C team territory.
And more pertinently, 16 of the matchday 23 either came through Stade Toulousain’s set-up [similar to the academy in Ireland] or are still part of it. Players like Théo Ntamack and Benjamin Bertrand have played for Toulouse since the age of five or six. Back row Joshua Brennan has been around the club from when he was a baby.
19-year-old out-half Kalvin Gourges was sprung from the bench early on after 20-year-old playmaker Valentin Delpy was forced off. Back row Mathis Castro-Ferreira, 20, scored two tries before 19-year-old Lomig Jouanny replaced him. There were a few experienced players involved – including Fijian wing Setareki Bituniyata and veteran Samoan lock Piula Fa’asalele – but this was a proud day for Toulouse’s production line.
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