Toulouse, a champion reaction. For this gala match of the 10th day of Top 14, the RCT almost claimed the scalp of Stade Toulousain from Ernest-Wallon, but the Var club did not last the distance (25-17). However, he started perfectly in the first half with a lot of desire and character. Ugo Mola’s players, not at their best defensively, then made up for their delay, before moving in front. They completely dominated the second half to finally win without an offensive bonus. The Ville Rose club, 7th with 27 points, therefore comes within one point of its evening opponent in the standings.
This great classic of the championship gave us a really good rugby match. On Christmas Eve, the supporters present at Ernest-Wallon have already received their first gift. Before kick-off, the two clubs arrived with very different dynamics after the first two days of the Champions Cup.
Frustrated and angry, the Toulonnais arrived over-motivated, like their captain Charles Ollivon. Dominant on the touches and scrums, the Varois were rewarded with two tries in twenty minutes. Mathieu Smaili (10th), then Selevasio Tolofua (20th) went to flatten following a lot of work from their forwards. Faced with this start full of intensity, the Toulouse residents did not exist, suffocated.
Toulouse, a second period of madness
But the locals showed character, and the reaction was not long in coming. Dimitri Delibes was at the initiative and conclusion of a high-quality collective movement (25th). Despite a more than complicated start, Stade Toulousain demonstrated success in realizing its opportunities. Peato Mauvaka showed his power to come back to two points just before the break, an unexpected score for the shaken Haut-Garonnais. The first act was marked by the Var intensity, but also the lack of order in the scrums. Rodrigue Neti and Emerick Setiano even received a yellow card following three consecutive collapsed scrums.
Returning from the locker room, the visitors were no longer as impressive. They even showed very little in the game. The mental advantage quickly shifted to the Toulouse side without ever changing sides again. The returns of Julien Marchand and Jack Willis did the locals good mentally. They achieved a highlight through Matthis Lebel, perfectly served by Blair Kinghorn with a jump pass (65th). This try from the French winger definitively closed the debates, putting an end to Toulon’s hopes.