Toulouse. Do you remember Stade Toulousain’s last match at the Stadium, in the European Cup?
By Anthony Assemat
Published on
In rugby, spring is synonymous with the final stages. And that, Stade Toulousain knows it. For two weekends, the Rouge et Noir will put the race for the final stages in the Top 14 on hold to try to keep one of their two trophies won in 2021: the Champions Cup.
an 8and round-trip final
Saturday April 9, 2022 at 4:15 p.m.men by Ugo Mola to receive the Ulster Irish en 8and final first leg. A system of 8and round-trip final imagined by the EPCR, the governing body of the European Cup, to adapt to the health crisis and concern a maximum of teams, disturbed by the matches lost on green carpet, the reports and cancellations in hens, in the final stages.
Ulster, the third strongest Irish province
Whatever one thinks of this tampering, Stade Toulousain, which had only played two games out of four (victory for the Welsh Cardiff and defeat for the English Wasps), is still in the race.
The challenge will be sizeable against the third Irish province in terms of results and notoriety (behind Leinster and Munster, and ahead of Connacht). The Ulstermen have good results in their domestic league (10 wins and five losses) and are unbeaten on the European stagea victory at Clermont (Puy de Dome) at stake. A strong and essential club.
A complex stadium
“We are lucky to meet in 8and Champions Cup final, at home, in a packed Stadium. We are aware of this and we are ready for this game. Ulster are playing very well and we are expecting a good battle,” said Stadistes manager Ugo Mola.
The European Cup at the Stadium was ten years ago
A Ugo Mola who has ants in his legs at the idea of finding the Stadium.
“Since the last European Cup match at the Stadium 10 years ago, time has flown by, but we are very excited to be back at this beautiful stadium in this magnificent competition.”
A win and a try from Fickou
And yes, because if the last poster proposed by the reds and blacks at the Stadium dates back only to February 11, 2022 for a 29-28 defeat against Stade Français on the siren, we have to go back much further to see the last European match of the Stade Toulousain in the garden of the TFC.
More precisely to October 14, 2012 with a 23-9 success against the English of Leicester, in front of 28,000 spectators, for the first pool match. The only try of the match had been scored by a talented 18.5-year-old, a certain Gael Fickou (today at Racing 92 and part of the France team), the owners were then called Clerc, Huget, McAlister, Picamoles, Nyanga, Dusautoir, Albacete, Johnston and the manager was a certain Guy Novès.
>> In video: Fickou’s test in October 2012, at the Stadium <
14 points ahead before the return match: there is no doubt that the Toulouse supporters are interested in this scenario before the return match and the hell that awaits the reigning European champions at the Kingspan Stadium next weekend.
Two victories against the Irish in 2020
To instill a dose of optimism, the last battles between Toulouse and Ulstermen turned to the advantage of Haut-Garonne. In September 2020, Toulouse gave the lesson 36-8 in the quarter-finals with a 4 star Kolbe. In December 2020, Mola’s men won in Ireland 29-22, offensive bonus in their pocket. Good omens?
>> In video: the summary of Toulouse-Ulster in the quarter-finals, in 2020 <
Toulouse/Ulster, Saturday April 9, 2022 at 4:15 p.m. at the Stadium.
live on France 2.
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