Toulouse, self-sufficiency on the front line
Apart from jokers who had very little playing time in 2019, the club has not recruited a front-line player since 2017. But finds many resources internally.
In the offseason, there was a lot of talk about the newcomers behind. In front, only Alexandre Roumat reinforced the pack. No frontline player was therefore recruited, which has become the norm in Toulouse. Apart from four World Cup jokers, none of whom have reached both starts (Visagie, Hino, Du Toit and Hugues) and one medical joker (Fijian hooker Sam Matavesi who has accumulated three appearances) in 2019, the latest signings in this sector dates back to… 2017! Five years ago, three pillars (Faumuina, Pointud and Mienie) and a hooker (Roumieu) landed. Since then, there has been nothing to sustainably densify the workforce, the all black world champion Faumuina – who extended last season – even being the last survivor of the last wave.
Scrum coach Virgile Lacombe says: “We trust those we have internally. It’s nice to see them in the same competition with confirmed professionals, if we don’t have to go too fast for some. The idea is that the hierarchy of our first line is eventually shaken up.” During these five years, it has evolved considerably. Nine frontline elements have thus left the ship stadiste (Roumieu, Brennan, Mienie, Ghiraldini, Pointud, Van Dyk, Castets, Guillaume Marchand and Tafili). To compensate for these departures, the 2019 and 2021 French champion drew on his own resources since, over the same period, seven front-line players who passed through the training center made their debut with the professional team: David Ainu’u , Guillaume Marchand, Paulo Tafili, Guillaume Cramont, Ian Boubila, Paul Mallez and Maxime Duprat. It should be added Clément Castets, who arrived at the age of 20 in 2016, before being aligned a year later.
“A school in this club”
Apart from Faumuina, all of Stade Toulousain’s current frontline players have gone through local training. And five of them even became French internationals (Cyril Baille, Rodrigue Neti, Julien Marchand, Peato Mauvaka and Dorian Aldegheri) or foreigners (David Ainu’u with the United States). It is first and in part the fruit of the work of Philippe Rougé-Thomas who, before the arrival of Ugo Mola in 2015, had already launched the Caledonian sector, which allowed the hatching of Neti, Mauvaka or Tafili . “There is a real school of the first line in this club”, recently told us the manager. Reference also to the “Academy” initiated by Thierry Savio (also a safety reference to the post) and William Servat, when the latter was forwards coach at Ernest-Wallon.
Virgile Lacombe then took over and, in addition to directing the work of the scrum with the first team, he is the forwards coach of the Espoirs. This facilitates the progression and promotion of young talents. “When I arrived, there were already players from the training capable of “matching” very early on at a high level.he details. I tried to take up the torch on the basic work, the individual technique. The cement of the club is to integrate players into the pro group as soon as they have potential. The goal is to have no difference between what they experience as Espoirs or Crabos and as a professional. There is continuity. I work with Thierry Savio on the development of young people on the side of the Association. On arrival, I do it with the pillars of one, Hopes and the training center. We create conversations.” This season, if Mallez or Duprat will necessarily increase their playing time, new faces such as Joel Merkler (20) or Hugo Reilhes (21) should also appear. A traditional house.