Toulouse arrives early in Pau to “live together” according to Jean Bouilhou
For Stade Toulousain, Pau is one of the shortest trips of the season. Two hours of road to break everything, a little more than to go to Castres, but not more than to go to Brive, Bordeaux or Montpellier. The red and black club has however chosen to go to the capital of Béarn this Friday evening, the day before its match against the Section, scheduled for this Saturday at 9 p.m.
“We still need to spend time together”
Not by private plane or sand yacht, don’t worry, but by bus. Weird ? Incongruous? Not that much. “It’s only the beginning of the season and we still need to spend time between us, explains Jean Bouilhou, the Toulouse forwards coach. We will spend the whole day of Saturday together fine-tuning the last details which will allow us to approach the match in Pau. It is important for cohesion. It is known that the virtues of combat will be essential to compete with the Section. »
Fix last season’s hitch
Toulouse still has its defeat of its past season at the Hameau stadium (27-22) in the middle of the winter doubles period, even though it played 15 against 14 for eighteen minutes and at 15 against 13 for twenty-nine minutes after the expulsions of the Pau centers Tumua Manu (33rd) and Jale Vatubua (51st).
“There is a bit of revenge in the air because the guys were surprised by the commitment of the Section last season, recognizes Bouilhou. If they do not smoke these two red cards, in addition, the addition would have been more severe. It’s one of our worst games of the season. Technically and strategically, we were immediately taken on a sector of play that we had nevertheless targeted: the mauls. Today we are warned. We know that this is a team capable of putting a lot of intensity up front and getting us out of the game. »
Leaving earlier and spending a night away from home will also allow several players in the squad to recover from renewed fatigue during the week. We are thinking here of the young dads in the workforce, like the right pillar Dorian Aldegheri, who have been experiencing a few more hectic nights than usual lately. “It’s true that it allows you to recover from the week, he said. On sleeps. And even if Saturday is a long day, we manage to keep ourselves occupied by watching the afternoon matches on TV, playing cards, doing life’s stuff! »