MHR-Toulouse: what weapons for Stade Toulousain before facing Montpellier?
Toulouse, even without its internationals Antoine Dupont, Peato Mauvaka and Anthony Jelonch, left to rest, “has the weapons to compete” with Montpellier on Sunday at the end of the 5th day of the Top 14, forwards coach Virgile Lacombe said on Friday.
“Our workforce allows us to rotate,” revealed the former hooker at a press conference, while acknowledging that it was “always a little more difficult” for the team to find its bearings “when it lacks executive players. “.
Current leader of the Top 14 on equal points with the MHR, defending champion, Stade Toulousain has decided this season to spare its internationals, who are in great demand, so that they can play the final stages with more freshness.
Anticipate periods (of duplicates) when internationals will be absent
He also seeks through this rotation to “integrate a few more young players” to better “anticipate the periods (of duplicates) when the internationals will be absent”, recalled Lacombe.
Hooker Julien Marchand and winger Matthis Lebel had notably not made the trip to Pau two weeks ago, where Toulouse had conceded their only defeat of the season so far (26-16).
ud83dudcf9 ????? ?????? before #MHRST
ud83cudf99ufe0f Here are the best moments of the conference of @guilouttDimitri Delibes, Yannick Youyoutte and David Ainu’u.
(To be found in full on our Twitch channel ud83dudda5ufe0f)
– Stade Toulousain (@StadeToulousain) September 30, 2022
Ntamack, Baille and Cros injured
In addition to Dupont, Mauvaka and Jelonch, the Rouge et Noir will do without three other usual starters in the France team on Sunday: opener Romain Ntamack, left prop Cyril Baille and third line François Cros, all injured.
Third row Alban Placines, scrum-half Paul Graou and centers Pita Ahki, Santiago Chocobares and Pierre-Louis Barassi are also still in the infirmary, while Argentinian international back Juan Cruz Mallia, returned from selection, will blow until ‘to ‘to travel to Brive mid-October