VIDEO. TOP 14. Toulouse beat Castres in a lackluster match, has the flavor of the “derby” disappeared?
On the lawn of the Stadium of Toulousethe premises host the Castres Olympic. On the score of 22 to 18, the people of Toulouse did not offer the most beautiful gift to the people of Toulouse who came in large numbers. In comments reported by The Team at the end of the match, Laurent Thuery, Toulouse defense coach, spoke. If this is not his area of specialty, the coach admits that the Toulousains, chefs, had a hard time against Castres, 12ᵉ. He specifies :
We didn’t make the game easy by playing the wrong game, especially with too many passes in front of the defence. We ended up adopting a slightly more restrictive game around rucks with speed, hitting on those phases. It allowed us to find solutions. We know Castres, it’s a brave team that was smart tonight, who knew how to hurt us and score on kick-offs. But we are relieved to win, we are first, 44 points after 13 days, it’s still very positive.
VIDEO. More than a year ago, Toulouse and Dupont severely corrected the CO in the Top 14
The Toulouse defense coach also clarified that the very rapid sequence (5 days) between Sale and Castres had not helped. At the same time, Castres was satisfied with the defensive bonus. So they were able to draw. The teammates of Julien Dumora and Mathieu Babillot, excluded for a shoulder charge, praise the performance. Castres strategist Pierre-Henry Broncan confides his satisfaction according to The Team : “The defensive bonus point has eluded us many times this season, so we are happy to be rewarded at the end after a great burst of energy, a good, solid game.”
A derby that falls flat?
If the two teams remain far from each other in the standings, this match takes on a special atmosphere. For several seasons, the rivalry has been exacerbated. Before, the shocks against Colomiers and Albi would have embodied the notion of departmental derby much better. From now on, we must be satisfied with a Toulouse – Castres. Rugby fans have seen worse, shall we say, and the clash has seen an aura created. Having eliminated Stade Toulousain from the title race last season, the red and black supporters were keen to find the neighbor. Venus in number on the island of Ramier, the more than 30,000 brave people (it was only 18°C on December 23, mind you) came to encourage Antoine Dupont and his teammates. Operation, certainly, successful with 4 points recovered, but the way then? In recent seasons, the two teams have sometimes not hesitated to rotate their workforce during their confrontations. Has this recently created alchemy already dissipated? A beginning of response is to come with the return match.
TOP 14. Toulouse-Castres, what if the Occitanie derby was just a lie?