boss Meafou, Sharks fatigue
Emmanuel Meafou’s XXL performance, Julien Marchand’s scratches and the bad luck of the Sharks… find the Tops and Flops of Toulouse’s precious success at Sale (5-27).
Tops
Méafou boss size
Author of the first Toulouse try, the performance of the Australian second line was once again impressive. At only 24 years old, Meafou caught the eye of the staff of the XV of France. And his match today should confirm the desire to see him join the France group. Overpowered by his physique (2.03m and 145 kg) the second line was everywhere this afternoon. Present in defense with many tackles, it was he who allowed Toulouse to take off with a powerful try by overthrowing everything in his path.
Marchand and his scrapings relieve Toulouse
For a long time, this match was not easy for Toulouse. Led until the return from the locker room, Stade Toulousain was able to count on its hooker to relieve it. Author of three balls scratched on the ground, he made it possible to relieve his teammates in moments which could be dangerous for his team. A true expert in these scrapings, Stade Toulousain can thank a Julien Marchand, still as precious and in great shape as the 6 nations tournament approaches.
The flops
The lack of continuity in the game
This afternoon, the first leg between the two teams seemed really far away. On December 18 in Toulouse, we were able to observe an anthology of tests (10 in total). The show wasn’t as good today. Between the many forwards or the bad choices in the scoring areas, like Ntamack (28 ‘), the game could not develop properly and the rhythm was very choppy. Toulouse took advantage of the English fatigue at the end of the match to widen the gap and definitely make the difference. But this match looked like a day without an offensive for the ”Rouge et Noir”.
Sale’s red card and injuries
The Sharks would surely have preferred a completely different start to the game. On the first tackle of the match, the two English pillars collide, their heads in each other’s. They will come out from the first minute of play and it is the two substitute pillars who will play the whole game. The red card from the 18th minute will also complicate the task of the English who will be overtaken by fatigue at the end of the match. With three changes in 25 minutes, and in numerical inferiority, the Sharks have spent a lot. The difference will therefore logically be made by the Toulouse bench which was able to take advantage of the fatigue of the English.