Champions Cup – Jelonch-Willis, secateurs were out for Toulouse against Munster
This Sunday afternoon, Stade Toulousain won 20-16 against Munster to sign a fourth victory in as many Champions Cup outings. During this meeting, two players were impressed by their defensive activity: Anthony Jelonch and Jack Willis. The two men formed a hellish duo.
To tell the truth, when settling in the press box, one could wonder if it was not preferable to be on the ground to warm up. And then a few minutes after the kick-off of this Toulouse-Munster, reality reappeared: we were much better off at the top of the stands at the Ernest-Wallon stadium than in the green rectangle.
Why ? Because in front of our eyes, in the middle of a trench warfare, two “blondiets” tackled everything that moved. And it was the forwards of Munster who paid the price. As you will have understood, we are talking here about Anthony Jelonch and Jack Willis. Both starters on the wings of the Haut-Garonne third line, they impressed with their activity and their ability to push back the Irish attacks, powerless in the face of the severity of their impacts. The Frenchman finished the game with 14 tackles (best total for the stadium), 13 for the Englishman.
We come in particular from a Toulouse defensive sequence, during which Willis, Jelonch, but also Arnold and Meafou distributed the caramels, causing their opponents to lose the ball.
At the end of the meeting, Ugo Mola was therefore satisfied with the interventions of his secateurs: “Anthony and Jack did us a lot of good on certain actions, but I also want to mention “Manny” Meafou, who did not take off as usual. We needed this ferocity against this Munster. “
Great importance in the air, too
Don’t believe that Jack Willis and Anthony Jelonch spent their time hanging their heads down to bring down their opponents. They demonstrated all of their paddle technique.
The two men have often been used in touch, with great success. They offer a magnificent alternative to Richie Arnold and Alexandre Roumat. The latter was also in the shadow of his two teammates. He was replaced in the 50th minute, it was then Jelonch who ended the game.
His arrival in the heart Since November, Jack Willis has impressed with his activity and his ability to rot the opposing rucks. This Sunday, he was also able to take over from Julien Marchand in scratching.
With the return of François Cros, Stade Toulousain is now an additional international cartridge to hurt its opponents. It promises for the future.