Don’t talk to them about a good time to face Toulouse, supposedly diminished during the international period. They looked at you sideways, with big eyes, as if you had said a dirty word. “By saying, you are disrespecting them. It brings water to their mill”immediately defuses Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, coach of the MHR.

? #STMHR I ?? ?????? ?

? Discover our 23 Stadistes lined up for the reception of the ??????????? ?? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/zLm4lkepxT

– Stade Toulousain (@StadeToulousain) January 28, 2023

The former Rouge et Noir scrum-half (2002-2010) knows the house by heart, knows how much the pride of the so-called “second knives” is touched when they read that their team is weakened by the departure of the internationals. “They know that it puts the opponent to sleep. Except that there is such a competitive spirit in this club that the guys who enter the field automatically raise their level”continues Elissalde.

Natural decompression

However, the list of Toulouse absentees is dizzying. Dupont, Ntamack, Jelonch, Marchand, Ramos, Jaminet, Baille, Flament… All stayed in Capbreton with the Blues to prepare for the Six Nations Tournament. Half of The french team. It’s hard to overlook the absence of such an armada. “Meafou, Arnold, Tolofua, Faumuina, Capuozzo… Should I continue?”, smiles an Elissalde, like a good old Toulouse man, always admiring and grateful for what the club with 21 French championship titles has offered him, the model on which he relies on a daily basis. As if the red and black blood infusion were permanent.

On the side of the players, impossible to be fooled a second time. “When they came in October, everyone said – not us, huh – that it was the third team coming to the GGL. And here we saw…”, underlines Marco Tauleigne, who has not forgotten the home defeat in first leg (17-19) against Toulouse already deprived of their executives and while the Montpellier had perhaps made one of their best matches of the season in content.

? THE COMPO OF THE CISTS?

? @MHR_official
⎣? Season 2⃣2⃣-2⃣3⃣
⎣?Compo
⎣ ⚫️? #J16

#TeamMHR ?⚪️ #STMHR pic.twitter.com/65jYyGqzHg

– Montpellier Rugby (@MHR_officiel) January 28, 2023

“To prevent yourself from saying that there is no such and such, to avoid a form of natural decompression, it’s complicated”, shade Elissalde. Take advantage of this kind of situation, the people of Toulouse are the specialists. In the event of a victory, they can underline the depth of their workforce. In case of defeat, the excuse is all found. And it does twenty years it lasts. And it’s been twenty years that the Stadium continues to attract, each off-season, the best French players and therefore likely to play in Blue.

“The Top 14 is distorted”, had fun declaring Ugo Mola after the qualification of his team in the knockout stages of the Champions Cup. The Rouge et Noir manager has perfectly succeeded Guy Novès in mastering the Communication when defending the interests of his club. This environment, this method, the MHR is briefed. Jean-Baptiste Elissalde made sure of that. It’s up to the players not to be trapped despite a few names a tad less high-sounding on paper.