Stade Toulousain, defeated in its last Champions Cup match, highlighted a worrying problem.
Stade Toulousain has rediscovered the taste of victory. A week after the heavy disappointment experienced in Glasgow in the Champions Cup, the Rouge et Noir reacted perfectly in the Top 14 by largely winning on the LOU pitch (41-19). A saving success, occurring in a difficult context, between the sanction linked to the Melvyn Jaminet transfer affair and the setback conceded in Scotland.
However, the scar from the match against Glasgow remains vivid. While they led 21-0 and seemed to have mastered their subject, the Toulouse team saw the match slip away from them in the space of a quarter of an hour, conceding three tries to finally lose 28-21. A brutal scenario to which Joel Merkler returned.
“When you lead well against a team made up of internationals, you think you have done the hardest part”explains the player to The Dispatch. But three tries conceded in 15 minutes were enough to change the match. For Joel Merkler, this slump reflects neither the real level of the group nor the image that the club wishes to project. “It’s not us”he insists.
A first since 2017
Beyond the technical errors, it is above all the collective dimension which was lacking. The pillar reminds us that the past successes of Stade Toulousain have always been built on united defense and total cohesion. Faced with Glasgow, everyone tried to respond individually, without a common solution. “Over fifteen minutes, it’s very frustrating”he admits.
The victory acquired in Lyon made it possible to reconnect with these fundamentals. This success in the championship places Stade Toulousain near Pau at the top of the Top 14, while LOU lost for the first time at home against Haut-Garonnais since 2017.
