Toulon’s boss praises ‘outstanding’ halfback duo as ‘destiny’ turns against South African opposition
Toulon’s boss praises 'outstanding' halfback duo as 'destiny' turns against South African opposition
Pierre Mignoni walked into the press room at Stade Mayol with the look of a man who had just watched his team pull themselves back from the edge.
Toulon 28, Stormers 27. A one-point victory, secured with 13 men on the pitch, Ollivon holding up a try on his own line with the clock dead. Mignoni had endured five weeks without a Top 14 win. His side were 11th in the league. The noise from outside had been relentless. And yet, here they were, in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup, with Mayol on its feet and the south of France believing again.
He spoke with the raw emotion of a coach who understood exactly what this evening meant.
“They are desperate. They have had enough of losing”
“The players wanted this,” Mignoni said. “They are desperate. They have had enough. They have had enough of losing. They wanted to play a huge match, to reach the quarter-finals, to continue in this competition as we did last season. And they wanted to reconnect with our public and to reconnect with themselves. Today, that is what happened. It was not perfect. I know that. But there were beautiful things. Beautiful things.”
He was quick to acknowledge the quality of the opposition. “The Stormers are a very fine team. They have exceptional players, World Cup winners in their pack, big, powerful men. So bravo to our players. Bravo. I am very happy.”
Asked whether the intensity on Saturday had felt different from the recent run of Top 14 defeats, Mignoni nodded. “Yes. But honestly, even the training camp we did last week was very positive. After the second half at Perpignan, I am not going to repeat myself, but I knew we had not done that work for nothing. And today it paid off. Finally. We are not consistent, we know that, but finally it feels good. It feels good for us. And we will give everything for the quarter-final, whether it is Glasgow or here. We will give everything.”
“The destiny turned for us”
The two defensive sequences that defined the game were put to him: the stand on their own line at the 62nd minute with 14 men, and the final-minute hold-up.
“We have suffered so much in recent weeks with entries into our 22 where we have not held the line. Today, for once, the destiny turned for us. An action like that, where normally it is the opposite. When I say normally, I mean unfortunately we had developed that bad habit, and it has hurt us enormously in recent matches. You all know that. And today, destiny was with us.”
Had he feared the worst when Nonu was yellow-carded, and the Stormers came hunting for the winning try? “Of course. I saw the worst scenario. But you have to fight. You have to not make mistakes, and you have to fight.”
On Nonu’s yellow card itself, Mignoni was measured. “It makes me sad for him, honestly. It is not very high and the player runs into him. It could have happened to anyone. But we must control those moments. When there are three or four minutes left, you must control them. And I have to congratulate the Stormers, who really troubled us. Especially one player I know well, Feinberg-Mngomezulu. What a player. What a player. Because it was him who kept recovering, who kept creating.”
“Bravo to David, but bravo to the team”
David Ribbans was named player of the match, and the French press were eager to discuss his performance. Mignoni had rested him the previous week at Perpignan due to a back complaint. The lock’s return was emphatic.
“He was everywhere on the pitch, carrying, and it is great to see the dominant David of recent years back,” Mignoni said.
“You are right. It is my fault for wanting to push him when he was not right. He has had little injuries, as you know, which have not allowed him to perform at this level. We did the medical examinations, we worked well with the medical staff and the physical preparation team, and especially David himself, to get him back. Today was an important match for him. But he knew it was an important match for the team.”
Then came the line that captured the spirit of the entire afternoon. “I do not know if David deserves to be man of the match. I think what deserves to be man of the match is the team. So yes, bravo to David, but bravo to the team. Bravo to the team. Today we had to win the physical duels. Win the contacts. The Stormers are a very hard team to play against, very hard to defend against. They have players capable of producing magic, real magicians. It is impressive. But today the team won.”
“Thomas has always, always, always held his rank”
Asked about Tomás Albornoz’s performance, and Mignoni’s response was immediate and impassioned.
“Thomas played an enormous match. Truly enormous. I say it because I think he is often questioned by everyone. And I do not question him. He is someone who has suffered a little in the difficult context we have been through, and he has always, always, always held his rank. Today he more than held it. He was outstanding.”
The praise extended to Ben White, Albornoz’s half-back partner. “Ben White was exceptional,” Mignoni said. “He is a player who some people thought did not have international level. He showed again today that he does. He has shown it across recent matches too. But he is a player who has needed time to adapt. He did not know the Top 14. He did not know his teammates. He is still arriving. And he can still get better. I am sure he will continue to grow.”
Had White surprised him? “No. Honestly, no. He stayed in his register. He can do even more. Bravo to both of them.”
“Charles was exceptional”
Mignoni’s one tactical concern had been the aerial contest. The Stormers had won the battle in the air for the opening 23 minutes, and Toulon had lacked reactivity on the floor beneath the high ball. It was a problem he solved by moving Charles Ollivon to the back of the field.
“Charles was exceptional in that role, offensively and defensively,” he said. “When we made that change, the Stormers had less possession because of it. It helped us enormously.”
There were injury concerns around Dany Priso and Marius Domon, both of whom left the field during the second half. Mignoni hoped neither was serious. Examinations would follow.
Finally, he was asked whether this evening could be a turning point. Whether Mayol, the public, or the emotion of the victory could spark something lasting.
Mignoni paused. He had spent five weeks answering questions about decline, about crisis, about a club in freefall. He looked up.
“It feels good to find our rhythm again. To find our automatisms. It feels good.”
It was the simplest, most honest answer he could have given. And it said everything.