Toulouse player ratings: ‘Simply outstanding’ Italian international dazzles amid Antoine Dupont-inspired bench ‘masterclass’
Ange Capuozzo (right) and Antoine Dupont (left) impressed in a big win for Toulouse
Following Toulouse’s 56-19 win over the Sharks in the Investec Champions Cup, here is how we scored Ugo Mola’s men.
Toulouse player ratings v the Sharks
15 Blair Kinghorn: Always looked to make the positive choice ball-in-hand, but potentially didn’t get the breakaway his efforts deserved. Cannot fault his efforts, though. 6
14 Ange Capuozzo: Outstanding, simply outstanding. Always looked like breaking away ball-in-hand, with his ability to both find space and then make the most of it causing the Sharks’ defence all sorts of bother. Also capped his evening off with a hat-trick, a fitting reward for his display. 9
13 Teddy Thomas: Had a few nice flashes ball-in-hand, and grabbed a tidy score on the stroke of full-time. 6
12 Kalvin Gourgues: Given a golden chance to impress in the absence of Santiago Chocobares, and he took it with both hands. Gave his side some serious strike in midfield, and always looked hungry to get his hands on the ball too. Led the way in defence too, with 11 tackles to his name. 7
11 Dimitri Delibes: Didn’t really do much wrong, and while he will be disappointed after being starved of meaningful ball in attack, he made up for it with some nice work in defence. 6
10 Thomas Ramos: Grew into the game as it went on, especially after the introduction of Antoine Dupont, and he became increasingly visible as a result. Got his side playing some really exciting rugby at times, and kicked well off the tee too. 7
9 Paul Graou: The spotlight continues to be on Dupont’s return to the pitch, but he proved the world-class Frenchman has some good competition around him. The scrum-half was simply excellent right across his stint, injecting a fresh tempo into Toulouse’s attack both with his distribution and carrying. 7
Back-row
8 Alexandre Roumat: His gritty efforts in the tight helped set the foundations for his side’s mammoth victory. Always made himself available for work either side of the ball in a workhorse display. 6
7 Anthony Jelonch: Could almost copy and paste the section above in here, with Jelonch also getting stuck into the battle up front and digging in for his side. 6
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6 Leo Banos: Like the rest of the back-row, never shied away from the hard yards. Finished the day joint-second in his side’s tackle stats with 10 to his name. 6
Tight five
5 Emmanuel Meafou: Deployed as his side’s chief battering ram in the tight, and caused some serious dents in the Sharks’ defence in the process. Also showcased his deft handling once more, often playing a crucial linking role to the backline. 7
4 Thibaud Flament: Might not have taken the spotlight, but his work around the park was invaluable to this side. Played a crucial role in the lineout, while throwing his body into almost every breakdown and tackle he could. 7
3 Joel Merkler: Solid without setting the pitch alight. Held his side of the scrum up to make that a strength early on. 6
2 Julien Marchand: Superb display from the experienced French international. His efforts in the set-piece and around the park set a real platform for his side to play from. He backed that up with a deserved brace of tries. 8
1 Rodrigue Neti: Just a very solid shift. Scrummaged well and looked to get involved around the park as well. 6
Replacements: Mola turned to his bench with the game very much on a tipping point, as the hosts were potentially a touch over-confident, but they added a real sense of calm to drive them to a big victory. The focus was again on the returning Dupont, who was exceptional, but the likes of Josh Brennan, Guillaume Cramont, Paul Costes, Dorian Aldegheri and David Ainuu also got themselves heavily involved from the moment they entered the fray. Crucially, too, they got involved in the scoring, with Cramont throwing a delicious assist to send Capuozzo over before Mathis Castro-Ferreira grabbed a try of his own. This unit deserves a lot of credit for how the game ended with a benching masterclass. 8
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