Top 14: Cheslin Kolbe at the double as Toulon win
It’s taken a while, but Cheslin Kolbe finally found his dancing feet at Toulon on Saturday, with a brace of tries helping his side to a stress-reducing 41-11 win against La Rochelle.
The visitors dropped out of the top six, with coach Ronan O’Gara succinct about what was missing from their performance: “Speed, aggression, precision,” he said, “which makes it easy for us to understand where we are now.”
They were pretty awful, but on another of those days when the internationals are not around and the formbooks are torn up, Toulon finally played like a team full of talented players, rather than a bunch of talented players wearing the same colour jersey.
And they had Kolbe. Ok, it wasn’t all him, Toulon were 19-6 ahead at the break courtesy of Louis Carbonel’s boot and a bizarre kick-off return try from centre Duncan Paia’aua.
It was 19-11 and threatening to become a serious contest ten minutes into the second half, after a neat line taken from Riko Buliruarua around the back of a ruck.
But then Kolbe got his first, a gem of a try finishing off a counter attack from Aymeric Luc – yes, the one who missed the penalty that meant Biarritz went up instead of Bayonne from Pro D2 last season – which travelled through seven sets of hands and raised the roof.
His second took the roof off, a solo effort from 60 metres featuring a trademark chip, chase and step combo which put Toulon 34-11 ahead.
Even better was to come for the home side, as Luc scuttled through some stagnant defence to secure the bonus point try and heave Toulon away from relegation. But for La Rochelle – who have been making waves with a strong recruitment drive for next season – the campaign looks to be drifting.
On Sunday night the formbook was torn up again. Returning Six Nations stars Romain Ntamack and Mathis Lebel were among those who saw the young Toulouse team, which has suffered several bitter defeats during the Six Nations, roll over table-toppers Montpellier 35-11.
Australian born but French qualified lock Emmanuel Meafou was the standout player in the win, which ran from Juan Cruz Mallia’s searing try in the first minute all the way to Baptiste Germain’s try in the 80th. In between were tries also for scrum-half Martin Page-Relo, wing Lucas Tauzin and a 90th Top 14 try for veteran Maxime Medard.
With the arrivals of international full-backs Melvin Jaminet and Ange Capuozzo confirmed, this season is widely believed to be Medard’s last – his 18th, no less – and he’ll have had fewer scoring passes better than the one from loosehead prop Rodrigue Neti, a fizzing 25 metre effort which stretched the visitors’ defence to breaking point.
Philippe Saint-Andre was sanguine after the match: “It’s a good thing,” he said of the defeat, “a kind of booster shot to prepare for the end of the season and the visit of Biarritz next week. We’re first in the table with a two point lead. We’ve plenty to play for.”
As do Toulouse, who move up to fifth and welcome back nine Grand Slam winners next week for the visit of third-placed Lyon.
