Toulouse wrap up final preparations
Winners over Montauban in the Top 14 on Saturday, thanks largely to their forwards, Toulouse completed their build up to their Heineken Cup Final against Munster in unconvincing fashion.
Winners over Montauban in the Top 14 on Saturday, thanks largely to their forwards, Toulouse completed their build up to their Heineken Cup Final against Munster in unconvincing fashion.
After struggling to get the better of their neighbours in the first-half, a second period revival under the impetus of the Toulouse pack saw their back-line finally find their mark, scoring three tries to win 28-6.
“We're looking to find a balance between our backs and our forwards,” forwards coach Yannick Bru told lesite.
“They all wear the Stade Toulousain jersey. We want to threaten with our back-line and if the circumstances call for it, show our strength in the forwards.
“But there's nothing new about that, Toulouse's strength has always been to worry opposition defences. That said, with the quality of our forwards, it would be a pity not to use them.
“I was a player here and every year that we won the tittle, we were good in competing for the ball. That's a non-negotiable condition for performing well.
Bru says Toulouse will not be analysing the match against Montauban.
“We've been preparing for the Final for a week now. We've been working on it behind closed doors for a while because the weeks have been very short,” he said.
“Without any disrespect to Montauban, we didn't really specifically prepare for their match like a major event in our season. It would have been incoherent not to work on the Munster game from last week. The players have recuperation programmes ahead of the Final to eliminate any bumps or bruises.
“We're giving Munster a lot of respect. They're one of the “big five” of the H Cup. They're always there, with a big pack of forwards who have lots of experience in these kinds of matches.
“They've experienced some good and bad times together and are a tight-knit group. The difference with regards to the past is that now they've got a bit of pace and innovation in their play.
“That adds an arrow to their quiver. They haven't put in huge performances in ever game this year, but did when they decided to. That's the sign of a great team.
Toulouse have been focusing on the Millennium Stadium showdown since qualifying and it's almost a relief for the players that it has finally arrived.
“It feels good that we're finally here because we'd started to use up a lot of energy,” a relieved Yannick Jauzion told Rugbyrama .
Since their semi-final, Toulouse have won three of their four games. However, with their minds elsewhere and fearing injuries, Toulouse weren't at their best against Montauban.
“Against Montauban we lacked penetration, and we weren't up to scratch in the physical battles,” said Jean-Baptiste Ellisalde.
“We wanted to reassure ourselves of our style of play against Montauban. It wasn't much of a success,” admitted Jean Bouilhou.
“We're not completely reassured but at least we've shown that we can dig deep and accelerate when we want to,” added Jauzion.