LANCASTER IS NOT BORN TOULOUSE
But Leinster coach issues big warning ahead of RDS clash
STUART LANCASTER has probably replayed that moment in his head a thousand times. It was the 68th minute of a thrilling contest at the Stade Ernest Wallon. Leinster had recovered from a brutal start in Toulouse and clawed their way back from a 14-0 deficit to lead 27-21 in the final quarter.
They had field position deep in the home side’s half and, remarkably, were hunting for a bonus point. Then disaster struck. Luke McGrath’s pass was intercepted by replacement flanker LouisBenoit Madaule and Toulouse came to life. The French giants thrive on turnover ball and there followed a flowing 80-metre counter-attack featuring four offloads and finishing with Maxime Medard sprinting into the corner for what proved to be the match-winning try. It was game over in the blink of an eye. There lies the unique threat that Toulouse will bring to the RDS on Saturday.
‘They come alive at that point as well, don’t they?’ said Lancaster, looking back to that flashpoint during his side’s 28-27 loss back in October.
‘We need to play the game at a tempo that we know we can take the game to. But we need a dry day, fingers crossed. I just think it will be a great occasion. It will be a fantastic game.’
That victory over the reigning champions has been something of a turning point for Toulouse. Ugo Mola’s men have been on a 12-game unbeaten run since that Pool 1 triumph three months ago.
That win over Leinster seemed to instill a new-found confidence into a club that had lost its way in recent years. Toulouse are very much looking like themselves again. ‘Definitely,’ Lancaster agreed. ‘To get yourself back in front and then to lose 28-27, it was hugely frustrating really but we can channel that and learn lessons from it because while we got back in front, there were parts of the second half, with the atmosphere and the sense of occasion... we made some errors when we were playing well.
‘We missed a lineout, we kicked loosely to them and they counter-attacked and pinned us into the corner. So lots of lessons there but playing at home in the RDS in front of a full house, it is certainly the premier game in Europe this week given the quality of the two teams involved. They are as good a team, in terms of preparation, that I have coached against.’ Lancaster’s coaching ethos centres around his players being ‘comfortable in chaos’ and playing on instinct. Toulouse are very much setting the benchmark in that area. The more mayhem, the better. ‘Of all the tries they have scored, over half of them are off counterattack, which is incredible really,’ said Lancaster. ‘So if you look at the top tries of the season, I reckon Toulouse would have the top five at the moment, in terms of their running and ability to break and play unstructured rugby. ‘We pride ourselves in our ability to play unstructured rugby but they are at a different level. They are outstanding. So we need to be controlled and composed but also not be afraid to fire some shots of our own as well.’ Toulouse will bring a potent mix of teak-tough forwards and free-wheeling backs to the capital. Up front, they have former All Blacks Charlie Faumuina and Jerome Kaino on board, as well as Samoan giant Joe Tekori. All three bring a sizeable physical presence, but also dexterity in the loose, which complements the running threats of Antoine Dupont, Thomas Ramos and Romain Ntamack. Their back three of Yoann Huget, Medard and Cheslin Kolbe is arguably the most dangerous in Europe.
‘I think Dupont’s playing more consistently,’ said Lancaster.
‘I think he’s world class. They’ll probably play Ramos at 10. They’ve got Ntamack and then there’s the back three of Huget, Medard and Kolbe.
‘Unlike normal French teams, they’ve got ball-handling forwards. Tekori is a huge handful and Faumuina too.
‘So, we need to play our style, obviously, but we need to make sure that we respect the ball as well because if we turn the ball over quickly, or cheaply, they’ll be gone or they’ll be trying to go.
‘The big thing for me is being on point defensively as well. Making sure we’re working hard across the board defensively.’
Then there’s the small matter of shutting down Kolbe. The diminutive Springbok speedster has been sending the Twittersphere into meltdown all season with his mesmerising footwork and outrageous solo tries. He is very much the player that Jordan Larmour can become.
‘I’ve seen him run around people, dodge around people and then I saw him score another try where he actually ran through the 10, just ran over him,’ Lancaster said.
‘You think he doesn’t look huge but he ran through the middle of a ruck the other day, and yeah, he’s got incredible feet.
‘You’d pay money to see Jordan Larmour and Kolbe on the same field, wouldn’t you?’
No arguments there.