Flood sees red to add to Tolouse nightmare
“Flood’s future with Toulouse is far from sure as the board decides whether to prolong his contract”
In normal times, you might expect former England star Toby Flood to be thrilled to bits about the compatriots he has left behind winning the Six Nations Tournament with a game to play. But there is very little normal about the nightmare Flood is living through in his career with Toulouse in the Top 14.
For a start, yesterday’s 21-19 defeat at Brive leaves his club with France’s proudest record struggling in tenth place after four losses on the trot.
More significantly for Flood, though, a loss of control condemned him to a red card after he had received a yellow, his third of the season, earlier.
Flood was sent off for kneeing an opponent on the ground, thus leaving his team depleted 15 minutes from time when they required only one more score to win.
That is bound to haunt him, especially as his future with Toulouse is far from sure as the board decides whether to prolong his contract.
Flood has made it clear that he is unhappy with the amount of playing time he has has been given by Toulouse this season.
Now, in addition to the ten minutes he spent on the bench for his first offence, there will be more time out of action through suspension.
Toulouse must still be wondering how it happened with a try from winger Arthur Bonneval having given them a ten-point lead approaching the break.
Consistent indiscipline cost them as prolific points scorer Gaetan Germain kicked seven penalties for Brive between the sixth and 50th minute to register the narrow win that allowed them to leapfrog their opponents.
Toulon president Mourad Boudjellal called a crisis meeting for staff and senior players when their season hit rock bottom with a performance at Brive team boss Mike Ford described as rubbish.
Assistant coach Marc Del Maso even said the way they played in that 15-5 defeat last time out was useless and catastrophic.
That was a week ago. Now an amazing tryfest seems to have restored their ambitions even if their victims were bottom-of-the-table Bayonne, already resigned to relegation.
Takes some doing to score seven tries in the first half on the way to a phenomenal 82-14 victory.
Boudjellal had claimed before the match: “Mike Ford’s game has everyone’s support. It is a bit later than expected, but it will work, I’m sure.”
You feel that was more in hope than expectation, Ford’s reign having proven such a desperate disappointment so far. To such an extent that right-hand man Dal Maso said he wouldn’t blame Boudjellal for sacking them all.
Many still believe Ford will be looking for a new job next season though this could yet turn out to be the match that leads to a change in fortune for him.
If, that is, he can summon such excellence at Grenoble next week to achieve a first away win during his reign and go on to repeat the trick when confronting formidable Clermont in Europe.
And make sure Toulon finish in the top six which is by no means certain at present.
Bayonne must have feared the worst when Scottish captain John Beattie, their No.8, was taken off for good after just three minutes with Then the massacre began with a try from Aussie backrower Liam Gill, two more from South African winger Bryan Habana, another from his compatriot Juan Smith with Argentine winger Axel Muller, the ex-Sevens star, and centre Mathieu Bastareaud going over, too. Plus a penalty try…and all before the break.
The one-way traffic kept flowing with Smith, Gill and Muller all completing doubles and forwards Juan Maartin Fernandez Lobbe and Georgian Levan Chilacheva weighing in to make it a dozen tries in all.
Toulon goal-kicker Pierre Bernard converted 11 of them with Fijian Gabiriele Lovobalavu and, in the closing seconds, Chilean lock Pablo Huete hardly reducing the staggering size of defeat with tries of their own.
If Bayonne are surely doomed, Grenoble look even more likely to accompany them to Division Two after a heavy 14-46 beating at Bordeaux-Begles.
This was a timely success for Bor- deaux who had not won since November and seemed in terminal decline.
The bonus point was scarcely in doubt as centre Romain Lonca and forwards Louis-Benoit Madaule and Sebastien Taofifuena had three tries on the board before the interval.
Although Scottish lock Aly Muldowney hit back with one for Grenoble, he was at fault for conceding another to his counterpart Cyril Cazeaux, Samoan hooker Ole Avei and Fijian winger Metuisela Talebula both crossing over, too.
Both Lyon and Stade Francais strengthened their chances of surconcussion. vival, the latter securing a bonus in a 35-33 defeat.
Stade will wonder long and loud, though, how they managed to lose a game in which they scored the opening try in just 47 seconds and led by 33-17 on the hour.
True, they had the misfortune to lose their South African captain Jono Rosss with concussion after only 13 minutes, but tries from flanker Sekon Macalou and winger Waisea, twice, had them in apparent control.
But this Lyon team has been reinforced and does not ressemble the fragile outfit so recently relegated. They struck back by scoring 18 points without reply, Englishmen Carl Fearns and Delon Armitage scoring their comeback tries.
Fly-half Lionel Beauxis kicked the winning penalty before a bout of mayhem closed proceedings. Pascal Pape, the experienced Stade star, who had been on the pitch for just six minutes, was red-carded for punching Lyon sub Taiasina Tuifa, who was also sent off for lashing out himself.