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Dans la cible des Rouge et Noir avant le double affrontement avec les Italiens du Zebre
These are unprecedented times for Toulouse in European competition with no wins in their last six games – hardly the kind of return to expect for a team that has won the European Cup a record four times and been in two other finals.
They lost the last four games of last season, were beaten in Connacht in Round 1 and then held to a draw by Wasps at home in Round 2. But the thought of Ugo Mola’s side going a seventh game without picking up some meaningful points is hard to imagine given them will be playing a team that has yet to post a victory in 14 games in the Champions Cup.
Zebre are in their third season in the top-flight tournament and have yet to taste victory. But that was just how the Italian national side felt last month when they lined-up against the Springboks.
So don’t rule out the seemingly impossible being possible on home soil for the passion-packed Italian side. They have already won on the road in Edinburgh in the PRO12 this season and are always a handful on their own patch, where they have picked up three losing bonus points so far this season..
With unbeaten Connacht Rugby seven points clear of Toulouse in third place, and their rivals over the next two rounds, Wasps, five points ahead, it means Mola’s men will have to target maximum points from their two games against the Italians if they are to stand any chance of making up ground o the top two.
Anything less than two bonus-point wins could condemn the TOP 14 outfit to another season without qualifying for the knock-out stages for the fourth time in five years – not what the club is used to. The two teams were in the same pool in 2013/14, when Toulouse ran out comfortable winners at home, 38-5, but could only manage a 16-6 win at Stadio Lanfranchi.
Toulouse ended a run of six Champions Cup games without a win as they overcame the foggy conditions to pile on the tries and points to down Zebre Rugby 36-6 in their Pool 2 contest at Stadio Lanfranchi. - 10/12/2016 15:58
Toulouse ended a run of six Champions Cup games without a win as they overcame the foggy conditions to pile on the tries and points to down Zebre Rugby 36-6 in their Pool 2 contest at Stadio Lanfranchi.
The fog meant that the match was abandoned after 63 minutes but the result stands for the former kings of European rugby to notch up a win after five tournament defeats and a draw.
But needing to get maximum points out of their back-to-back matches against the struggling Italians they were pegged back initially by two penalties from home outside half Carlo Canna.
In between those two kicks Sebastien Bezy got the four-times European champions off the mark with a penalty of his own.
The rest of the first half was pretty much one way traffic as the Top 14 team got into gear – wing Arthur Bonneval the first to cross the Zebre line with a 16th minute try that Bezy converted.
Then came a burst of two tries in five minutes from centre Gael Fickou and lock Joe Tekori, both converted by Bezy, that put Toulouse in total command.
On the stroke of half time wing Yoann Huget secured the bonus point with try No 4 and Bezy’s conversion made it 29-6 at the break.
There was no let up for the home side in the second half as Bonneval raced over for his second try and Bezy’s conversion took the lead out to 30 points.
That was that as the 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010 champions kept themselves in the mix and will be out for more of the same in the quickfire return in Round 4.
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