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Périlleux déplacement vendredi pour les Toulousains en Ulster (20h45) où il n'est jamais simple de briller. Un exploit à Belfast permettrait aux joueurs d'Ugo Mola de lancer véritablement leur campagne européenne. - 09/12/2015 12:24
The significance to result of this European Rugby Champions Cup tie in Belfast appears to depend upon which side of the Channel you are standing.
Toulouse insist qualification from Pool One could well rest upon their results against Ulster over the coming weeks.
The four-time European champions got their Champions Cup back on track, following defeat to Saracens, with a 27-3 victory over Oyonnax.
They have since defeated Oyonnax again, in the Top 14, to maintain their third place in the championship, just a point behind leaders Clermont-Auvergne.
But their away form has been a problem of late having lost three of their last four games on the road. That includes the humbling 32-7 loss at Saracens, the worst defeat suffered by les Toulousains in Europe in nine years – at Ulster.
Record try-scorer Vincent Clerc said: “The next two games in the European Cup are essential to qualification. We will have to go and get a result in Ulster, that’s obvious.
“You really get the European Cup in mind and we are in a situation where we have the pressure. We must negotiate our way through these ties.”
Clerc, set to make his 80th appearance in the Champions Cup, added: “We had a difficult match in difficult conditions at Oyonnax [last week] with a slippery ball. That could help us prepare for Ulster where we could have the same conditions.”
Ulster have also lost to Saracens this season and face major injury problems with Iain Henderson, Darren Cave, Dan Tuohy and Peter Nelson joining Tommy Bowe and Jared Payne on the sidelines.
But they got back to winning ways last week in the Guinness Pro12 against Edinburgh and have a game-in-hand over Saracens and Toulouse.
Director of rugby Les Kiss said: “There are a lot of permutations that don’t fit the normal European year. Losing can put you on the back foot, but it would be remiss of anyone to define a competition after two games. I don’t think anyone’s been defined after round two in this competition before.
“We just need to keep our head about ourselves. It’s important to win because that would put a different kind of pressure on the pool.
“Toulouse know that it’s a real battle for that second place and you never know what could happen if we do win.
“Saracens know we have that extra game up our sleeves. You don’t think they’ll take their eye off the ball, but it does put extra pressure on them.”
Match Facts
- Ulster have won three of their four home matches against Toulouse in the Champions Cup including a 30-3 victory the last time these sides met in Belfast.
- The spoils are split evenly between these teams overall in the Champions Cup however with each side earning three wins and a draw in the seven games between the two.
- Ulster have won only two of their last eight Champions Cup matches, this after winning six in a row prior to that.
- Ulster lost their last home game against French opposition, but won five in a row against teams from France before that.
- Toulouse are one of four teams in the Champions Cup yet to miss a kick at goal so far this season, with the French side slotting all five of their shots at goal.
- Toulouse are just 21 points away from scoring their 4000th in the Champions Cup overall.
- Toulouse have made 47 offloads so far in the Champions Cup this season, the most of any team; Louis Picamoles (10), Luke McAlister (7) and Yoann Maestri (5) have made more than any other player.
- Toulouse have kicked from hand just 29 times in their two games this season and have the lowest match average of any team (14.5); Ulster, in contrast, put boot to ball 31 times in their opening game.
- Ulster gained just 147 metres over the gainline in their opening game, the fewest of any team in a game so far this season.
- Louis Picamoles has made a competition-high 37 carries this season, eight more than any other player.
Enorme désillusion pour les Rouge et Noir qui ont subi à Belfast la deuxième plus lourde défaite de leur histoire européenne (0-38)
Ulster produced one of the most famous victories in their history with a five try demolition of four-time winners Toulouse at Ravenhill.
Two first half tries and three more after the interval gave the home side a much-deserved victory as Toulouse failed to score a single point in a European game for the first time.
It puts Ulster back in contention to qualify for the knock-out stages from pool one, despite their shock defeat at home to Saracens in round one of the competition.
Toulouse never really got going in Belfast, with England international Toby Flood missing an early penalty before they lost influential number eight Louis Picamoles when he picked up a shoulder injury.
Nick Williams then got the home side’s first try when Flood failed with an interception attempt and the powerful back-row was able to force his way over the Toulouse line from close range.
Toulouse’s cause was not helped when they went down to 14 men when scrum-half Sebastien Bezy saw yellow, allowing Paddy Jackson to kick a penalty.
Flood then missed a second penalty attempt for the visitors, before the home side went down to 14 when they lost Williams to the sin bin a no-arms tackle.
But despite going a man down Ulster grabbed a second try before the break when Andrew Trimble broke the line, kicked ahead and collected the loose ball himself.
Yacouba Camara became the second Toulouse player to see yellow for a trip in the build-up to Trimble’s score.
A third try for Ulster came five minutes after the restart when Ruan Pienaar picked out centre Luke Marshall with a perfect cross-field kick with the visitor’s defence stretched.
Centre Stu McCloskey wrapped up the bonus point with half an hour still to play with a smart finish from midfield before Chris Henry added with a fifth nine minutes from time from a driving-line out.
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