Toulouse have that old European hunger back and that should worry the rest

Insomuch as five-time winners can possibly go under the radar, Toulouse appear to have crept into Saturday’s Champions Cup quarter-final at home to the Sharks relatively undetected.

As third seeds they are also third favourites, at around 9-2, although a victory over Sharks will give them the dubious reward of facing Leinster in the Aviva, where they suffered a jarring 40-17 defeat at the same venue and stage last May.

Afterwards, their head coach Ugo Mola admitted: “Today, too much separated us from Leinster. We failed to stem the blue waves. We came across a much better team than ours.

“The only time we beat them in the finals was at home. And we know that to beat this kind of team, you have to do well in all sectors. Today, we were far from this configuration. Well done to Leinster, then. There will be a great team in the final.”

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In the event, La Rochelle beat Leinster 24-21 in what amounted to a home final in Marseille for Ronan O’Gara’s team a fortnight later. But that didn’t stop Toulouse beating La Rochelle more handsomely than the 33-28 scoreline indicates two weeks later again in the French Championship playoffs, when leading by 14 points in the last two minutes.

The common denominator was home advantage.

There are several reasons for believing this is a stronger Toulouse side than a year ago. Aside from their undoubted quality, there’s also the hunger game.

The season before last, they won a record fifth Champions Cup and a record 21st Bouclier de Brennus when beating La Rochelle in both finals. Last season, a chunk of the Toulouse side which arrived in Dublin for the semi-finals were also more than a little sated after helping France to an unbeaten November, including a win over the All Blacks, and a first Grand Slam in a decade.

It showed in their Top 14 results. Having finished atop the regular season table in 2020-21, Toulouse finished fifth last season. They were also a little weary, not least after Munster had taken them to extra-time and a goalkicking competition in the quarter-finals the week beforehand in the Aviva.

This season they have been the Top 14 pacesetters again, and with five games remaining, are already within four points of their 26-game total last season.

Their league form also means they can target Champions Cup games. Only three of the starting XV in last week’s 33-19 win over the Bulls started the week previously for the loss in Castres.

As the inaugural winners of the Heineken Cup, the tournament is part of their DNA. Mola played in that 1995 final on the wing as a replacement. So did the club president, Didier Lacroix, a former backrow for whom that 1995 final was one of his 350-plus games for Stade Toulousain.

The backs coach, Clément Poitrenaud, spent virtually his entire playing career at Toulouse, including five Champions Cup finals and the wins of 2003, 2005 and 2010.

The forwards coach, Jean Bouilhou, is a former flanker who also played in those three finals, starting in 2003 and 2010, and featuring as a replacement in 2005.

Even the team’s video analyst who also works with the Toulouse defence, Laurent Thuéry, spent two years with Toulouse, albeit only playing once in the Top 14, before a productive spell at Pau. While working as a video analyst with Valencian Future in Federal 1, he was invited initially on a part-time basis to work with Toulouse by Mola in 2015 before becoming full-time.

This team behind the team were all in situ for the double of the season before last. A la Leinster, they also have a settled side. Ten of last week’s XV also started the French Championship final against La Rochelle two seasons ago.

And the conveyor belt keeps on rolling, be it the 140kg Emmanuel Meafou (24), becoming their Will Skelton, classy number eight Alexandre Roumat (25, son of Olivier) or Josh Brennan, both more athletic and skilful than Trevor. The 21-year-old chip off the old block has played 19 times for Toulouse this season.

Like Leinster, they were never going to lose in front of 30,000-plus at Le Stadium last week. They also had to play in heavy rain, their pressure rugby helping build a 12-6 lead through the boot of Thomas Ramos.

Ramos is a superb footballer now on the crest of a wave after his exploits as the Six Nations’ leading points scorer. Most of his seven kicks were ‘gimmes’ last week but consider this, he has landed 26 of his last 27 kicks for club and country. The man doesn’t miss.

Then the skies cleared, the sun broke through and Toulouse scored three ties in 16 minutes to settle the tie, with the outrageous Antoine Dupont their creative heartbeat as usual behind all that power game. He looks as fresh as ever too. Consider this as well, in 13 starts with Toulouse this season, they’ve won the lot. In 13 without him, they’ve won six, drawn one and lost six.

Now, admittedly, he’s normally on international call or is with the other front-liners when rested. Even so, while Leinster’s Irish contingent are all unbeaten for province and country, in 20 starts for Toulouse and France this season, Dupont has been on the winning side 19 times. Of course, that one loss was in the round three Six Nations decider against Ireland at the Aviva.

Toulouse have their hunger back and are on a mission too.