Toulouse v Stade Français: Teams
Five weeks ago these two teams met at Stade de France in what should have been one of the Top 14's benchmark games.
Last Updated: 11/04/10 12:04pm
Five weeks ago these two teams met at Stade de France in what should have been one of the Top 14's benchmark games.
Instead Toulouse waltzed their way to a 29-0 win, one that ended the Parisians' hopes of qualifying for next season's Heineken Cup thorugh the traditional 'finish in the top six' method.
Now, if Stade are to have any hope of making it through, they'll have to win the whole thing, starting with a revenge mission in the quarter-final at Toulouse on Sunday.
It's been an awful season in Paris. Rows over player availability with national unions, injuries - including the season-ending knee injury for captain Sergio Parisse - an unprecedented three-coach turnover which has left form inconsistent, the ongoing debate over whether the new home ground will ever be built, an investigation from Top 14 watchdog the DNACG... it just goes on and on.
For Toulouse, times are better after last season's disappointments. New players have blended in well and the team has been strikingly more consistent.
The win over Racing Metro last week guaranteed a play-off place - at the very least - in the Top 14 and Heineken Cup rugby for next season, and was an important warm-up for this test, according to coach Guy Noves.
"I think that that match (against Racing Metro) was the ideal preparation for the meeting with Stade Français," said Noves to Rugby Week.
"I prefer to play a big team before such an important match as it fine-tunes our qualities. Last year for instance we suffered as a result of putting over 80 points past Mont-de-Marsan and the next week we lost to Clermont in the championship play-off semi-finals.
Focused
"Against Racing-Metro we won by being really focused when we faced a tough challenge, and by rolling up our sleeves when it got tough.
"We were tested in terms of how we reacted when we were under pressure. Our spirit was good, and the players showed they were hungry for the fight. What is certain, is that we will be ready for Stade on Sunday."
The only notable absentees for Toulouse are half-backs Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and Frederic Michalak, meaning a bench spot for youngster Nicolas Bezy.
Stade Français line-up with Mark Gasnier partnering Mathieu Bastareaud in midfield and Lionel Beauxis orchestrating things from fly-half.
Up front, Rodrigo Roncero captains the side from loosehead as a part of a front-row featuring Dimitri Szarzewski and Sylvain Marconnet as well.
Toulouse: 15 Clément Poitrenaud, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Florian Fritz, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Cédric Heymans, 10 David Skrela, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Thierry Dusautoir (capt), 6 Jean Bouilhou, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Romain Millo-Chluski, 3 Benoit Lecouls, 2 William Servat, 1 Jean-Baptiste Poux
Replacements: 16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Daan Human, 18 Census Johnston, 19 Shaun Sowerby, 20 Yoann Maestri, 21 Nicolas Bezy, 22 Maxime Medard, 23 Grégory Lamboley
Stade Français: 15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Julien Arias, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Mark Gasnier, 11 Mirco Bergamasco, 10 Lionel Beauxis, 9 Noel Oelschig, 8 Juan Leguizamon, 7 Pierre Rabadan, 6 Antoine Burban, 5 Pascal Pape, 4 Tom Palmer, 3 Sylvain Marconnet, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Rodrigo Roncero (capt)
Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Rabah Slimani, 18 Rayno Gerber, 19 Arnaud Marchois, 20 Simon Taylor, 21 Benjamin Tardy, 22 Ignacio Mieres, 23 Geoffroy Messina