It’s a difficult job, but if any club can do it, it’s Toulouse – and Ugo Mola at least will have key internationals, including Antoine Dupont, Julien Marchand, Romain Ntamack, and Thomas Ramos, rested and available immediately.
But while the future looks hectic but rosy at born-again Toulouse, the same can hardly be said of Toulon, where head coach Patrice Collazo desperately eyes improvement after three seasons in charge without reaching the end-of-season play-offs.
Collazo arrived after a frankly crazy period following the belated departure of Bernard Laporte in which the club burned through four head and interim head coaches in two seasons – Diego Dominguez, Mike Ford, Richard Cockerill, and Fabien Galthie all came and went in quick succession, three of them in a single campaign in 2016/17.
He’s at least got rid of the revolving door to the manager’s office, but his tenure has hardly been relaxed. And the pressure is mounting.
At Toulouse, Mola is in a strong position with three titles in the last two completed seasons – but it’s not long ago that his future at the club was on the line. A change of president and a clear plan focused on rebuilding using remarkable academy foundations has taken both him and the club from then to now.
Likewise, Collazo has also been charged with rebuilding Toulon from the academy up – but the foundations at Berg are much shallower than those at Ernest Wallon. It will take time for them to develop depth.
There are promising signs – Louis Carbonel, Anthony Belleau, Gervais Cordin and Erwan Dridi are all academy undergrads. But they are just the first through the door. It’s the next phase and the one after that will show how bright a ‘Made in Toulon’ future could be.
この記事は The Rugby Paper の August 08, 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Rugby Paper の August 08, 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Ten-try Chiefs show Pirates no mercy
TEN-TRY Exeter inflicted the backlash from six successive defeats in their worst ever start to a Premiership season on a young Pirates side suffering their own problems in the Championship.
South America look to keep on building
AS Sebastián Piñeyrúa's historic six-year term as President of Rugby Sudamérica comes to an end, his replacement shows no signs of slowing down.
Scarratt excited by new pathway
ENGLAND centurion Emily Scarratt is delighted with the new women's BUCS programme which aims to provide a smoother pathway for young aspiring female players.
Baxter: I want to make things better
ROB Baxter will not be walking away from Exeter, the only club still looking for a Premiership victory this season, believing he can get the Chiefs back on track and he cannot bear the thought of anyone else doing the job.
Pearce walks in his father's footsteps
PADDY Pearce is living a dream after emulating his father and great-uncle by playing for the club he supported as a boy, Bristol.
New England group will cause uncertainty
SO JUST when we thought that everything was getting sorted between the RFU, the clubs and players, a number of new agreements and a new group raises its head.
Galthie turns his sights to the future
FRANCE head coach Fabien Galthie offered the clearest hint yet of Les Bleus' future on Wednesday, when he released 19 players back F to their clubs for the ninth and final Top 14 round before the international break.
Gilmore has tightened up our defence - Anderson
CAMERON Anderson has hailed the impact made by defence coach Jason Gilmore, below, since he arrived at The Stoop in the summer.
Ampthill given 11-try lesson in class from Bath
BATH secured a thumping away success in the opening match of their Premiership Rugby Cup campaign against Ampthill at Dillingham Park.
New faces take the plaudits for Saints
NORTHAMPTON handed out a thorough lesson to a tame Leicester team in this one-sided East Midlands derby to launch the Premiership Cup.