Top 14 club-by-club 2020/21 season preview: Toulon
Toulon have finally emerged from the revolving-door-in-the-coach's-office madness of the immediate post-Bernard Laporte era. The club is in stable situation, and looking to a new, very different, but no less intimidating future.
Key signing
Thomas Jolmes. La Rochelle's wantaway international-standard lock finally got his wish at the end of a season in which he had made just two starts, and was effectively absent for most of the season. He teams up again with former boss Patrice Collazo, who is entering his third season at Toulon.
Key departure
Julian Savea. If he's being honest, or even just feeling blunt, Savea is probably not too disappointed to have returned to New Zealand and the Hurricanes - it's to his immense credit that he stuck it out at Toulon and worked his way into Collazo's thinking at all after a dismal start.
They say
"It's great to work with so much stability in the group. To have only three recruits is a luxury. You don't have to rethink the group dynamics when a third of the workforce has to soak up the game plan." (Club president Bernard LeMaitre, Rugbyrama)
We say
Stability is not a word that has been easily linked with Toulon in recent years. But those years are done. Mourad Boudjellal - the comic-book baddie of the Top 14 - has gone, replaced by the more measured Bernard LeMaitre, who has wasted no time laying down his mark.
Toulon contract extensions
He must be doing something right. Shortly after pre-season started in earnest, Toulon announced head coach Collazo and recently arrived new-model Galatico signing Eben Etzebeth had both signed long contract extensions. The coach is at Mayol until at least 2025, and the Springbok World Cup winner is staying until the end of the 2023/24 season, after the World Cup.
While Collazo's first season in charge was something of a nightmare - there was, for a while, talk of relegation - his second was a big improvement. When the campaign shuddered to an early halt, Toulon were solidly fourth in the French championship, and into the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a perfect six-from-six in the pool stage.
Accent on youth
One of LeMaitre's preconditions for investing in the club was developing a new training centre at Berg and a stronger focus on harnessing and developing homegrown talent. This is, too, where big name signings such as Etzebeth come in. Part of his role is to support and help academy players at the centre.
The centre is now open for business. And Toulon are back.
Just look at their signings this season. Despite Etzebeth, they're no longer big importers of rugby stars - though there are several still on the books.
This iteration of Toulon places greater emphasis on youth development (there's a reason the signing of Harrison Obatoyinbo, from Ealing, hit the headlines) so expect to see more Anthony Belleaus and Louis Carbonels, Yoann Cottins - away on loan this season - and William Beaudons down the line.
More immediately, Toulon are contenders again, Larry.
Arrivals
Jeremy Boyadjis; Thomas Jolmes; Isaia Toeava
Departures
Marcel van der Merwe; Mamuka Gorgodze; Corentin Vernet; Liam Messam; Stephane Onambele; Yoan Cottin (loan); Mathieu Smaili; Julian Savea; Hugo Bonneval
Latest Comments
Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
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