Nice walk in the park for Stade Toulousain which largely dominated the derby on Saturday afternoon, crushing Castres Olympique (33-6) with five tries scored and therefore the offensive bonus point, and the score could have been even much heavier if some Ugo Mola players had the idea of playing it in a slightly less personal way (we think of two actions wasted by Matthis Lebel and Setareki Bituniyata).
It’s not very serious and it had no impact on the score or the appearance of the match. Stade Toulousain seems far too strong for this Top 14, even during these periods of doubles which disrupt so many opponents of the reigning French champions.
He has just scored a fifth consecutive victory despite an impressive number of internationals. And for the first time in a very long time, the Toulouse team did not concede any attempts, defending marvelously, notably in the first period by preventing Josaia Raisuqe and Yann Peysson from flattening the ball while the two Castres had managed to cross this famous line.
Good feedback from Meafou and Flament
Patrick Arlettaz, one of Fabien Galthié’s deputies, was in the stands of the Ernest-Walloon stadium. He certainly liked what he saw, especially the returns to the field of Emmanuel Meafou and Thibaud Flament, two players who hadn’t played in ages.
Holder, Meafou stayed on the pitch for more than an hour. He scored a try and also the spirits with big defense and lots of impact on collisions. Flament came on after the break, first in the third wing position, then moved back into the cage after Meafou’s exit.
The two players will return to the France team in a few hours to prepare for the next match of the Tournament that the Blues will play in Cardiff next Saturday. Also selected, center Pierre-Louis Barassi was also very comfortable during this derby, bringing a lot of solutions to the carrier and speed in the game when he was served.
