Posted by Toulouse v Cardiff has been an Investec Champions Cup fixture that has produced some intense, weird and quality matches down the years, from Finals to thrown together 23s.
It was 28 years ago now that the two met in the 1995/96 Final of the inaugural running of the competition, before a flurry of encounters in the late 2000s including a quarter-final win apiece, on to the bizarre circumstances around the 2021 pool stage game when the majority of the Blue and Blacks players and coaches were stranded in South Africa leaving Academy youngsters and semi-pros to take the field.
For that reason it’s a famous fixture in it’s own right, and why many Cardiff fans who love the European Cup, or “European” Cup as it now as with the introduction of the South African teams, enjoy this match-up so much. The history, the French-Welsh clash, the excitement it throws up.
On a personal level it’s an even more special fixture. Thursday marked the second birthday of my eldest son Teifi Cellan, who sadly passed away six days after he was born in 2021. That pool stage game where “the misfits” went up against the might of Toulouse was the only game we got to watch together, and what a game he picked to be around for.
He wasn’t with us long but the lessons he taught me have been put into practice in a major way this season. We might not win every game, so when we do you have to enjoy every second, and when we don’t there’s still plenty of enjoyment to be found within the 80 minutes.
Games like this, and the ties against Bath and Harlequins at the Arms Park, and Racing 92 at the La Defense Arena, won’t come around often. It’s a brilliant fixture list, slotted each side of two festive Welsh URC derbies, that is a bit of a dream for Cardiff fans everywhere. Four Anglo-Welsh fixtures plus two trips to France each December and January? Yes please!
We may not get too much success from our four pool games, or at least we shouldn’t when you compare the respective resources of the five teams involved. Toulouse are the reigning French champions with a plethora of Les Bleus starts complemented by a strong overseas contingent, Racing are essentially rugby galacticos, Bath are second in the English Premiership with a £1m a year fly-half, and Harlequins have their own mix of English international talent and overseas quality.
The Blue and Blacks, meanwhile, are likely to have at least five players under the age of 23 in each matchday 23, many in their first season of senior professional rugby, and will be fielding fewer internationals than their opponents.
What an experience it will be for the new and young faces in the squad though. Playing at some of the best grounds in France, under the lights in front of a packed Arms Park, against some of the best players in the world. The learning they will take from that will be invaluable, guided by a good group of senior leaders and a coaching staff who seem to be getting their messaging right each week.
All they can do is give it their best go, leave 100% out on the field, and back themselves to fire a few shots when the opportunities inevitably arise. If Cardiff can look back on this Champions Cup pool stage and say we gave the best possible account of ourselves then it’s a success no matter what the table says.
It sounds a bit cliche, but you don’t need to win to make memories. One of the best memories I will ever have is sitting with my lad watching a Blue and Blacks misfits squad giving everything for the jersey. If we get even close to that again I will be very happy.
Cardiff Rugby Life 