Posted by It’s fair to say there were few surprises from Cardiff’s trip to Toulouse in the Investec Champions Cup on Saturday. Betting on the reigning French champions to beat a side that has had it’s already fairly mediocre budget cut wouldn’t have got much return from the bookies.
The Blue and Blacks were major underdogs, and the hosts were in good form on the afternoon. Antoine Dupont and Thomas Ramos ran things expertly from half-back, Pierre-Louis Barassi and Arthur Retiere were clinical in the back line, while Thibaud Flament got through a lot of work from the blindside. Some of the tries scored were a joy to watch.
Coming up against Toulouse in that sort of mood is tough at the best of times but in front of a raucous Stade Ernest Wallon, with a squad in evolution and injuries to some key men it was always an uphill battle. Having said all that though, there was plenty for Cardiff to take from the trip to the south-west of France.
Firstly, the scoreline didn’t accurately reflect the game. That’s not to say that the hosts didn’t deserve to win at all, but it wasn’t as one-sided as 52-7 suggests. To put it simply, Toulouse were clinical and the Blue and Blacks weren’t. While we had multiple visits to the opposition 22 and only one score, they scored on the majority of their 22 entries.
This Blue and Blacks squad aren’t regularly going to outmuscle opponents, especially when the other pack contains the likes of Emmanuel Meafou, so momentum may be hard to come by in the red zone when getting shunted back from the gain line. Working out how to recover that momentum, or better still, avoid losing that momentum in the first place, will be a constant need.
There are more than enough skilful and athletic players in the squad, and being creative around their use will be the key. Looking at Toulouse on Saturday and how Antoine Dupont had a free role to roam off the breakdown, could Cardiff replicate something like that with Tomos Williams? With options like Rhys Carre, Teddy Williams and Mackenzie Martin running off him there is certainly food for thought.
And it’s some of those names that are the second reason why Matt Sherratt can take plenty from the Stade Ernest Wallon. Williams and Martin, along with Efan Daniel, Evan Lloyd, Rhys Litterick, Mason Grady, Jacob Beetham and particularly Lucas De La Rua on debut will take plenty from the experience of Saturday.
Not just playing in the Champions Cup against the French champions containing some of the best players in the world, but the whole circus of the walk into the stadium and the raucous atmosphere that comes with a big European clash.
The trick now for Sherratt, his coaches and the senior players in the squad is how to harness all these experiences and exposure to top end rugby, and funnel it into ongoing development. The young players all seem like humble, grounded young men, alleviating concerns of any over-confidence and cockiness around having “made it” as a professional rugby player.
However there has to be a tempering of expectation in order for those around them not to get carried away. They will have games where they perform beyond what is required from a talented but raw youngster, but they will also have games where things don’t go their way. It’s important to remember that the average age of this side is still so low.
In the meantime the big games and new experiences keep coming for many in the Cardiff squad as we head on towards a huge Anglo-Welsh Champions Cup game against Bath under the Saturday night lights at the Arms Park. On course for a sell-out, it’s set to be a memorable occasion in the capital’s city centre.
With the likes of Liam Belcher, Seb Davies, Alex Mann, Rey Lee-Lo and Cam Winnett rested for the trip to Toulouse, and Lopeti Timani set to be fit for this weekend’s fixture, it’ll be a stronger 23 that takes the field to go up against the team currently sat second in the Gallagher Premiership.
You may remember the last time a team in that position in that league came to the Arms Park, a certain Sale Sharks back in April. A repeat of that performance and result would do just fine!
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Cardiff Rugby Life 