EUROPEAN CHALLENGE CUP

POOL STAGE

RC TOULONNAIS v NORTHAMPTON SAINTS

Stade Félix-Mayol Thursday 9th October 2008    KO 20.45

About the Club

The Rugby Club Toulonnais was founded in 1908 as a merger of two local clubs. It took the club 23 years to reach the top of French rugby. 30,000 people joined the players when they returned from Bordeaux, where the final had been played, and the town went crazy for several days.

Toulon remained one of the top French clubs until 1992, when they won their last championship. For the next eight years, Toulon was not particularly successful and were in heavy financial trouble (a 10 million franc deficit) which forced the Ligue Nationale de Rugby to demote them to the Second Division in July 2000. The club missed an immediate return the next year, going down in the final to Montauban, as only one club was promoted that year. It took them five more years to return when in 2005 RCT went on to win the Pro D2 title. Unfortunately, despite gates averaging more than 12,000 and much enthusiasm, they only managed to win three games out of 26 and were relegated again at the end of the season.

A new president, Mourad Boudjellal, a Toulonnais with great wealth, promised to build a huge team.  He signed a high number of first-class players, some of whom were getting toward the end of their careers, like Jean-Jacques Crenca, Yann Delaigue, Gonzalo Quesada and Dan Luger. He created a deal of interest when signed former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga, who arrived in Toulon after the end of the Air New Zealand Cup on October 26, 2006. The contract was rumoured to be around 200,000, which Boudjellal claimed to pay from his own pocket, for only 8 to 10 matches.

More high profile veteran players have succumbed to Boudjellal's wallet.. They include George Gregan who signed to play for Toulon in the 2007-08 season. Gregan, was reportedly paid €400,000, again out of Boudjellal's pocket. Later that year, the club announced that Andrew Mehrtenshad signed a contract for 2007-08. They also went on to sign Victor Matfield, the current South African lock, and New Zealand hooker Anton Oliver. Tana Umaga returned as coach to head the impressive list of ex-internationals. In the 2007-08 season they led the D2 table for the whol season and were promoted to the Top 14 this season.

Back in the Top 14, Once again RCT are being linked with big money signings. In June 17, 2008, it was announced that they had signed All Blacks flanker Jerry Collins on a three-year deal, beating out other French, English and Irish clubs. They later signed the Springbok NearlySaint Joe van Niekerk and National Rugby League star Sonny Bill Williams, whose departure from the Bulldogs caused considerable controversy in Australia;. Toulon spent € 440,000 to buy Williams out of his Bulldogs contract.

After a lacklustre start to the T14 (they lie 11th) Umaga is rumoured to be under pressure, and has been given the football manager's kiss of death,  - his chairman's support. Along with poor results, has come brawling on the pitch, one fight involving most of botha teams against Stade Francais, resulting in suspensions and Boudjellal being banned from the pitchside until the end of October. He is also the subject of investigation by the French Rugby authorities for an illegal approach to John Connelly, the ex Australian coach. Boudjellal has made good his promise to build a huge team, and can pick from a squad of no less than 54 1st team players (injuries and suspensions excepted)  as follows:

Nicolas AGNESI. Orene AI'I, Marc ANDREU, Fotunuupule AUELUA, David BANQUET, Romain BARTHELEMY, Benjamin BASTERES, Cédric BEAL, Ben CASTLE, Julien CHOUQUET, Jerry COLLINS, Christophe DEL PELLEGRINO, César DELARUE, Santiago DELLAPE, Sonny FALCONETTI,  Sébastien FAUQUE, Jérôme FILITOGA TAOFIFENUA, Philip FITZGERALD,  Alessio GALASSO, Anthony GIACOBAZZI, Olivier GRIMAUD, Pierrick GUNTHER, Matt HENJAK, Clément IMBERT, Martin JAGR, Norman JORDAAN, Mafileo KEFU, Sisaro KOYAMAIBOLE, Davit KUBRIASHVILI, Grégory LABADZE, Mathieu LARROUY, Christiaan LIEBENBERG, Gabirieli LOVOBALAVU, Esteban LOZADA, Yoann MAESTRI, Kiri MARINER, Olivier MISSOUP, Anthony MULETA, Ramiro PEZ, Tusi PISI, Guillaume RIBES, Luke ROONEY, Jérémy SINZELLE, Ross SKEATE, Thomas SOURICE, Jocelino SUTA, Saimone TAUMOEPEAU, Soane TOEVALU, Joe VAN NIEKERK, Thomas VERVOORT, Damien VIDAL, Sonny Bill WILLIAMS, Khaled ZAGAR

Former Wallaby Matt Henjak, who also made his European debut with Toulon, described the French style of rugby as "confrontational". "They like to be in your face and I suppose they like the rough stuff a little bit more than at home," said Henjak, sacked from the Western Force for breaking teammate Haig Sare's jaw!!

Into this dysfunctional arena, Saints will proceed on Thursday. There are a number of similarities between the two clubs, including an ex league player struggling with tackling technique, and an outspoken chairman. We do not yet know what the travelling side will be, but with many of the Premiership players to date having been rested on Saturday, and 9 days before facing Montpelier at home, I expect Jim and Dorian to field a strong team . In addition, on Saturday a number of players put their hands up for at least a bench spot at Stade Mayol. These include Digger, Courtney Lawes and that well known typing error Rob Milligna. How the coaches will cope with this "nice to have" problem remains to be seen.

I think Saints will relish this competition, Montpellier being the team to beat, but this will be a tough game. All French clubs jealously guard their home turf, relying on winning at home with the odd away steal to progress in the competitions. Add to this "Pilou Pilou"  the Toulonnais supporters song, a bit like a Haka, and vociferous supporters, this could a game to remember.

Saints by 7

Toulon for the travelling Saints.

Toulon is a city in southern France and a large military harbour on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur région, Toulon is the préfecture of the Var département, in the former province of Provence.

The population of the commune in 2005 was 167,400 making it the fifteenth largest city in France. The population of the Toulon area in 1999 was 564,823, making it the tenth largest metropolitan area, after Strasbourg, in France..

Toulon is an important centre for naval construction, fishing, wine making (No - really? - I knew I was going for some reason other than rugby!) , and the manufacture of aeronautical equipment, armaments, maps, paper, tobacco, printing, shoes, and electronic equipment. Toulon is the major naval center on France's Mediterranean coast, home of the French Navy aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle and her battle group. The French Mediterranean Fleet is based in Toulon.

A bit like Plymouth with Wine for Beer really!

Stade Mayol

The Staduim was opened in 1920 and it is named after Félix Mayol, a very popular concert hall singer from Toulon who was popular in Paris in the early 20th century. It is one of the few French stadiums to be almost completely surrounded by the city and overlooks the Toulon bay and military harbour in the Mediterranean. The club's emblem is also connected with Félix MayolOn the day of his arrival in Paris, on May 1, 1895, just before his first concert, Félix Mayol was met by a female friend at the station, who gave him some lily-of-the-valley, a flower people traditionally exchange on May 1 in France. He pinned it on his lapel, his concert was a success and Mayol, who was very superstitious, made the lily-of-the-valley his personal emblem. It was taken up by the rugby club in 1921.

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