Are Toulouse under pressure?

Les rouge et noir in the Top 14 semi-finals are the focus of week's Jouez: The French Rugby Dispatch

Paris, FRANCE: The NFL has its title town of Green Bay with the Packers, European football has Real Madrid and French rugby (as well as the sport across the globe) has Toulouse.

Their march to a 30th major title takes them to Lyon to face Bayonne in Friday’s Top 14 semi-final with a possible decider a week later at the Stade de France.

Toulouse’s packed trophy cabinet means les rouge et noir are expected to win things, and losing May 4’s Champions Cup semi to Bordeaux-Bègles has put all focus on le Championnat.

They are the most popular club in France, I’ve seen jerseys in Parisian parks as well as on Basque beaches and they have more followers on social media than any other domestic rugby outfit in the world.

The town of Toulouse, population 800,000, is fou for rugby, like really fou.

The Victor Hugo covered market is adorned with club flags, opticians sell black and red glasses and car bumper stickers with the ‘ST’ logo are parked everywhere.

"There was a period of doubt following the Champions Cup semi-final defeat and that we qualified (for the semis) early on" Toulouse scrum coach Virgil Lacombe to Sud Radio

Ugo Mola’s side prepared for this week’s showdown in the foothills of the Alps with a stage in Catalunya, just to the north of of Girona near the Pyrenées.

After qualifying for the semis by mid-May, they trained in searing heat in the camp between June 9-12, with a well-deserved ‘week off’ during the barrages.

They have kept their one-to-one media interviews to a minimum in recent weeks, a stark change to their usual modus operandi of being open with the press as one of the best clubs in France (and Europe) to deal with as a journalist.

Since the spiky Mola took over from the evergreen Guy Novès in 2015, Toulouse have experienced five trophyless seasons, including 2020’s Covid-hit campaign.

This campaign has been hit by injuries to Antoine Dupont, Peato Mauvaka, Ange Capuozzo and Blair Kinghorn but Thomas Ramos, Thibaud Flament and Jacques (sorry Jack) Willis have been consistent performers.

Despite the significant absences, Mola’s side still manged to finish top of the league at the end of the regular season, scoring a record 891 points.

Standing in the way of Toulouse and a 30th French final since 1909 are the Basques, who held off Clermont in last week’s play-off, but Gregory Patat’s side are rank outsiders for the trip to the banks of the Rhone and Saone.

It is highly unlikely the sizeable faithful at home and online will be calling for change if Mola fails to secure a record-extending 24th Bouclier de Brennus on June 28.

However, missing out an at least a shot at the title in Saint-Denis next week would put some toulousains on edge.

The second last four tie takes place on Saturday as UBB play Toulon at the sold-out 59,000-capacity Groupama Stadium.

Les bordelais could claim a clean-sweep of French titles for the city this season after their women clinched the Élite 1 crown in May and their espoirs triumphed in the under-21 competition last weekend by beating, you guessed it, Toulon.

Predictions: Toulouse by seven, Bordeaux-Bégles by two

French Press: The best of the week’s media coverage

La Depeche du Midi speak to a proud father in Albi after his daughter won the France under-18 title with Toulouse and his son won the second-tier espoirs crown with Biarritz 24 hours apart. Keep an eye out for Candice and Valentin Barret.

Want to learn more about Montpellier winger Mael Moustin before his first France appearance? L’Équipe looks at the Martinique-born flyer who watched videos of Cheslin Kolbe and Rieko Ioane on YouTube for inspiration.

A cool interview with Toulon’s Baptiste Serin in Var-Matin before he faces his boyhood club in his first Top 14 semi-final. If it wasn’t for a certain Toto Dupont I’m sure he’d have more than his 46 Les Bleus caps by now.

Jeu de mots, jeu de mains: Gallic rugby vocabulary

Prolongation: noun: Extra-time. Could we add to the nerves in Lyon with an additional 20 minutes this weekend?

À table! Food, drink and anything in between

Rosette de Lyon: A dried sausage, saucisson, with ridged edges, usually weighing up to 700 grammes. Sliced thinly it’s perfect as an apéritif in front the last four.

Merci beaucoup for reading this week’s Jouez! Please share and I’ll be back next Thursday to preview the Top 14 finale in Paris. Bon week-end!