Following defending champions Toulouse’s spectacular 61-21 win over Ulster in the Investec Champions Cup, here are our five key takeaways.
The top line
A 40-point first-half deluge by European Champions Toulouse saw them blow an inexperienced Ulster team as the hosts won 54-21. Nine tries from Matthis Lebel, Romain Ntamack, Emmanuel Meafou (2), Ange Capuozzo (2), Antoine Dupont and Santiago Chocobares set the early tone for the TOP14 outfit, and the last try of the game came courtesy of a penalty try as Ulster collapsed a maul in the last moment of the game, a blot on an otherwise much improved second half from the visitors.
Ulster’s scores came from James McCormack, Stewart Moore and Ireland veteran Iain Henderson, but despite their second-half rally, they left the Stade Ernest-Wallon empty-handed, blown away by the mixture of power and precision of Toulouse, as they moved the ball with devastating accuracy in that first half romp.
With a bonus point win in the bag first up, Toulouse travel to Sandy Park to face Exeter next weekend, and from the evidence we saw on Sunday, it’s pretty clear that the French champions are on a mission to take another Champions Cup trophy.
The Game in Numbers
Only 17 carries separated the two teams, with Toulouse making 127 against Ulster’s 110. That seems pretty even on paper until you read the metres made from those carries as a mighty 503m played 231, showing the sheer precision of the hosts’ attack once they’d got through the first line of the defence.
It underlines the clinical nature of the Toulouse attack, its focus on retaining possession and its ability to hurt teams who allow the Champions to run at them. Ulster stood off the attack for long periods of the first half, and you simply cannot allow the French runners that level of primary space if you want to keep them out of the red zone.
The breakdown was a nightmare for Ulster too; Toulouse lost just one ruck all evening, and, with the brilliance of Jack Willis and Julien Marchand at the breakdown, stole seven turnovers as the hosts’ breakaway forwards schooled the visiting Ulstermen.
The defensive shift was less than optimal too; whilst the Champions made 91% on successful tackles, Ulster returned only 77%, missing 29 tackles as the speed and intelligence of the home halfbacks pulled the defensive line all over the place, narrowing it up and using their passing precision to get around the primary line time and time again.
Coach Killers
Any team facing the might of Toulouse spends the week focusing on three things; one, win the collision; two, don’t get narrow in defence and three, stop Dupont.
Ulster’s inexperienced starting XV rather predictably tried their hardest to complete the focal hattrick, but as many teams have found, it’s rather easier said than done.
Firstly, winning the collisions in midfield relies upon using numbers to compete. As manfully as Ulster’s back-row competed, the sheer power of the waves of rouge et noir meant that at times the visitors were throwing far more men into the collision than they would have wanted.
With Emmanuel Meafou and Jack Willis absolutely rampant, it was as much as the Ulsterman could do to stop the Champions going straight through them, but predictably, once numbers were thrown in to defend the contact, then width appeared on the fringes, and Toulouse used their pace and speed, often using Ramos and Ntamack as floating tens, to get around the threadbare defence.
Firstly it was Lebel, then it was Capuozzo, then Romain Ntamack himself, as Toulouse fused power and intellect to simply change the point and method of their attack against the narrowing Ulster defence.
And, as the Ulster defence tired, holes simply kept on opening up as the brilliant European Champions simply lengthened their stride and put Ulster to the sword.
Reunited
And, as for Dupont – well when his mate Ntamack is around, it all just comes together that bit better. Dupont was in effervescent form, double pumping and looping, thoroughly enjoying being reunited with his domestic and test halfback partner, as both men showed just why they’re arguably the best pairing in world rugby.
For those who think of Ntamack as some maverick magician, that may well have been true some three or four years ago, but now it’s all about solidity, pragmatism and accuracy from the brilliant fly-half.
It’s the little things- penalty kicks that go right into the corner, taking contact rather than passing speculatively when the defensive pressure is on, and also tackling like a demon, making the ten channel an unwelcome place for attacking visitors that choose to meander up that avenue.
It’s not only Ntamack and Dupont, but it’s the partnership with Thomas Ramos as well. The trio hunt points like a pack of lions, with the two tens interchanging to create width, with one of them running those brilliant inside lines that so define the play of Toulouse.
Ntamack’s return couldn’t have come sooner; Toulouse and France may have done well this season to date, but they’ve not been quite the fluent force we’re used to. On Sunday, we saw the missing link as the brilliant rouge et noir halfbacks combined with Ramos once more to deliver a trademark display of exquisite attacking intellect.
Ulster learning
Throwing a largely inexperienced side into the cauldron of the Ernest-Wallon was a brave move for head coach Richie Murphy. He chose to leave 900 caps worth of Ulster experience on the bench, leaving his youngsters to learn from the challenge of playing the best.
He can be moderately pleased at the way the set piece went, as the visitors scrummaged low and tight, focusing on getting the ball in and away as quickly as they could. The maul went well too, and Toulouse won’t be happy with a couple of moments on their own line, one that saw the impressive hooker James McCormack trundle over after an arm-wrestle by his tight forwards.
But the lineout cost them, notably when Toulouse stole on their own ten-metre line to see Santi Chocobares go fully 60m to score, as the Ulster defence showed its first signs of fatigue.
On an individual level, number eight James McNabney showed his power, the 21-year-old making 12 thundering carries as he impressed in direct competition against France’s Test back-rower, Alexandre Roumat. McNabney is an old-school eight, tough and direct and it’s easy to see why the Ulster faithful are so excited at his potential.
Just behind the eight, scrum-half Nathan Doak can also take some pride out of the match; he was spiky and confrontational, more direct than his illustrious opponent, and with Ireland starting to thin in their nine stocks, his performance will have been noted with a smile by the Irish coaching team.
And, to add the flourish in the comparisons with the French nine, he wandered back to ten for the last 20 of the game as Dave Shanahan trotted on to take over at nine, demonstrating the versatility of Doak’s rounded game.
READ MORE: Antoine Dupont irrepressible once again as Toulouse begin Champions Cup defence with Ulster rout
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/toulouse-v-ulster-five-takeaways-as-pack-of-lions-inspire-deluge-over-learning-visitors
