“Former XV of France Coach Philippe Saint-André Analyzes the Contrasting Styles of Toulouse and La Rochelle in the Top 14”

How are Stade Toulousain and La Rochelle above the lot this year?
They are clearly the two heavyweights in the Top 14. La Rochelle have just made three Champions Cup finals in a row and won two of them, it’s really impressive. We have often heard that doing the European Championship double was complicated because we played every weekend. But we realize that these two teams have taken so much lead that they are already in half. They were able to win anywhere as soon as they fielded their best team. I still remember La Rochelle’s victory in Bordeaux. Ditto in Marseille against Toulon and the Varois hit a wall. But above all, the two teams managed to make shots away with their second team. The Toulousains did it at Racing for example, but also against us at home. They dominate French and even European rugby. LaRochelle has been able to build a high-quality squad, with a depth that they didn’t have four or five years ago. By recruiting Antoine Hastoy, they have also offered themselves a world-class goalscorer.

Do you see the rivalry growing between these two teams?
This rivalry grows because Toulouse was at one point the pet peeve of the Rochelais, who ended up finding a way to defeat them. It was an important moment for them. The fact remains that their DNA is totally different. La Rochelle are an overpowered team in front with Bourgarit, Skelton, Alldritt, Botia and Atonio. She manages to stifle her opponents with the quality of her balls carried, her conquest and her very aggressive defense. Stade Toulousain has a culture of total play, standing up… These are two different cultures but they win. We always have surprises but I would put a coin on a La Rochelle-Toulouse final at the Stade de France. This clash of genres will be worth its weight in gold. But who will win the piece? Hard to say.

Do these two clubs have any similarities?
Not on the field but off it: they have a real economy with a multitude of partners, full stadiums, jersey sales… All this reflects a huge sense of belonging between these two clubs and their communities. We saw the celebrations in the Old Port of La Rochelle and we remember those that take place on the Place du Capitole when the people of Haut-Garonne bring back a title. This year, it is above all the TFC which has brought people back, but if the rugby players imitate them, we will have the same crowd!

Will the Maritimes be more blunt than the Toulouse?
No, because they managed to finish second in the championship by sparing their executives. For example, Skelton plays eighty minutes in every big game, but he’s no longer in the lineup every weekend. We saw that they rotated their squad for the last day of Top 14 and they will not play the play-offs next week. Admittedly, they celebrated the title but they will have three weeks of preparation before the semi-final and in my opinion, they will arrive there with as much freshness as the Toulousains. The latter dominated the Top 14 from start to finish but the Rochelais arrive with incredible confidence, after what they faced Leinster in the final. They twisted the Irish while the match was badly started.

Do you see any other technical differences?
Defensively, yes. The Toulousains go up, of course, but they tend to slip more to push towards the outsides. The Rochelais, them, go up very very quickly even if it means leaving the last or the penultimate defender alone. But these aggressive climbs prevent you from making two or three passes.

How do you view their managers, Ugo Mola and Ronan O’Gara?
They are great coaches and smart guys with experience. Last year, both teams came to the end of the season on their knees. This year, it’s very different and the management of Antoine Dupont is a good example: he had a lot more holidays, was often put on rest… Same in La Rochelle, where Ronan O’Gara managed his squad well. . As a result, if they meet in the final, they should do so without a large number of injuries.

Are the people of Rochelle as much “Skelton dependent” as the people of Toulouse are “Dupont dependent”?
I will say yes! (laughs) That’s why these two players have been carefully managed by their managers, and they play eighty minutes or so in big events. Skelton is the one who breaks the carried balls, who impales three guys in the middle of the field, who stops the defense, who passes after contact and around whom the carried balls are structured. Antoine Dupont is always the one who scores or who scores. Both are exceptional and possess vital importance to their numbers.

Do you expect a reaction of pride from Toulouse, who saw the Rochelais celebrate their European title?
Of course. They have an outstanding squad and since their semi-final loss to Leinster they have been aiming for the Top 14. I imagine they have to prepare accordingly…

Should we be worried about the fact that the Rochelais give the impression of not having a plan B?
What’s the point of having a plan B when plan A allows you to walk on Europe? Often in rugby it is better to do fewer things but do them very well than to want more things but be less efficient. This is what happened to us a little this year in Montpellier.