Antoine Dupont © Gallo Images
Defending Investec Champions’ Cup title holders Toulouse showed just why they are considered the best club side in world rugby as they struggled with the Durban conditions but still had enough in the tank to record an easy 20-8 victory over the Hollywoodbets Sharks side on Saturday.
While this was billed as the clash of the weekend, it came down to the titles both sides hold. Stade Toulousain are six time champions in this tournament, and are likely to add a seventh star if they continue in this form. The Sharks, the big spenders of South African rugby, looked on their home turf like the EPCR Challenge Cup champions that they are.
Considering the fact that Toulouse’s player budget is six times what the Sharks spend on their player group, it is no surprise, but it is a timely reminder of just the heights that SA teams will have to scale if they are to be successful in the prestigious competition.
That’s the standard – as coach John Plumtree is likely to point out – that teams need to aspire to and on Saturday the Sharks will be the first to admit they were not close to the standard needed to topple the French giants.
LOSING KINGPINS DIDN’T HELP
They have extenuating circumstances – losing kingpins Eben Etzebeth, Aphelele Fassi and Andre Esterhuizen before the game would have hurt their ability to impose themselves on the opposition.
Etzebeth and Esterhuizen in particular are key to the way the Sharks play and the latter is especially key to giving them go-forward ball and sets up a lot of their attack. Without them the Sharks were never going to be in the contest.
But the disappointing aspect of the loss for Sharks fans would be the manner that they lost. Few players even fired shots, even though they tackled their hearts out. For most of the game Toulouse camped deep in the Sharks’ half, and was it not for the 30 degree temperature and the high humidity and the fluidity of their game would have been a lot better and they would have won by a lot more.
The Sharks didn’t help themselves with some poor decision-making at times, and poor ball-retention at crucial moments, but they will be the first to admit they were out-gunned on their home turf.
NOW TOUGH TO QUALIFY
The loss also puts them in a very precarious position going into the final pool round – where they will need to travel to a rampant Bordeaux-Begles this coming week. Bordeaux went to Exeter on Saturday and won 69-17 away from home, securing their spot in the playoffs and the Sharks will be hoping they decide to play a second-string side next weekend.
Much was made before the game of French darling Antoine Dupont, and while there wasn’t a player on the Toulouse squad who had a bad game, arguably there were more than a half dozen who deserve headlines ahead of him, even if he played his first full game in the Southern Hemisphere in his career.
The 145kg behemoth Emmanuel Meafou was a menace all day and deserved the man of the match award, but it could easily have gone to Tomas Ramoz or Blair Kinghorn, both of whom were excellent, or French hooker Peato Mauvaka, who is certainly at the top of his game.
For the Sharks there were few who weren’t brave in defence, but on attack it was only really the Hendrikse brothers – and Jordan in particular – who showed the type of spirit the game needed. In their defence the conditions and being on the back foot didn’t help, but the cameo by SA under-20 star Jurenzo Julius, who scored the team’s only try, was a reminder that it could be done.
CONDITIONS SAVED SHARKS EMBARRASSMENT
Like many games in Durban this time of year, the conditions robbed the fans of a classic, but on the evidence of the day, it may have been more like a massacre.
The first try looked so easy as Sergio Ramoz caught young Hakeem Kunene out of position and the 50-22 lineout set up the easiest of pop passes for Dupont to offer Meafou, whose big frame wasn’t going to be stopped by Jaden Hendrikse.
Other than that it was down to Ramos’ boot to see his side to a 13-3 lead at the break, and it was mountains of pressure and a back-flip pass by Ramos to Kinghorn to put his teammate in at the corner that settled the game before the second half had really started.
Julius’ try gave the Sharks some hope and technically they were within two scores and could have mounted a comeback. But this was a game where they were out-thought and out-played, and where Toulouse had all the answers. The 12 point gulf felt more like 30 and there was no way the Sharks would come back from that.
The lessons from the defeat will be many. And there will be some overseas who will do some finger-pointing, but the Sharks now know the heights they must scale, and while that summit looks a long way away, they will know they need to get there somehow.
SCORERS
HOLLYWOODBETS SHARKS – try: Jurenzo Julius. Penalty: Jordan Hendrikse.
STADE TOULOUSAIN – tries: Emmanuel Meafou, Blair Kinghorn. Conversions: Sergio Ramos (2). Penalties: Ramos (2).
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