Noves to rest stars as Top 14 pile-up looms for Toulouse

TOULOUSE coach Guy Noves envisages resting his key players for large chunks of the Top 14 run-in with his team having secured their place in the final of the Heineken Cup.

They prevailed despite having a mountainous absentee list — France backs Vincent Clerc, Clement Poitrenaud and Florian Fritz are among those injured, while star flanker Thierry Dusautoir did not figure as his father died in midweek.

With Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, Byron Kelleher and Maxime Medard playing through the pain barrier in the second half against the Exiles, Noves looks to have a depleted party for the remaining eight weeks of the campaign.