Proud prophet Philippe doing things the Toulouse way

STADE TOULOUSAIN are proud of their traditions and expect them to be respected and passed on.

The manner in which they play is important to the natives, particularly its backline prowess which is often the envy of Europe. They have a slogan in these parts: ‘Jeu de mains, jeu de Toulousain’, the handling game is the Toulouse game, and backs coach Philippe Rougé-Thomas is responsible for spreading this gospel.

While les toulousains don’t have much time for the Sevens-style rugby propagated in the ELV-riddled fields of the Super 14, the Toulouse way is an amalgam of hard-nosed forward grit and a sense of joie de vivre prevalent amongst their backs.