Fritz focused on revenge for ‘humiliation’ from Leinster
Fritz was a member of the Toulouse team hammered by Brian O’Driscoll and company in the Irish province’s last appearance at the Stadium de Toulouse in the 2006 quarter-final.
And he is determined to right the wrongs of the past this weekend.
“There is a little bit of revenge,” admitted the 26-year-old centre. “Four years have past since we were humiliated at our ground in front of our public. Time and many matches have passed since then and (Leinster) became European champions last year.
“They’ve a few new players since then in their squad. There is perhaps a little bit of revenge there.”
Fritz also admitted that he and international colleague Yannick Jauzion were looking forward to re-igniting their battle with Leinster and Ireland duo O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy.
He said: “When you have the type of play from D’Arcy and O’Driscoll and it’s a European Cup semi-final, it’s another level up so I believe you have to nullify those players in a very precise way. But we shouldn’t concentrate on just those players because you’ve got others around them who can make a big difference.”
Toulouse go into this weekend’s clash on the back of a morale-boosting 25-17 win at home to Castres on Saturday. The victory confirmed their place in the Top 14 play-offs in a fortnight but Fritz declared that the match against Michael Cheika’s side will be their toughest of the season.
He said: “When you look at the Leinster team you see half the Irish side and it’s the same with Toulouse. We know how tough it is going to be against the European champions. We must make sure we play to the best of our ability; that our three-quarters perform and get some good ball and our pack is competitive and gets go-forward ball. It’s not that on paper that one team or another is stronger or a better performer. It’s going to be a close, tough match.”
Coach Guy Noves said that he felt more optimistic about Toulouse’s injury situation. The French side have concerns over No. 8 Louis Picamoles (ankle), William Servat (thigh) and giant prop Census Johnston (knee), who all left the field in the second half in the bruising encounter against Castres. However Noves hopes Maxime Medard, Shaun Sowerby and Gregory Lamboley (all troubled by ankle injuries) could be ready for Saturday’s clash.
Meanwhile Toulouse have confirmed Manu Ahotaeiloa, Finau Maka and Berthus Swanepoel will leave the club at the end of the season. Tongan pair Ahotaeiloa and Maka and South African wing Swanepoel, have been informed they will not be offered new deals when their contracts expire in the summer. Centre Ahotaeiloa is set to remain in Top 14 after agreeing to join Agen, while loose forward Maka, a Heineken Cup winner with Toulouse in 2005, is hoping to stay in France. ”
I’ll know more about my future next week, but I think I’ll play in France for another year or two.” said Maka.
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