Toulon re-ignited, warns Mignoni

TOULON scrum half Pierre Mignoni admitted the French outfit were ‘too passive’ in their Thomond Park mauling by Munster in October but has warned they are a changed outfit after their sensational weekend defeat of London Irish.

The impressive 13-19 victory at the Madjeski Stadium, the only away win of the pool, has transformed the fortunes of the French side and heaped pressure on table toppers Munster, who travel to the Stade Mayol in January.

Ominously for their rivals, Mignoni warned that the weekend win has re-ignited Toulon’s confidence and interest in the tournament.

“It’s true that we did not want to be ridiculed in this competition,” said the former Clermont Auvergne scrum half. “We knew we were in a tough pool and that it would be difficult to qualify.

“But as long as there is hope, we will fight to the end.

“We took a heavy blow at Munster who really were all over us. We hadn’t seen them play much.

“For the start of the European Cup we were a little too passive. This time we tried to play our own game and not make things complicated.”

A home win against London Irish on Saturday would set the Top 14’s big spenders up nicely ahead of Munster’s visit. But while Toulon are relative newcomers to Europe’s flagship club competition, their squad is packed with experience and Mignoni railed against looking further ahead than the weekend’s showdown.

“If we win on Saturday, it could position things nicely in terms of qualification. But we mustn’t start dreaming. We’ve got some tough games ahead.”