Are Toulouse slipping from their lofty perch?

The French champions are under reconstruction, but write them off at your peril

PLUS ça change plus ça reste le même. The names on the Toulouse teamsheet may be changing little by little these days, but in terms of results, little has changed during a time of uncertainty for the legendary French club.

Last Saturday night was the perfect example; Toulouse’s 22-18 victory over Michael Cheika’s Stade Francais in Paris signalled the French champions’ qualification for the Top 14 play-offs. It wasn’t a great performance by les Toulousains, but, given the number of young players at his disposal, coach Guy Noves could afford a wry smile as the bells of Notre Dame rang out to signal the 80 minute mark at the Stade de France.

There was no Servat, Picamoles, Clerc, Poitrenaud, McAllister or Nyanga. Instead we got a glimpse of the future – names such as Tolofua, Montes, Galan, Doussain, David and Matanavou. New cogs in the old machine. But the same outcome.

Noves had been unusually quiet in those final few minutes, pacing the sideline. But when his inexperienced side won a defensive penalty close to the final whistle, he sprang to life. “Calme-toi, calme toi!,” he spitted. That interjection foiled a Toulouse forward taking a quick tap penalty and with the added moment of clarity, madness was averted. There are those who have always wondered why Noves preferred to watch a game prowling a touchline, in contrast to other coaches, and this was the perfect rebuttal. This was classic Guy Noves, Toulouse’s 16th man since 1993.

“We came into the game with the same intensity as we had (against Bordeaux) but at the very end of that game, we had a player who lost the ball in contact,” Noves explained after the match. “With this victory the boys know what they have to do. They know they can compete against a team that like to play for a place in the European semi-finals.”

There are few that would give Edinburgh much chance against the four times European champions this weekend but it’s difficult to remember a time when a Toulouse team underestimated their opponents. This will be the 12th time the clubs have met in European fare, and only once have Edinburgh tasted success. That came in 2003, when they beat the French men 23-16 at Meadowbank.

Yet it’s been a funny old year for Noves. Despite sitting at the summit of the Top 14, Toulouse struggled in Europe by their standards, losing at home to Harlequins and qualifying with only 18 points – their lowest tally since failing to get beyond the pool stages in 2007. Toulouse’s potential demise (or rebirth) is something that has received plenty of press in France this season. Conventional wisdom tells us it must happen at some stage, that at some point in time after years at the top, a team starts to decline and collapse in on itself. But Noves has never been a conventional coach and even though he looks set to celebrate his 20th season in charge of the French giants, he shows no sign of exiting stage left. Granted, it helps to have a staff around him who care about the club and are as professional as he is. Like the famous Liverpool teams of the 70’s and 80’s, Toulouse had always promoted from within, with great players becoming great coaches, support staff and even club accountants. It is the Toulouse way – a family, albeit one with the strong presence of Noves at the centre.

“We try to put good people in all the right places,” he says. “I don’t just mean the players, where attitude is as important as ability, but coaching staff, medical staff, physiotherapists, ground staff, everyone! I choose people with the same philosophy I have and that breeds success.”

With forwards coach Yannick Bru off to join Philippe Saint-André’s national set-up, William Servat will join former scrum-half Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and Noves on the sideline, ensuring that continuity once more.