A dam to explode... and a story to write for the RCT against Castres

The final phase. Ten months that Mignoni's gang has been waiting for this... and admit it, you have too! The return of (truly) beautiful, long days, the sun that never stops beating down, here we are, here we are!

"I felt the group was excited, determined and focused. We want to fight. This is the moment. We know there might be a match after, or maybe nothing at all. There's no need to hold back, no need to think," the coach said.

A feeling confirmed by the leaders of the locker room, starting with hooker Teddy Baubigny: "We all feel a collective emulation. The final phase, we talk about it, we are all looking forward to it. Every player is at RCT to play this kind of match." And scrum-half Baptiste Serin details: "There is a lot of excitement. We have been waiting for these moments for months. We are where we wanted to be. Now, as they say: "All that's left is to"! Every match is a playoff, so it's up to us not to repeat what happened last season.

The thorny memory of La Rochelle

Exactly. On the harbor, no one has forgotten "what happened" 364 days ago. After a failed play-off, Toulon, then fourth in the regular season, saw La Rochelle send them on vacation much earlier than expected. Pierre Mignoni continues: "To be clear and precise, we had missed our match. Maybe we were even afraid of this play-off. It's a bit of a harsh word, but when I say "fear," I mean "bad emotion." It's time to show our progress. But the fear of winning is something that exists. We must no longer feel it. The players, and especially the leaders, must step forward. They must all take their responsibilities, they must try. But without doing anything. It's not about playing for the sake of playing. We must find a balance. I can't wait to see how we will behave."

"We prepared ourselves to relive these emotions."

This dam, the Toulonnais have "kept it in mind all season" , according to Pierre Mignoni. To better digest it? To better understand the future? Still, a few hours before another decisive match at Mayol (tonight at 9:05 p.m. against Castres), Baptiste Serin's teammates have not really discussed it among themselves. Invested with a mission, they all know what they have to do. "We have prepared all year long to relive these emotions" , confides Mignoni.

To overcome the demons of La Rochelle and prove that it has grown, the RCT will have to be "cold and precise ," as Teddy Baubigny describes it. Especially against a team like Castres, which hits the mark every time it has the opportunity. It is up to us, the leaders, to take our responsibilities. Through our words and our actions, to be the best possible and lead everyone with us." "Without forgetting to play our game too," adds Baptiste Serin.

Against the CO, Toulon will face a team that has, for several seasons now, fully evolved. No more reducing the Tarnais to laborious wreckers. Today, they move the ball. With audacity... and a lot of accuracy. Pierre Mignoni is in charge of introducing them: "They have both a dominant pack but also very powerful three-quarters who know how to play the ball. They're a very cohesive team, with assets all over the field. And that's why they're so consistent."

An identity sheet completed by Baptiste Serin: "Castres is ferocious up front, with big ball carriers who put them in the forward line. They have kept this very combative and rugged DNA. And, since then, they have brought a lot of fluidity with guys who play really, really well with the ball. They are very complete and realistic. It will be a great battle."

“When you have players who want to write a story…”

At the end of this fight, Toulon hopes for only one thing: to raise its arms to the sky. A first (and oh so important) step will have been taken. So yes, there are still 14 days left before the Top 14 final. But, at this precise moment, Mignoni's gang will have never been so sure of its strength.

"To win these matches, you have to experience them, lose them, and win them to experience that feeling. This team needs to write its own story. It's the right time," the coach argues. "Not the one from 2014 or 2015. That one is over. Not the one from 2025! And that changes everything. When you have players who really want to write a story, it opens the way for you." So, Toulon players, get your pens out!