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Toulouse feeling season fatigue

Thursday 24th April 2008

Vincent Clerc: Disappointed

It's been a long season for Toulouse. As well as their usual two-pronged attack on the Top 14 and Europe, there's been the supplying of players to the national side for the Rugby World Cup and Six Nations as well.

The Toulousains are now wearing a huge injury list - the latest addition to which was star winger Vincent Clerc last weekend - a direct result of the long season, according to coach Guy Noves.

"We have a formidable list of injuries - Du Toit, Fritz, Maka, Clerc, Kunavore, Di Rollo, Poitrenaud. Donguy and Dusatoir are doubts - we are in a very difficult position," he said on Thursday.

"Although the scans and test all came back for Dusatoir looking good, I'm not willing to take risks with him, so we will have to wait for the last minute to make a decision.

"We are in a tight spot. Playing on too many fronts has taken its toll and having worked so hard at the start of the season to get into a good position in both competitions, we are now struggling because of a ridiculously long injury list.

"I have been saying this since the beginning of the season and now it's really obvious that playing Top 14, Heineken Cup whilst providing so many players for the World Cup and the Six Nations is too much.

"We would need a squad twice the size of the one we have in order to be able to do this.

"Having said that, the guys are fighters and I am confident that they will do absolutely everything they can to try and win this game.

"Despite the injuries, we have players of great quality here and we are going to work really hard to prepare this match.

"After Vincent (Clerc) went off the pitch on Saturday and Clermont scored the try from his injury, the team didn't give up before the final whistle and they will show the same level of commitment."

Toulouse fell foul of the Exiles on a visit to the Madejski in the Heineken Cup two seasons ago, but have won the other two encounter between the teams.

That visit was a pool match though, and this is a semi-final; a huge difference.

"The loss away to London Irish two seasons ago is not really relevant," continued Noves.

"We had nothing left to play for in the Heineken Cup and it was a very young team which went over to Reading that day.

"We know that they have a very strong pack and that they are very efficient in the line-out in particular, but we will be looking for their weak points to attack."

One keen specator in Twickenham's stands will be Vincent Clerc, who hopes to be active and playing again the next time the French visit: next February in the Six Nations.

He also bemoaned the state of the season in France, which could see a leading national team player play up to 43 matches.

"It's too much. When the Top 14 starts at the end of August, we don't even have a clear month to rest between seasons. It's simply too long, with too many matches," he said.

"In addition, the matches are becoming more and more intense and we just can't continue to play at that kind of level for that many games.

"Even the players who didn't play in the World Cup were still in pre-season training, so it's bad for them too. I think I, like Clement Poitrenaud are both examples of our bodies saying enough is enough."

"There aren't many players who can go through their careers without picking up injury. I'd never had a serious injury and now I have one.

"Fortunately, it's a fairly common injury so I should come back from it well. I'm disappointed because it's the business end of the season, and I'm disappointed for my team-mates, especially since we already have injury problems in the squad.

"But that's life, it's another challenge, it's a new focus for me to try and come back stronger."

From Ian Moriarty