After Toulouse-Racing, our Tops and our Flops are found in the talent of Capuozzo, the monstrous match of Guitoune, but also the catastrophic blunder of Finn Russell and a too discreet Paul Lemaitre (37-10).
Tops
Ange Capuozzo reveals herself
On the lawn of Ernest-Wallon this past Saturday, the gem of Italian rugby displayed his enormous talent for those in attendance. Since his arrival on the banks of the Garonne, the transalpine winger turned up by far the most impressive performance of his career. Impressive with his liveliness and explosiveness on the first supports, he also demonstrated his great value in defense by closing many gaps on his wing. Overall, he was a very positive contributor. An outstanding effort that was capped off by a first try in the Top 14 competition. An interception by Capuozzo of a pass by Finn Russell marked the Stadistes’ third success of the evening, which was the nearly decisive break with less than a quarter of an hour left to play. He more than rewarded the confidence that Ugo Mola placed in him by gaining more than 150 meters, defeating 7 defenders, and making 3 effective tackles despite his weak physique.
Sofiane Guitoune, the metronome
This past Saturday, Sofiane Guitoune did an excellent job of shouldering the tasks that fell to her in the absence of Pita Akhi, who is typically the hauler of the three-quarter line. He fulfilled defensive duties exceptionally well, completing 9 tackles with a success rate of 90 percent, but he also shone offensively when given the opportunity. It was he who brought an end to the Toulouse festival by sneaking into the break, hooking his vis-à-vis, and then flattening himself between the poles. A test that is anything but anecdotal because it gives his team both the offensive bonus point and the position of provisional leading at the same time.
Thomas Ramos, gentleman clean
The opening race in Toulouse, which was held on Saturday, was the author of a very clean 7/8 in front of the poles, and it did not leave many points on the way. In addition to that, he was responsible for the game’s second try, which was Matthis Lebel’s score off of a magnificent kick throw. In addition to this, he is the one who cleverly assaults the line just before serving Sofiane Guitoune for the last Toulouse achievement, which is connected with an attacking bonus. He did not commit any technical errors, since 90% of his passes were successful, and he properly compensated in this register for Romain Ntamack, who was playing on the flank despite having an ankle injury.
FLOPS
Finn Russell, the costly mistake
The Scottish opener took a gamble and ended up paying a big price for it, even though Racing still has a chance to win the match. His leap pass to the outside was really weak, and it went straight into the arms of Ange Capuozzo, who promptly rushed to flatten it. A test that almost definitively puts an end to the tension that has been building up in this section. Aside from that, it looked like he was having trouble with his kicking game, particularly in the first quarter before he improved his performance after coming out of the locker room.
Paul Lemaitre, too discreet
The young Racing winger, who is only 21 years old, was unable to distinguish himself on Ernest-turf. Wallon’s Because he was too tender, especially defensively, he only tried to make five tackles. On the offensive side of the ball, he didn’t show enough variety to give Toulouse’s defense any reason to believe he could break it. Although he is somewhat inexperienced (he has only played three games in the Top 14), he is more at ease playing the fullback position. Although there are mitigating factors, the top level of competition rarely shows mercy.
Teddy Iribaren, a very unwelcome yellow card
After spending only a quarter of an hour on the meadow, the scrum-half for Racing, who was having problems keeping up with the speed of Ange Capuozzo, committed an anti-game foul by changing the direction of his race to impede the progression of the transalpine winger. It won’t be long until the former Brive player receives the sanction, which consists of a penalty and a yellow card. The beginning Toulouse score will begin exactly during these ten minutes when they are behind numerically. Aside from this gaffe, he did not weigh in on the debates, and his transmissions were lacking in vibrancy at times.