RCT begins its preparation with a defeat... and a major squad review
For his first outing of the season, Pierre Mignoni had chosen to field two "mixed" teams, to paraphrase the coach. While his first XV largely held the fort and even led against Perpignan at half-time (14-10), the second, much younger and inexperienced, ended up cracking. In the end? Seven tries conceded and a river score, 50-19. But no reason to hang your head. "The score is a bit heavy, especially considering our first half," analyzes Pierre Mignoni. "We knew we were going to suffer a bit in the second half, but maybe not like that. They brought on some heavyweights, we had opted for youth. Some really held their own. We have to look at the positives even if, at the Top 14 level, we can't be as undisciplined as we were."
Before exploding in the heart of Aimé-Giral, Toulon showed that even with three short weeks of preparation, they had it in them. Like Gaël Dréan, incredible. His last match with the RCT dates back to May 10. A major absentee for the entire end of the season for personal reasons, the Breton winger proved that he was hungry. And above all, that he was in great shape. Launched after an initiative from Rayan Rebbadj on his 22-meter line and shifted by a nice wrist pass from Antoine Frisch, Gaël Dréan made his mark. Four opponents eliminated later and 40 meters swallowed, he played... until Mercer finished in the in-goal area. Really on form, the winger would return to the fray in the 19th minute, with a breakthrough right down the middle (ultimately not a winner). He found the net in the 24th minute, after a sharp attack from Swan Rebbadj. Unstoppable, Gaël Dréan collapsed in the Catalan in-goal (3-14).
Rebbadj, Frisch, Mercer and Ferté in sightIn this first period, the native of Lorient isn't the only one in form. Indeed, his captain, Swan Rebbadj, who scored the decisive try, is impressive. Physically fresh, fit, available, and dominant, the second row has responded. Just like Antoine Frisch, who was injured for a long time last season, was very clean and creative over his 40 minutes played. His two offloads (including one that led to the first try) are a testament to this.
On the recruiting side, Friday evening at Aimé-Giral, we can note the fine performance of Zach Mercer. Star of Toulon's recruitment, the England international (28 years old, 2 caps) had not played an official match since November 30, 2024 with Gloucester. Freed from his knee problems, he showed that he has it in him. Scorer and decisive in number 8 in the first half, he transformed into an experienced flanker in the second. To be seen again very quickly. Just like Mathis Ferté, the only Toulon player to play 80 minutes on Friday evening. If he alternated between good and bad at times, he "really stinks of rugby" , said one of his teammates in the heart of the locker room.
Rather clean and square in their first 35 minutes, Toulon ended up exploding following Fabio Zingone's yellow card. After a good start to the match, the young second row was caught by the patrol on the edge of a dynamic maul before the break. In total, in the second half, the RCT would concede six tries, 40 points... and only score five, through Swan Rebbadj. "Our second half is a bit like the yellow card," Pierre Mignoni debriefed. "We fell into indiscipline and it ended up killing us."
Toulon loses heavily. But perhaps that's not the point. Yes, after three weeks of preparation, Toulon isn't ready yet. And that's perfectly normal. But yesterday, in the windswept Perpignan, the Varois also showed that they could be competitive in the first half. And although they were battered, Pierre Mignoni also showed that his RCT of tomorrow has youngsters. Not yet ready to be thrown into the deep end of the Top 14, but youngsters who are just waiting to grow. That's what Toulon is now.
Var-Matin
