The Vodacom Bulls are preparing themselves to walk into a cauldron of partisan support for Toulouse when they visit the former European Cup champions this Sunday in their playoff match.
Toulouse are known as the heavyweights of French rugby and while they failed to win the trophy last season, they are perennially in contention for the title and won it two years ago.
Their star-studded team is the envy of most teams worldwide as they supply the bulk of the French national team and have World Rugby Player of the year Antoine Dupont in their ranks.
So with all that in mind, the Bulls have turned to veteran hooker Bismarck du Plessis to help galvanise some of the younger members of the squad and get them ready for the fiery cauldron they will walk into.
In some ways, you wonder if the Bulls have already written this game off, with the talk of how difficult it is, but either way, they face one of the toughest sides in Europe this weekend and a complete unknown for many of their younger players.
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Du Plessis fronted up to the media and didn’t want to go into specifics about his yellow card against Ulster - a TMO intervention that was incorrect and has been privately admitted to the team by officials.
But he did want to talk about what the team would be facing in Toulouse this weekend and what a big challenge it is for the younger players.
“It’s a totally different mindset compared to how we approach rugby. When I was in France, you had these super professional players who have been at the top of their game for a very long time, and then you almost come into certain places where it’s very amateur – the way it’s run,” Du Plessis said.
SENSATIONAL FORM
“The supporters are hostile. At Toulouse, it’s a 150-metre walk towards the change-room, and you walk in this small path and the supporters are shouting and screaming – you don’t understand a word of French/
“So, it’s a big gauntlet you have to overcome to arrive in the changeroom. Then you put your boots on, and this mass of supporters of the club is shouting at you like you can’t believe it.”
And it doesn’t help that Toulouse are in some sensational form at the moment either.
“They are at the top of the Top 14, about eight or nine points ahead of the second guy. When I was young, these are the games where you can make your name – these are the games that you can change your whole future. These are the games that stories are made of.
“That’s our main focus. To be really successful this weekend, we really need a team performance from one to 23, and 23 to 28. We need the buy-in from every person, from top to bottom. We need a few better tricks; we need to stop their offload game. We need to stop their physical runners.”
MARCHAND SHOWDOWN
Du Plessis will line up against French hooker Julian Marchand, just one of the stars in the Toulouse side, and is relishing the opportunity.
“I’ve played a few times against Julien – I’ve played here when we’ve beaten them and lost to them. The challenge is not me against Julien. It’s from our loosehead to Kurt-Lee (Arendse) at the back. Each and every person has to win their personal battles in every small aspect of the game,” he said.
“We prepared well for the maul defence last week, and I think we have to give a guy like Duane (Vermeulen) and the whole Ulster team credit for how they attacked us. They really took that front ball and put us under pressure.
“We stopped them a few times, but they did make metres and got some points off that. It was difficult to concede points when we were doing so well. It’s definitely something we need to work on this week.
“But in France, they drive a lot differently. Their maul is a lot different – it’s all about weight and power rather than technique, like Ulster. We must just be able to match their weight and power.
“We are playing with a budget four times smaller. They have squads of 60 players, where we have 45 players. They know how to be successful in Europe. That’s why they are so formidable.”
The Bulls will name their side on Friday for the clash.