TOULOUSE OLYMPIQUE’S director of sport Cedric Garcia admits that lessons have been learnt from the club’s first season in Super League.
The French side won just five Super League games from 27 back in 2022, ensuring relegation back down to the Championship after just one season.
Since then, Toulouse have had to rebuild on and off the field, and, given the strides made in both areas, they were chosen by an independent panel to become one of the 14 top-flight sides for 2026.
Garcia has explained what the club has done differently from the first time around.
He told League Express: “2022 was a tough year for us but I feel we learned a lot.
“In terms of our playing squad, last year, we decided to have a younger team because we believe you need a lot of pace and big engines to perform in Super League.
“We also believe in continuity. We kept our full-time setup (players, staffs, training schedule, etc) from our season in Super League and there will not be too many movements because you cannot build everything in three months.
“Lastly, pre-season is key and you need to be ready right from the start of Super League. Our players have a fitness programme to follow during their holidays and our head coach has put some pressure on them.”
Toulouse’s place in the top-flight for 2026 was not always black and white, with London Broncos also running the French club close to earning promotion.
But Garcia believes that the club had done everything possible to ensure they were promoted.
Garcia continued: “I am not sure ‘confident’ is the right word, but after winning the Championship, we felt we had done everything in our power to be promoted to Super League, on and off the field.”