Toulouse Olympique are using their mid-season breaks to press the reset button and “return to the core values” that have seen them reach the top table in European Rugby League.
The Olympians chose not take part in this year’s Challenge Cup competition for financial reasons. And they are reaping the benefits of time-out from weekly fixtures to regather strength for their Super League survival.
Chief Executive Cedric Garcia said the club had been “in a whirlwind” since gaining promotion to the top-flight by winning the Championship Grand Final in October.
Off-field problems with Covid saw shock departures for club captain Johnathon Ford and star fullback Mark Kheirallah, which created problems on the pitch with five straight losses in the opening rounds.
“We need to get back to our core values, which are team-spirit and a family feel to the club,” said Garcia.
“We had such a stop-start season last year because of Covid, with teams not coming to Toulouse and so far in Super League it has been full-on.
“So we’ll take the break for the Challenge Cup and use the time sensibly. We’ll try to get back to what makes this club so strong, team-bonding and family ties, so we’re training hard but at the same time we are getting together socially.”
Garcia admitted the pre-season dramas on Covid vaccination had taken its toll on the club and it was crucial that the episode was put behind them.
He added, “We just want to look at the future, I told the staff before the St Helens game, ‘Look, the weather is beautiful, the pitch is like a golf green, we’re playing St Helens, we are in Super League.
“We have worked for ten to 15 years on this project and here we are, so let’s enjoy it.
“There were too many events at the start of the season that put our heads down.
“There was so much frustration and disappointment after the Wigan game because we felt that we deserved to win but we had nothing to show for it in the table.
“We knew we’d played well and there were so many positive from the performance but we lost.
“And the scenario couldn’t have been crueller; we believe we had a try disallowed quite unfairly in the last minute and then they scored the winner and it left a bitter taste.
“Then, to have the opposite scenario where you are coming back from behind and clinching it right at the death, it felt good.
“To have a first win was so important. Potential supporters looking in from the outside won’t see good performances, they only see wins and losses and this city has a winning mentality.”
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