Bernard Laporte is a man of startling appearance and on this occasion, common sense. He once played as a scrum-half for Bègles-Bordeaux, where the style was brutal verging on the terrifying. He does love a power game. He then joined the zany revolution in Paris that made Stade Français a force before becoming a slightly enigmatic coach of France who divided opinions.
And here he is now, the coach who has made Toulon the back-to-back defending champions of Europe and the domestic title-holders of the Top 14. Laporte’s role – if any – in the strange business of Martin Castrogiovanni and the prop’s utterly industrial tirade against Richard Cockerill after the first of these cross-road rounds of the Champions Cup vaguely intrigued the French media in the week before this tie in Toulon.
And now it does not because, following all the formal debriefings after the second meeting had been conducted at the Mayol, the uniquely vibrant piece of rugby real estate crowbarred into the city centre just behind the pleasure harbour, the coach of the home team said a simple sorry to his Leicester counterpart. Castrogiovanni had acted alone.
In Wales it would be said that he “had it on him”. No doubt the Italians have a phrase for it too. He flared up and flew solo, seeking an audience with the British media. If there is any defence for the outburst it is that he becomes the first player in the history of the game to call his own post-match press conference. For that he deserves thanks.
But gratitude did not come from his coach, who left him out of the squad to face Leicester. Perhaps, Laporte might have argued, it was his scrummaging at Welford Road as much as his mouth that led to his demotion. Toulon without their hairy prop did not exactly suffer, launching a sustained assault on Leicester by all known routes. Bryan Habana was brilliant in pursuit of the aerial game; Ali Williams and Juan Smith added touches of deftness to the shuddering power of Toulon’s pack.
Mathieu Bastareaud was at his bulldozing best, regularly reducing Anthony Allen to a seated position before him. Sébastien Tillous-Borde pulled the levers and varied the options with the glee of a scrum-half happy in his work.
Leicester had a most unhappy day. They suffered in front of these “multiples of big physical people,” as Cockerill put it. They lost the game everywhere. Brad Thorn, he of the warrior spirit, limped off after 21 minutes; Owen Williams had a tatty day at outside-half although he made his side’s one try, scored by Blaine Scully, with a burst through Nicolás Sánchez.
It nearly brought the game back to life. Toulon led 16-0 before the try, through one of their own by Williams and kicks by Leigh Halfpenny, who looked determined to make an impact as a runner in open play. But the game never really came back to life. Perhaps if Vereniki Goneva had been able to finish a break by Matthew Tait – after the sweetest of inside passes from the hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini, who emerged with dignity intact from the demolition – it might have been different.
Bastareaud rounded off his full-bodied involvement with a try and the game sort of ploughed its way through the last half-hour without excitement. “We were beaten by the better team on the day,” Cockerill said.
It was not quite the final word. As he left he added: “I haven’t got anything against Castro. I really don’t mind him. It’s just that he doesn’t like me.” Quite how deep Castrogiovanni’s feelings go we may discover at Wednesday’s disciplinary hearing as well as quite how stoutly, if at all, Toulon are prepared to defend him. Following the example of Bernard Laporte, it may be time for a simple sorry.
Toulon Halfpenny; D Armitage, Bastareaud, Mermoz, Habana; Sánchez, Tillous-Borde; Menini (Fresia, 71), Guirado (Orioli, 59), Chilachava (Hayman, 59), Botha (Taofifenua, 39), A Williams (Suta, 66), J Smith (Gorgodze, 71), S Armitage, Masoe (capt).
Tries A Williams, Bastareaud. Cons Halfpenny 2.
Pens Halfpenny 3.
Leicester Tait; Scully, M Smith (Harrison, 74), Allen, Goneva; O Williams (Burns, 63), B Youngs; Ayerza (Rizzo, 63), Ghiraldini (T Youngs, 50), Cole (Balmain, 63), Thorn (De Chaves, 21), Parling, Gibson (Croft, 58), Salvi, Barbieri (Crane, 50).
Try Scully; Pen O Williams
Referee G Clancy (Ire). Att 15,405.
