Top 14: “Zero contribution, even catastrophic,” Ugo Mola furious after Toulouse lose at La Rochelle

Toulouse let a commanding halftime lead slip away at La Rochelle, then lost on the final whistle. The 30-27 defeat gave the reigning four-time French champions a painful start to their Top 14 campaign and left them with only a defensive bonus point.

Antoine Dupont and his teammates led 24-10 at the break, but their performance collapsed in the second half. For Ugo Mola, the biggest problem came from the players introduced after halftime. Speaking at his news conference in comments relayed by Canal+, the Toulouse manager said: “The contribution from the bench was zero, even catastrophic.”

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The contribution from the bench was zero, even catastrophic.

Mola pointed to errors by Peato Mauvaka and Kalvin Gourgues, who broke through but failed to finish the move. “Unnecessary mistakes by Peato, Kalvin, who breaks through and only has to push the ball...” he said. He described the performance as a series of inaccuracies, possibly linked to the team’s preparation.

The coach also underlined the difficulty of winning away against a La Rochelle side that has openly set its sights on finishing in the Top 6. “These are points we have lost,” Mola said. Toulouse will have an immediate chance to respond next Sunday in the south-western city, against a Bordeaux-Bègles team that began the season with a 64-5 victory over Racing 92.

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These are points we have lost.