Toulson Starts Out Strong but Finishes Poorly

When Toulson started the season they looked promising but now as it comes to end they look to not have fulfilled the hopes of players and fans. They will need to win against Toulouse on Saturday, who currently lead the top 14 standings if they want to keep int the playoffs. Saturday's game will see Toulon play host to Toulouse at the Stade Velodrome, which is where the champions of French football Marseille call home. If they lose the game, and things don't work out with their other results, they will have to do some serious work to make up.

If they lose Saturday's game, Philippe Saint-Andre and his team will have to win the final two matches of the regular season to be able to take a place in the play-offs and be in the top six. This is a long way from where they were in January when Toulon pulled the rug out from under two-time European champions Munster to take them out of the road to the European Cup and down to the final eight. Now, they start this weekend with a loss behind them at the quarterfinal last Saturday with Pepignan. Toulouse, however, went on to the semis after a win over Biarritz in overtime.

Right now Toulon are in the fifth place in the standings, which puts them right above Biarritz in sixth, and by only one point. Biarritz will face Brive on Saturday, which should be an easy game for them, and may swap their placement with Toulon. Director Saint-Andre still claims that his team, made up of names like Jonny Wilkinson, the 2003 World Cup star, and South African Joe van Niekerk, is not performing well. He said that although his team is made up of experienced players, they have not had a chance to mature as a team yet.