As if being on the receiving end of a hammering from Toulon wasn’t bad enough for Brives Nicolas Bezy, the scrum half had to suffer the indignity of being bounced twice in quick succession by Toulon’s Fijian winger, Josua Tuisova.

Tuisova’s fellow winger, David Smith, will claim much credit for his four tries in the rout of Brive, but the Fijian will look back on the game with a sense of satisfaction.

To be fair to Bezy, though, he never shirked from his responsibilities and put himself forward for more tackling work soon after being bounced the first time.

Youtube Credit: A1 Rugby

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We wer e under the impression that locks couldn’t do this.

Albeit the pass was ajudged forward, Toulon lock Romain Taofifenua provided a moment of handling excellence in Toulon’s crushing 34-11 victory over Brive this past weekend.

Usually, locks are associated with the dark arts of the game and anytime a second row pulls out a moment of handling genius-regardless of legality- it should be celebrated.

Clip Credit: Follow Rugby/Canal +

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This video should excite any Clermont fans among you.

Recently, the Clermont Ferrand based club announced the signing of Fijian born former New Zealand U20 and Sevens star, Waisake Naholo, to replace the outgoing Toulon bound winger Napolioni Nalaga.

A player of Nalaga’s calibre will be hard to replace, but, as this video proves, Naholo is certainly capable of replicating or even surpassing Nalaga’s imperious Clermont record.

Initially stepping the Reds’ Campbell Magnay, Naholo evades two more tackle attempts before diving to score the games decisive try in the corner.

Clip Credit: Le Rugbynistere-Daily Motion

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Sofiane Guitoune is regarded as one of the shining indigenous lights of French Rugby and his performance this weekend in Bordeaux’s 28-23 win over defending Top 14 Champions Toulon did nothing to dispel his exulted reputation.

In moment, in particular, was indicative of the wingers rich talent.

Receiving the ball in the tenth minute, the winger saunters past multiple Argentinian cap holder, Juan Martin Hernandez, with consummate ease before, eventually, being taken down.

This is a video, we’re sure, that Hernandez won’t want to see again.

Youtube Credit: MonsieurWilko

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There is a school of thought that Rugby has lost some of it’s ethos and soul since the game ascended to professional status.

However, Jake White, the newly instilled Montpellier coach, drinking beer from a boot after guiding his new side to a victory over European Champions Toulon is a throw-back to the alcohol soaked by gone era of amateur Rugby; the kind of story that your grandfather would tell you with a proud tear in his eye.

White, a former World Cup winning coach with South Africa, celebrated his maiden match in charge of Montpellier-cheered on by his squad -by chugging beer from a boot.

Such is the might of Toulon, any win over the aristocratic Mediterranean side should be greeted with similar scenes.

Clip Credit: http://gfycat.com/KindlyInsistentHectorsdolphin

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Upon his return to his former club, Leicester Tigers, in this evening’s European Champions Cup Clash, Martin Castrogiovanni launched an astonishing verbal assault on his former coach, Richard Cockerill, describing the Leicester Director of Rugby as, amongst other things, a c*nt.

Storming into the post game press conference, demanding to talk to the English media, the Italian international tight-head let rip on Cockerill, the man who he claimed handled his 2013 transfer to Toulon in a shoddy manner.

‘I thought f****** Leicester were f****** amateur,’ said Castrogiovanni, who made 149 appearances for the Tigers during his stint at Welford Road. ‘He was saying that people go for the money but he has a lot of f****** squad players who get paid as well. I paid my own f****** money to leave this club. I don’t need the money to play rugby. I love this game and I used to love this club – I still love this club, but when people are up to here in water, they talk this talk but don’t walk the walk.

Castrogiovanni continued in a similar expletive fashion: ‘I never want to speak with Cockers anymore. I am the kind of guy that if I hate you, if you are not clear with me or if you have been a c***, how you say in English, I never want to speak to you anymore. That’s it. That’s how I am. I am not fake. If I hate you, I say in your face and I will never speak to you again. Love me or hate me. I don’t hate anyone. Peace and love. I just don’t like c****.’

Much to the chagrin of Castrogiovanni was the fact he felt that his decision to leave the Tigers was portrayed as nothing more than an attempt to make money. The Italian refutes these claims, and says the rationale behind him leaving was to seek regular game-time, as he had been usurped at Leicester by Dan Cole, a player who had his wages supplemented by the RFU.

In fact, Castrogiovanni claims that he had to pay one hundred thousand pounds of his own pocket to seal his move to France.

‘I never had the opportunity to defend myself when I left,’ added the Italian. ‘People talked about this s*** and money. Cockers talks about the money, but the real reason I left this club is because you have Cole and you have me. Cole paid gets paid half the money from the RFU and I am foreign.

‘What the f*** you want? You have a good f****** tighthead prop playing for England and a hairy fat Italian. The thing is that they made it look like I went for the money but I paid £100,000 from my pocket to leave this club because I want to play rugby. That’s it.

Richard Cockerill was more diplomatic in his interpretation of the situation and tried to pour cold water on the furore.

‘I’ve a lot of time for Castro; he’s a fantastic player and icon for this club and a great guy,’ said the Tigers Director of Rugby.

‘I always said I would pick on merit and I did. Dan Cole was third choice behind Julian White and Castro and worked hard to become first choice. Castro was released from his contract a year early and we agreed a transfer fee with Toulon. One day he’ll realise that’s just sport.

‘This club made him the player he was. I don’t want him to feel bitter towards us. One day we’ll have a beer together and smile about it.’

Well, we know for sure that a certain R.Cockerill won’t be on Martin Castrogiovanni’s Christmas Card list.

Source of Article: Daily Mail

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Now, here’s an oddity: a centre standing his ground and standing strong whilst a prop bounces off him.

That’s exactly what happened during Toulon and Grenoble’s Top 14 clash a few weeks ago.

Chilachava, a 23 year old Georgian, received the ball in the wide channel and attempted to mow over Hunt, but was met Hunt’s Kiwi resistance.

Hunt, however, lead with his foreman and didn’t make an attempt at a legal tackle and was subsequently yellow carded, whilst Chilachava received treatment from the Toulon medics.

Youtube Credit: Monsieur Wilko

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After representing his native South Africa in this summer’s Rugby Championship, Bryan Habana’s first Top 14 game of the season, away to Toulouse, was the scene for the legendary winger to show his customary pace.

After a Toulouse knock on, the former Stormer hacked through a loose-ball and glided past French internationals Maxime Medard and Vincent Clerc, no mean feet, to touch down.

Youtube Credit: La TeamRCT

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Toulon cruised to an emphatic 53-13 win away to Brive last night in a display of offensive potency befitting of their star-studded squad.

Central to Toulon’s threat was Mathieu Basteraud and the France centre showed all the power of his near nineteen stone frame.

The 26 year old broke a tackle and made significant yards before it took two men to slow his momentum before the giant cente offloaded.

Clip Credit: Sport Buzz- Daily Motion

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Apparently, life at Toulon isn’t all rainbows, sunshine and million € contracts. Not only is Mourad Boudjellal threatening to tear up Leigh Halfpenny’s contract because the Welsh goal-kicking replacement for Johnny Wilkinson dared to sustain an injury.

Now, Boudjellal has threatened legal action over stars still on international duty in The Rugby Championship if they don’t return to Toulon to take part in this weekend’s Top14 competition.

Boudjellal is threatening Argentine star Juan Martin Fernández Lobbe and Springboks Bryan Habana and Bakkies Botha if they don’t return to play Brive this weekend.

According to ESPN, Boudjellal has threatened to not pay his stars if they refuse to return and has also issued an ultimatum, even threatening court action in France.

All three stars are with their respective squads preparing for the matches next weekend with Argentina set to host the All Blacks and the Springboks ready to host the Wallabies. But Boudjellal believes he has rights to his players this weekend and is prepared to take them to court.

“There is something that is quite simple – they defend the colours of their country and are paid rather comfortably by Toulon,” Boudjellal told French media. “The IRB decided the rules. That’s fine but I’m not here to fund South African and Argentine rugby and I will not.

“These players will return as we need them. If they do not and we receive no fee, they will not be paid by us because they will not be present in Toulon. We’ll see if the rules of the IRB prevail or if it is the rules of the Labour Code for French private enterprise. In any case, it is an aberration.

“We have reached a stage where we have to ask the opinion of the French law. Therefore, we will ask the French judges whether a foreign federation has the right to take my employees and force me to pay them. It’s just unthinkable we have players who are paid very well by us but cannot play them. Moreover, I have to pay the players replacing them. This is a double sanction.”

This power-mad behaviour on threatening legal action over Halfpenny, and the three southern hemisphere stars is a carry-on from Boudjellal – not so subtle threat to the Queensland Reds over star recruit James O’Connor.

The Reds believe they have signed O’Connor on a two-year contract, but the Toulon boss was having non of that, saying that his star utility back would return to France once the Rugby World Cup was complete.

“We always said James O’Connor had signed for three years at Toulon with a possible six months absence during the season to be able to play in the World Cup … so we respect what has been signed … He is committed for two years after the Cup,” Boudjellal told Radio Monte Carlo.

And what should be a worry for the Reds, is that Boudjellal doesn’t like to be told “no”.

However, there is one thing the billionaire is planning that the rugby world is looking forward to. A potential match-up between the Heineken Cup champions and the Super Rugby champions.

While this match has been planned in the past, and has fallen through for various reasons, out of all previous attempts, this is more likely than ever before to go ahead because of the precarious financial situation the ARU has found themselves in, in recent years. 

That would be a mouth-watering match-up that will be talked about for years to come, however, the banter is bound to surround who’s match-fit and who’s in the middle of pre-season.

Editorial note
Boudjellal may have made his fortune in comic books, but it doesn’t mean he needs to behave like a comic book character.

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