Dimitri Szarzewski watched the Top 14 final closely. The day after another title for Toulouse against Montpellier, the former international hooker (83 caps) took the time to speak to It’s Rugby.

The ex-Béziers, Stade Français and Racing 92 player talks in particular about the individual performances of Jack Willis and Peato Mauvaka, highlights the excellent work of the Montpellier staff and reflects on this golden generation at Stade Toulousain. With an illuminating eye.

IT’S RUGBY. – Dimitri, another final won by Toulouse, it is no longer a surprise…
Dimitri Szarzewski: No, there is no surprise. I talked about it with friends who were at the Stade de France and with supporters, but I think Montpellier were the team with the most weapons to compete with Stade Toulousain. And that is what they managed to do, in spite of everything.

The first half suggested a one-horse race, then came the Montpellier fightback…
I would sum it up by contrasting Montpellier’s lack of efficiency with Toulouse’s ruthlessness. It is true that the half-time score is a bit heavy given the shape of the match. MHR could have scored just before the break. Then again, we know how efficient Toulouse are. They are clinical. As soon as they get into the scoring zone, they come away with points. That is the strength of great teams. It is also why they are on four consecutive titles. That is enormous. There was the 1990s generation (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997). Before that, people talked about Stade Bordelais but that was at the start of the last century. Nothing to do with the rugby of today and the toughness of the Top 14.

That is what Stade Toulousain are. They have the experience of these matches. Last night, we felt it again. Montpellier had opportunities but they could not take them. They preferred to go to the corner to try to score. They did not take the points with the boot. In the second half too, they wanted to persist by tapping and going from penalties. They lost the ball twice too easily five metres from the line, after two or three phases. Whereas Toulouse, after three or four phases close to the line, either scored tries or came away with points from the tee.

The breakdown was also decisive, notably through Jack Willis’s performance…
Of course! We saw a real war. Toulouse had certainly targeted that area. They slowed Montpellier’s ball down. And it is true that in the second half they were very effective. They won a lot of penalties in that facet of play. Or at the very least, they slowed down a lot of opposition attacks. Sometimes, mind you, it was borderline. I felt the referee was sometimes lacking in consistency at certain moments. That is my opinion. And then, as we saw, as soon as Montpellier got quicker ball, they managed to score. So it is a question of efficiency. At the breakdown, there is Marchand, there is Meafou and Mauvaka. Every player is capable of competing. There is Cros too, who does an enormous amount of unseen work on the pitch. And then Willis, inevitably, who is everywhere and who excels in that area. There is no weakness in that team. We could also have talked about the scrum. I thought Montpellier would be a bit more dominant but the contest was fairly even.

It's a shame he is Spanish!

What did you make of Peato Mauvaka’s performance?
Mauvaka, what he is capable of doing is enormous. He can throw a sidestep, accelerate, play the gaps. But he is also capable of running straight over you (laughs). He can do everything. He is a very great player. He has the lot. Meafou’s performance was also very good. As it was in the semi-final. In attack or in defence, he is a handful. He impressed me once again. And it is true that we do not talk enough about Cros, whose work is exceptional in scale. We tend to forget the front row and Merkler in particular. What he is able to do in his work around the field, his defensive workload… He goes forward in the collisions too. For me, it is a shame he is Spanish (laughs). He could have played for France. He certainly has all the potential for it. And even Neti! Nobody talks about him. He really put in a shift. He is hard on impact. It is true that we tend to focus on the Toulouse back line but everything starts up front. And what is there to say about the quality of the Toulouse bench… When you replace Lebel with Ramos, Brennan with Flament or Mauvaka with Flament, that is very solid. It really is a very complete team, and favourites again to succeed themselves next season.

And is that a problem for the suspense of the championship?
(he hesitates) Yes and no. Inevitably, they are at the summit right now. They have an exceptional generation. Then again, there are teams that are building up power, like Montpellier, who were able to compete. Bordeaux too, as we saw. They were able to beat Stade Toulousain twice in a row in the Champions Cup. Having won the Champions Cup twice, they will be desperate to win the Bouclier de Brennus. That is also the obsession of Laurent Marti, the Gironde club’s president. Toulon will certainly want to show something different. Racing have confirmed their good comeback. La Rochelle are also recruiting to try to find the consistency they had two years ago. There is Stade Français too. In any case, it is fun to watch.

The work of Joan Caudullo and his whole staff was still remarkable, do you share that view?
Yes, completely. They had somewhat lost their club identity. And what they have managed to do there is superb, notably with a staff that knows the house inside out. That is the key. You only have to look at Toulouse. The men who coach Toulouse have all been through Stade Toulousain. They know the club’s identity and culture perfectly. Montpellier are doing the same thing. Generally, that is how you manage to pass on all the emotion, the know-how and the way of behaving. I hope they carry on like that. They have done a hell of a good job. And then, we have talked a lot about the Toulouse players, but at Montpellier there were some hell of a lads too. I am thinking of Billy Vunipola or Lenni Nouchi. Verhaeghe too, he had a top season. Montpellier’s scrum is strong stuff as well! The hookers too. They were the two best teams, in fact. Logic was respected, the side that finished top won the Top 14 again. It is important to finish in that position because it lets you recharge the batteries and turn up with more energy.