Toulouse beat Clermont but run out of scrum-halves

The Top 14 leaders go into the break with two more scrum-halves injured, while Antoine Dupont and Paul Graou are with France.

Three injury exits in one game

The list started before kick-off: Matias Remue, picked at full-back, pulled out with a calf problem and Lucien Richardis took his place. Simon Daroque, starting at scrum-half, then scored in the 26th minute and went off four minutes later with a rib injury. It was his first start of the season: Antoine Dupont and Paul Graou had shared the first eight, four each, before joining the France camp.

Théo Ntamack, hurt just before the break, was replaced by Léo Banos at half-time. Nathan Llaveria, the academy scrum-half who came on for Daroque, also went off late in the game. Bixintxo Daguerre, 18, then made his Top 14 debut, actu.fr reports, and Richardis finished the match at scrum-half. Ange Capuozzo, who can cover the position, is with Italy.

46 players used in nine rounds

Even before Remue withdrew, Toulouse were without twelve internationals and thirteen injured players, according to actu.fr. Early in the week, Rugbyrama counted 29 players potentially unavailable out of 37 professional contracts. “We lose two players per game,” Ugo Mola said a few weeks ago.

The team sheets show it: Toulouse have used 46 players in nine Top 14 rounds, as many as Lyon and Racing 92 and the highest total in the league. Bayonne have used only 35.

Top, for now

The returning players held things together. Julien Marchand scored the first try (7th minute), Jack Willis played the full game and Joel Merkler started at lock. “He surprised us by lasting 80 minutes,” forwards coach Jean Bouilhou told Rugbyrama of his captain. On the first block of the season, he said: “We tore our hair out quite a bit during this whole period.”

With seven wins from nine games and 32 points, Toulouse lead Pau by one point. Bordeaux-Bègles, fourth on 27 points with a game in hand, can draw level with a bonus-point win at Vannes on Sunday. Toulouse have three weeks to heal before visiting Lyon on 28 November.