RCT: facing Toulouse, Gabin Villière goes hunting again

We left him with his head bowed and his gaze on empty space on April 13. That day, after a fierce battle against Stade Toulousain, Gabin Villière fumbled a ball in front of his in-goal area under a high ball from Naoto Saïto in the ^78th minute.

Not the first mistake of the RCT in the match, but one too many, since a poorly controlled ruck and a penalty later, Thomas Ramos crucified Mayol.

The end of the Champions Cup campaign for the Red and Blacks, and the beginning of a tunnel of doubts for the international winger (29 years old, 18 caps).

"Gabin was very affected. When you make a mistake that seems to cost you the match... I simply explained to him that we hadn't lost the match at that point," Pierre Mignoni revealed on Friday, giving a few snippets of the exchanges he had with his winger after the Toulouse slap.

"There were a multitude of scenarios that gave Toulouse the opportunity to beat us. It wasn't this play that caused us to lose."

"This handball will remain an injury"

Nevertheless, the nights that followed were complicated for the Norman. He must have replayed the action 2,000 times in his bed. Why did his hands tremble in a situation he has faced so many times in his career? Was it a mistake in positioning, a reading, or simply clumsiness at the worst possible moment?

"That handball will remain an injury," the winger confessed to Midi Olympique this week. "I'll never really forget it. Now it's part of my story."

"Nobody wants Gabin"

Despite being so hard on himself, the very demanding Gabin Villière was able to count on the unwavering support of his teammates.

"It would be harsh and unfair to put all the blame on Gabin. If we were leading by four points at that point, we wouldn't be talking about it today," Paolo Garbisi declared, not one to throw his friend to the wolves. "I know what he must have been through, because I've experienced some complicated moments in my career. I'm thinking in particular of the 2024 Tournament with Italy, where I hit the post on a penalty that could have allowed us to beat France... So we tried to leave him alone at the beginning, because in those moments you want to be left alone. And then, everything went back to normal. No one blames Gabin. He gives so much in training or in matches, with that determination that characterizes him. It's something he hasn't lost. He'll bounce back."

"He has a lot of quality, heart, energy."

And after four weeks of trying to digest, Gabin Villière will return to competition this evening... against these same Toulousains!

An opportunity for the winger to find more positive vibes at the start of a final sprint in which Toulon will particularly need its warrior?

"He needed to regenerate, and Toulouse is a good match for Gabin. He's a player with superpowers, who is so generous... So he has to play his game, without overplaying, without trying to prove himself or make up for it. That would be a mistake," Pierre Mignoni finally confided. "Gabin has a lot of qualities, heart, energy, he has to demonstrate it."

On a mission, Gabin Villière will want to redeem himself. And even though his teammates have repeatedly told him they don't hold it against him, there's no doubt the proud Norman will want to puff out his chest. And show them that this handling error hasn't tainted his fierce determination to bring Toulon back to the top of French rugby.

Big games for big players? In any case, facing a Stade Toulousain side that has been struggling to escape its dreams for the past month, Gabin Villière will want to prove that he is a great champion.