ALEX SANDERSON MEDIA SESSION 03/04/2025

CHALLENGE OF TAKING ON TOULOUSE

“If this does not excite you then there are few in the calendar that do. They are very good at a lot of things and the best at a few, which we have highlighted. We feel a lot of our game model and skill-set is well-suited to negate a lot of their strengths. This group is never better than when they are written off. For good reason we are massive underdogs going out there. This is the time of the season where you have got to find form and keep it. What better place to find that away form than Toulouse away. Performance is what we are looking for, a performance with a ball that bounces our way is entirely possible and we believe that. How we have been putting elements of our game out there over the last two weeks, the fact we have been able to rest and rotate over the last two weeks and still get two back-to-back five-point wins shows that we are a club building something right at the right point of the season. There is real objective evidence that on our day we can take on anyone. We have to find that form again away from home in Toulouse.

“Physically we have the mentality and ability to match them pound-for-pound at the gain line and set-piece. Where Toulouse can undo you is if you switch off for a moment they will force you to chase shadows and physicality does not even come to the fore. It will need the best of us on Sunday. We will knuckle down and match up. I have spoken about these next three games making the impossible possible. A lot of people probably wrote us off a few weeks ago but you cannot do that in the Premiership as we are right in the fight after the last two games. We need to believe we can and there is objective and statistical evidence we are well-matched in some areas. I do not think Toulouse are taking this game lightly, we know they have been thinking about this game for three weeks.

“There is something about being written off that lights a fire in these lads, like when we played Bristol earlier in the season, when they were flying. At some point we have to step out of that underdog mentality but this weekend that is not the case as we are underdogs at Toulouse and we will lean into that. There is a burning want and desire for this club to step out of the shadows and this is the type of game to do that. We can beat anyone on our day and we will need to be on the weekend. Even an 80% Toulouse will beat most people. You have to be aggressive in everything you put your mind to. You are going to have to score tries as they are going to score more points. We have made great strides in that area in the last weeks which gives us belief and confidence.”

NICK SCHONERT’S DEPARTURE

“Nick has been nothing but a brilliant member of the team, servant to the club, friend to all here. He has helped us get to finals, of which we have been in a few. At this point, given the torrid time he has had with his body and the restraints of the salary cap, I and the club have to make tough decisions as to what the best thing for the club is moving forward. So his early departure was through mutual consent at this point with an understanding of what is best for the club for the future.”

REFLECTIONS ON WIN OVER NORTHAMPTON

“Objectively some of our exits could have been better in terms of kick execution. We could have exited our half better which then puts more pressure on you, especially against a side like Northampton. We gave away too many penalties around halfway which invited pressure on us. The positives though were the fact that against a team who are the defending champions who had to win, we were able to find a way to get a bonus-point win. We got it through a bit of grit, the set-piece, doggedness.

“Our attack was another positive. They [Northampton] are a good team and we scored some very, very good tries which we would have scored against anyone. We were excited when we got the ball and we have been working on our attack. We had some of the quickest ball we have had all season. That game will not get us through to a quarter-final [in the Champions Cup] but there were elements of that game combined with the game against Newcastle and our defence in Europe [which will stand us in good stead]. We have the minerals, personnel and firepower to put out a performance where we think it is possible to win on Sunday. I think we can.”

JOE CARPENTER

“He looks more dangerous and more decisive. He is one of our most consistent players. He has never faulted in that 15 jersey, hence why you are talking about him and he is in England consideration for the summer. The only thing that has prevented him is him getting an opportunity in an England jersey. He is amongst a real tough crowd with the likes of George Furbank, Freddie Steward, Marcus Smith. When these things come to those who have earned it and had time to acclimatise to rejection and the subjectivity of selection in the long run it seems the best thing to happen to them like Tom Roebuck. Look how good he was against Wales when he got his opportunity. I back Carps to do the same when he gets his opportunity.”

INJURY UPDATE

Dan du Preez and Raffi Quirke not far off, not close enough for this weekend unfortunately

Sam Bedlow injured his groin in win over Northampton, felt it five/ six minutes before he was taken off, hoping to get back at some point between now and the final

Rekeiti Ma’asi-White and Luke James both back training this week

OTHER NEWS

Prestige is perhaps greater winning the Champions Cup but winning in your own backyard ie. The Premiership is important, when Al won the Champions Cup with Saracens in the same season as losing the Premiership it felt a little “hollow”, can understand teams prioritising Premiership at this stage of season with how close it is, last year it was not feasible with the group we were in to fight on both front but this year we are going for both the Prem and Europe, got our strongest squad available this weekend

Currys excited to go up against Jack Willis this weekend, they have missed the opportunity to play against Willis in the league and train against him in England camp, Tristan Woodman used this week as ‘the Jack Willis’ in training

Shown a couple of clips from last trip to Toulouse, shown examples of what worked for us in that game, cannot just be 40 minutes of fire and brimstone, it has to be an 80-minute performance