The Large Guide to Stade Toulousain

By Jason Harris aka Large
April 9 2003

Well he's been seen ligging it in the bars at the Gardens recently so he is almost a convert and now Sarries very own Jason Harris aka Large brings you the concise guide to all things Toulouse. What an awfully nice chap he is!

Just the mention of the word 'Toulouse' will provoke a reaction from any rugby fan. No matter where you're from, you are either in awe or in admiration of it. The mighty Stade Toulousain club, 1996 European champions and winners of 'Le Championnat' on no fewer than 15 occasions, is a bastion of French rugby. Now back on track after some disappointing recent European campaigns, the glamour club from the Midi-Pyrenees set the pace in their Heineken Cup pool and, but for a minor hiccup at London Irish in their last group match, have been the great entertainers of this season's competition with their free-flowing, free-scoring style of play.

I saw Toulouse play a group match against Edinburgh at their Sept Deniers home earlier this season and I can say, hand on heart, that the atmosphere in the 12,000-capacity cauldron that chilly December afternoon was the best I have ever experienced at a rugby match. From behind one of the goals came and audio-visual head butt, a deafening racket from a stand packed to the rafters, bedecked in red and black which, to a man brought up on polite silences and ripples of gracious applause during rugby matches, was quite simply unbelievable.

There were huge drums, loud brass bands, even an air raid siren. As well as the aural assault, every few minutes a red and black striped flag the size of the stand itself unfurled over the massed ranks of Toulosain which was a spectacular sight.. To round things off, when the folks leading the singing began belting out the club's anthem, virtually everyone in the ground joined in. "Oh when the Saints..." is going to get some serious competition down Toulouse way, that's for sure.

Unfortunately, Stade Sept Deniers just isn't big enough for this momentous occasion so the boys in red and black will once again have to decamp and move up the road to the Stade Municipale, home of Toulouse Football club and a place I have visited twice to date.

Built in its current configuration in 1949, the stadium seats a more-than-generous 38,650 and should swallow the expected invasion with consummate ease. Situated on an island nestling between two branches of the Garonne river, the ground was refurbished for the 1998 football World Cup. New floodlighting, sound and surveillance systems were installed to bring it bang up to date.

Access is fairly straightforward and as Saints will be there in mid April, the fans could do a lot worse than take a leisurely stroll of about 45 minutes from the city centre along the Garonne should the weather be pleasant enough. For those who can't summon up the energy, the excellent Toulouse Metro system stops at the nearby Arenes station and a taxi from the rank at Place du Capitole will set those who choose to travel that way back a tenner or so.

Outside the main entrance, situated under a flyover, you will find a selection of stalls selling hot and cold sandwiches (the Toulouse sausage in a baguette is a must), pommes-frites, beer and soft drinks. There are more drinks stalls inside the and the local police do tend to frown upon people trying to take their own liquid refreshment into the ground, so my advice would be not to get weighed down with pre-bought beer.

Once inside, the stadium can be imposing, especially if you are sat behind the goals. Rows of backless concrete seats and perimeter fencing makes it blatantly obvious that its primary use is for the round ball game and there is sure to be a small army of security staff and dogs to keep wrongdoers in check. The main two-tier stand runs for the length of the pitch and, of course, you will find the most expensive seats in the house in the upper level. But whatever seats are taken, a good view is guaranteed anywhere in the ground.

Of course, moving from Sept Deniers means that the very friendly staff there will not be as evident at Stade Municipale and the place does have a less welcoming feel than Stade's regular home. Nevertheless, as most Toulousain are completely nuts about rugby, the welcome is sure to be a warm one.

Souvenir hunters need not apply at the ground. Instead, they should go to the ST theme shop in the city centre, which is packed with literally hundreds of items in red and black. The shop staff are friendly, courteous and some have decent English, so even those without the most basic French will be relieved that they can converse without having to break out the phrase book.

After the game, the world is your oyster. Toulouse has a vibrant nightlife and you can even have a quintessentially English post-match experience by heading for Rue d'Industrie where you will find the Frog & Rosbif English pub, which is opposite the Gandhi tandoori restaurant. Otherwise there are plenty of bars (The Melting Pot Irish pub is another ex-pat favourite) and a wide selection of cuisine from around the globe. If there is a better place in Europe to watch rugby, I have yet to find it.



Access: ********
Car Parking: ****
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Programme: (French, of course) ********
Catering: *******
Scenery & Surroundings: *********
Bars: ********
Club Shop: **********
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