Joe (El-Abd) Blogs: Coming second is nowhere - we want to win silverware now

On the eve of the new French season Toulon flanker and FRC columnist Joe El Abd gets shirty with BooStyle, talks about Toulon's hopes for winning some silverware and runs his keen eye over 2010/11 main championship contenders.

After last Thursday night's 25-22 victory against Stade Francais we go into the new 2010/11 campaign unbeaten over the pre-season period. The match against Stade was a real test and was exactly what we were looking for before we take on Bayonne in the first match of the season.  

After last year's disappointing season Stade looked good and I think they will be a real force to be reckoned with under their new coach Michael Cheika.

Top 14 Fixtures 2010/11

After the match we were given the weekend off to rest and recuperate for the long season ahead.  I must say that the weekend off was much needed as  we now go into a period of 14 matches in only 12 weeks, which will certainly test the durability and strength of all the squads in the Top 14.

BooStyle

What has finally been determined is that we will go into the start of the season with Puma as our kit suppliers. After signing with a company called Dia7 in the summer the deal was called off at the last minute due to a contractual irregularity. As a consequence our kit has been supplied by a company called BooStyle during the pre season period. As you can imagine with a name like BooStyle the kit received its fair share of banter! Luckily now everything has been sorted we are hoping that all our training kit arrives soon. What has changed is our playing shirt which now sports the full version of the 'Pilou, Pilou' across the front, so if I didn’t know the words before I do now!

While last season ended in a disappointing fashion we certainly achieved our pre-season goals of a top-six finish in the Top 14 and qualification for the quarter-finals in the Amlin Challenge Cup.  Along with success comes expectation and there is certainly a lot of expectation in Toulon at the moment. However, as a team we are keeping our feet firmly on the ground. Similar to last year we have set ourselves the goal of qualifying for the end of season play-offs and the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup. This time round, however, there is no denying the fact that we want to go one step further than last year and end the season with a piece of silverware.

In order to achieve our goals this year we are going to have to do it in a Top 14 that only seems to have strengthened over the summer. I think that there are genuinely nine teams who will have real ambitions of achieving a top-six finish. Last year Biarritz, Stade Francais and Brive missed out on qualification and I am sure all three will be looking to redress the balance. For Biarritz and Stade Francais in particular sitting outside the elite in French rugby doesn’t sit well.

Silverware

As for the six teams that qualified for the play-offs last season any one has the potential to go all the way. Champions Clermont will certainly be confident of repeating their success.  Now they have finally had a taste of glory and know how to win they have to be favourites going into the start of the season.  Along with Clermont, losing finalists Perpignan seem to always be there, or thereabouts, and Heineken Cup winners Toulouse will surely want to end their two-year drought of Top 14 success.  Castres and Racing Métro were probably the surprise packages of last season but I don’t believe their success was a flash in the pan. In fact, Racing Métro now has the backing and the facilities that put them with the elite of French rugby. Both teams have the ability to improve on their success from last season, meaning neither team can be discounted from pushing for honours at the close of the season. 

So here we are again at the start of another season of French rugby. All our preparations are finished and our goals have been set. The only thing left to do is get it all underway on Friday night.

A bientot