Smile is back on the faces

Trevor Brennan's Diary:Two important league victories have put Toulouse in contention

When I signed off before Christmas the club was going through some difficult times. We had just thrown ourselves out of the European Cup after losing from 31-10 ahead against Llanelli and we lay fifth in the French Championship, outside the top four play-off positions.

Next up was a game away to Biarritz on December 23rd, followed by a home match against Perpignan, who were a point above us in fourth place at that stage, early in the New Year. Biarritz were the reigning champions, who had put 40 points on us in last year's final and lay third, three points ahead of us. Defeat in both of these games would have effectively killed off our play-off hopes, leaving us only with a top six spot and qualification for next season's Heineken Cup to play for, and for a club that has reached the play-offs every year since 1993, that wasn't acceptable.

For the game in Biarritz, once more I was 23rd man; my favourite number, seemingly, this season. You train all week, you turn up a day before the game, you make that four-hour bus trip with the lads to the match, you tog out, you do the warm-up and then you're told to go inside, have a shower, and find a seat for yourself in the stand.

Again, like the two Llanelli matches, I did the warm-up with the guys and tried to help motivate them. I sat in the corner of the dressingroom beforehand and there was a lot of emotion. There were a few tears but also a few smiles. Not to go into too much detail, but some guys tend to get very wound up whereas some other guys prefer to say: "let's enjoy it".

I made my way to the stand to find a seat among the subs with Fabien Pelous, who is still out with the ankle injury that forced him to go off against Llanelli. Last season Biarritz won 12 of their 13 home matches and this season they had won all seven of their league games at the Parc des Sports Aguilera.

It was a very tight first half, at the end of which Biarritz led 13-6.

Myself and Fabien decided to get a hot dog and a beer. We made our way back for the start of the second half and sat down again among the lads, chewing away on our hot dog and sipping our beer.

Then one of the cameras came over and zoomed in on us.

The talk last Monday reviewing both the Biarritz and Perpignan games wasn't about the victory but more about Fabien Pelous and myself. At the video session this was pointed out by the coach. "Vous passez de bonnes vacances, mes gars?" "Are you enjoying your holidays lads?"

The lads dug really deep and despite not scoring a try and having Yannick Bru sent off with 15 minutes left, three penalties each by Jean-Baptiste Elissalde and Vincent Courent, along with a drop goal by Jeff Dubois, helped us to a 21-16 win. At the end of the game there were more smiles and more tears because this win meant so much to the lads. The victory put us back into the top four, ahead of Biarritz on points difference. It meant that everybody could go off, relax and have a good Christmas as we had seven days off.

Jean-Louis, our manager, managed to acquire six crates of beer from the post-match reception for our bus trip home. It reminded me of the old AIL days when I played with Bective and St Mary's. When you played away in Limerick, Cork or Belfast, you'd stop off at an off-licence on the journey back, all the players and management would chip in a fiver, we'd pick up a few beers and have a sing-song all the way home.

I have to say I've been here five years and this isn't something that's done too often. So that will tell you how much the win lifted a weight off our shoulders. We had a good sing-song and I did my French party piece, My Way, en francais. Or Comme d'Habitude. Once you get the first few lines out the lads really love it.

I'm glad the Christmas is over because I went through a period of eating and drinking for Ireland. William Servat had us over to his family's holiday home in Salies de Salat, about 70 kilometres north of Toulouse at the foot of the Pyrenees. I was introduced to Ricard and water, and brought in the New Year in proper French country style, eating plenty of foie gras.

Last week the club began its year-long anniversary celebrations, with a home game last Saturday against Perpignan, who were third, two points ahead of us. It was a dog-eat-dog fight, a real battle up front.

The Stade Ernest Wallon was full to its 19,500 capacity. There was a carnival atmosphere, with the usual fireworks, dancers etc. It went down to the wire, they had a scrum on our line in the last play, but we won 16-12 to go third.

The lads played in pink jerseys, not like the pink Stade Francais jerseys, but because Toulouse is known as the pink city. I'm glad I missed that one myself, because I would probably never have lived down playing in a pink jersey.

The papers love us again and the supporters are right behind us again. I'd spoken about the boiler-house atmosphere within the club before Christmas, but this week everyone is in good form, laughing and joking again, which is how it always was in my time here.

I'm looking forward to going to London Irish this week with what I call the Toulouse Barbarians. Most of the lads who contributed to those two wins over Biarritz and Perpignan will probably be rested.

It reminds me of a game five seasons ago with Leinster, my last season with them, in the Celtic League.

Matt Williams sent us over on a Mission Impossible to play Swansea away, and rested most of the big guns before a Heineken Cup the following week at home to Toulouse. I think the backrow was myself, Liam Toland and Aidan McCullen, and Bob Casey was in the secondrow with Leo Cullen. He made me captain, for the one and only time in my career with Leinster. We beat the bejaysus out of them, winning 34-18, scoring four tries to nil.

But for myself personally, the Heineken Cup has been a great trip and these games against London Irish and Ulster will probably be my last Heineken Cup games.

It's good to be involved and maybe myself and a few other guys can use this chance to be involved in the game against Stade Francais in Stade de France on January 26th. That has been an 82,000 sell-out for six weeks.

There's not so much a love-hate relationship as a hate-hate relationship between the two clubs. I suppose it's a bit like Leinster v Munster in the way it attracts the public imagination.

As someone pointed out to me, the last time Toulouse didn't reach the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup was in 2001, and that was also the last time we went on to win the French Championship.

You never know, maybe it can happen again.

In an interview with Gerry Thornley

•Trevor Brennan's Heineken Cup diary can also be read on the erc website, www. ercrugby.com