Trevor Brennan: ‘If Toulouse hadn’t qualified I’d be glued to the telly shouting for Leinster’

Twenty years ago, the night before the Heineken Cup final, the Toulouse captain Fabien Pelous and vice-captain Emile Ntamack told Trevor Brennan he would be leading out the Toulouse team the next day against Perpignan at the old Lansdowne Road.

“They let me go out through the tunnel, up the stairs and on to the pitch. I suppose I had 10 or 20 seconds on my own on the pitch, but if felt like 20 minutes. It was a funny moment. But that win meant a lot to the club.”

After six seasons with Leinster, it was entirely fitting that Brennan returned to his old stomping ground in his first campaign with Toulouse as they bridged a six-year gap since winning the inaugural competition to earn their second star with that 22-17 win over Perpignan.

“It’s hard to believe,” Brennan told The Irish Times on Wednesday. “When I think about it Josh [his second eldest] was only one and a half.”

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At the time, Brennan was less than a year out of Leinster himself, having spent two years playing with the Under-19s and 20s, and six seasons with the full provincial side.

Nobody benefited more from an all-French final, which attracted 28,600, more than Brennan et al, be it his extended family, friends and former clubs.

“I reckon that 10 buses left from Barnhall alone,” he recalls with a laugh. “Between St Mary’s, Bective and Barnhall, I probably brought about a good 2,000 supporters.”

While his team-mates enjoyed the post-match reception, Brennan brought number eight David Gerard to Kiely’s in Donnybrook for a few hours. His ensuing police escort to the airport to catch their flight in the nick of time, relayed in his then column with The Irish Times, was even raised in Dáil Éireann by an outraged TD.

Tens of thousands descended upon the Place du Capitole the next day and Toulouse should have retained their trophy when losing to a last-minute try by Wasps’ Rob Howley a year later in Twickenham. But Brennan was part of the team which regained the cup in 2005 by beating Stade Francais in Murrayfield. In all, Brennan played 126 times in five seasons with the most successful club in French and European rugby.

“I never would have thought when I first came over in 2002 that 21 years later, I’d still be here. I was 28 and it was more of a financial decision than a rugby decision to be honest. I was being offered triple what I was earning with Leinster in Ireland and you kinda see it as maybe your pay-day; get two years, which would equal six years in Ireland.

“But I was lucky that within six months they extended it and I don’t think I would have got five more years in Ireland. The way we [Toulouse] trained and managed the players was different. It wasn’t as much about contact, it was more about a high-tempo, offloading game.”

[ ‘It’s Toulouse for me’ - Josh Brennan makes loyalties clear amid breakout campaign ]

Now, over two decades on, he and Paula are still in Toulouse. In 2004, Brennan bought the De Danú Irish bar, which became something of an institution, particularly for rugby fans on Heineken Cup weekends, before selling it in 2016. He bought the pub in his village (Brennan’s Bar in Castelgineste) in 2013 and in 2017 bought Brennan’s Snug by the airport in Seilh.

Their eldest, Dan (24), and Joshua (21), were born in Dublin, but both came through the underage Toulouse system. Between them they have won Under-18 and Under-20 World Cups, and Six Nations titles, with France. Dan, a prop, has started 13 of 19 games with Brive this season while Josh has had something of a breakthrough campaign with Toulouse, starting 13 Top 14 games and playing in another eight (including five in the Champions Cup) off the bench. Tough and fearless on both sides of the ball, he’s something of a chip off the old block, but even taller, rangier and schooled in the Toulouse way.

Alas, sadly, Josh would most likely have been part of Toulouse’s match day squad against Leinster in Saturday’s Champions Cup semi-final at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 3pm) but suffered a concussion in last Saturday’s 19-10 loss away to Stade Francais.

“He is gutted. He desperately wanted to play this game,” admitted Brennan, and you can only imagine his son’s disappointment.

Brennan’s youngest, Bobby, is now 16 and following in his brothers’ footsteps with the Toulouse Cadets (under-17s). Another secondrow, and another giant, 6ft 4in and 110kg. The dad enjoys hailing the youngest as the most talented, but in all seriousness maintains: “He could be as good if not better than the other two. Definitely.”

Brennan was always amazed at the support he had in his playing career, such as when Barnhall friends travelled to South Africa to see him win his first of 12 Irish caps against the Springboks in the summer of 1998.

But now Brennan is that soldier, with a regular weekend juggling act in travelling to watch his three boys.

“For me to see Dan and Josh wear the French jersey at underage level, and who’s to say in a couple of years one of them might wear the French jersey, and to see them play Top 14 rugby and Josh play European Cup rugby, is incredible.”

Last Saturday week, Brennan travelled to Brive to see Dan play in their home game against Stade Francais, and drove back to Toulouse to see Josh play at home in a thrilling win over Lyon. On Thursday, Brennan will travel on the squad’s charter to Dublin, and à la 20 years ago, will also be on the return flight on Saturday night, presumably with no escort required this time.

Ugo Mola rested his first-choice XV for last week’s trip to Paris, but were still very competitive in losing 19-10, which Brennan attributes to the new production line of young players to have come through this season – hooker Guillaume Cramont, prop Paul Mellez, backrower Theo Ntamack, winger Dimitri Delibes and his own son.

“Like Leinster, they’ve had their injuries like [Anthony] Jelonch, who’s done his cruciate and is out for six months, [Ange] Capuozzo, [Melvyn] Jaminet and Josh, but I just think it’s a more mature team this year.

Brennan points out that their key lineout operator Richie Arnold missed the semi-final last year, while a few others were carrying knocks, and they were weary from their exertions away to Ulster and then Munster a week beforehand in that 100-minute quarter-final.

“They could have won last week but it was a game they were willing to sacrifice in order to be fresh for this semi-final. I’m sure they are in a better place. I wouldn’t say they want revenge. Revenge is not a word you’d ever hear used in Toulouse. They were beaten by the better team and Leinster are a well-oiled machine. They won the battle up front and they were always in control.”

Leinster have also won the sides’ last three meetings, all in Dublin, but Brennan notes that while they’ve had the upper hand in recent times, Toulouse are fresher this year, adding that Johnny Sexton and James Lowe are significant losses.

“I see this as more of a 50-50 game. Toulouse always learn lessons from defeats, and they still respect Leinster. They know that Leinster are one of the best teams in Europe, and in the world at the moment. There are no weaknesses in Leinster. There’s nowhere to go after them. Their breakdown and set pieces are excellent.

“But Toulouse are fresher than last year, more mature, have a load of players in top form, and any team with the X-factor of Dupont, Ntamack, and Ramos is dangerous.”

Nor does Brennan have any split loyalties.

“Leinster gave me my first chance, and Toulouse gave me my second chance, not just in rugby, but in life. My three kids have started their rugby journey with Toulouse, and two of them are playing for Toulouse currently, so I’d be 110 per cent for Toulouse, not 100 per cent.

“I just think it’s an awful pity that these two teams aren’t in the final. I would love to have seen that. If Toulouse hadn’t qualified for the semi-finals, I’d be glued to the telly and shouting for Leinster.”

But he’s long become a son of Toulouse, and the bond has been strengthened by his own sons, and the family’s two decades in the Pink City.

“Lots of foreign players come for a couple of years or more, and then go home. I’m 21 years here now and they love the fact that I created businesses and employment, and my kids are playing rugby in the French system. They love all that. It’s just one of them good stories.”

It sure is.