Writing in the Sunday Times, Stephen Jones believes that Biarritz will be up against it when they tackle Toulouse in the Heineken Cup Final next weekend.
"When people in rugby discuss elite coaching, they always refer to the concept of shelf life. The game moves on so rapidly, and changes in its elements, that it is deemed almost impossible to hold the coaching reigns of a top team for longer than five years, and very few coaches do. It is also true that the video analysts of every opposing team work you out anyway, so to pop up full of surprises is almost impossible.
"So for Guy Noves to have held the coaching post at Toulouse for 17 years is almost beyond extraordinary. He was a shoo-in as ERC Coach of the 15 years of the Heineken Cup. On Saturday, Toulouse play Biarritz in the final at the Stade de France, aiming to become the first team to win the trophy four times. They are already the only team to win it three times. Noves, very much the driven touchline prowler and not the stand-seat analyst, has become as big an institution as the event itself.
"He does sometimes get things wrong. His is a harsh environment, because if Toulouse do not win at least one from the Heineken Cup and the French Top 14 every season, then it is deemed a disaster. Toulouse lost to Perpignan in the semi-final of the Top 14 on Friday so for them, Europe is the only game in town."
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