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Guy Novès has named Patricio Albacete in his perfect Toulouse XV. The former Toulouse and France Head Coach was a player for the club from 1975-1988, Assistant Coach from 1988-1990 and Head Coach from 1992-2015.
He is the most successful coach in the professional era. He took Toulouse to European Champions Cup titles in 1996, 2003, 2005 and 2010. In addition, the team was runner-up in 2004 and 2008.
In the French domestic league, Novès also has an impressive record. As Assistant Coach the team were French champions in 1989. However, it is his resumé as Head Coach that truly stands out. He took Toulouse to national titles in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2011 and 2012; and the club were runners-up in 1991, 2003 and 2006.
Novès’ credentials and knowledge are undisputed. His perfect XV contains fourteen Frenchmen. They play for the club across a range of eras. Jean-Claude Skrela and Walter Spanghero are all-time greats while William Servat, Fabien Pelous, Thierry Dusautoir, Vincent Clerc and Yannick Jauzion are greats of the modern era.
The caliber of players named by Novès is remarkable. It is packed with championship winners and former French test captains. Joining the fourteen Bleus is one foreign player – Patricio Albacete. The Argentine played for Toulouse from 2006-2017. He won both the Top 14 and the Champions Cup.
In naming his Toulouse Perfect XV Novès noted that:
“Pato has dual nationality, for me he has always been an example of training, work and selflessness on the field. He clearly deserves to be on this team. He was one of the greatest second-rowers of his generation. When he played for Argentina, he wreaked havoc and at Stade Toulousain, it was the same.”
TOULOUSE PERFECT XV
1 Christian Califano, 2 William Servat, 3 Claude Portolan, 4 Patricio Albacete, 5 Fabien Pelous, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 7 Jean-Claude Skrela, 8 Walter Spanghero, 9 Philippe Carbonneau, 10 Christophe Deylaud, 11 Cédric Heymans, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 13 Thomas Castaignède, 14 Vincent Clerc, 15 Emile Ntamack
