Toulon since 2012 had a string of experienced players in their squad - probably the best of which were Wilkinson and from an SA perspective Bakkies Botha. Habana, Juan Smith. JP Pietersen and up to last year Vermeulen. Onn Saturday they had a massive loss - the worst since 2013. So there were serious discussions on that match in the media as well.
In essence in the case of Toulon in recent years have beenlost the plot completely. They forgot that as important as winning is, so is team renewal and building up a basis for the future, As a result they have dropped down to 12 out of 14 on the Top 14 log this year,
So lets look at what happened to Toulon pertaining to the six players mentioned:-
* Jonny Wilkinson left Toulon in 2014 at the age of 35 after playing for the team for five years. Up to his retirement he was still a top club player - a top class international player until 2011 when he left test rugby as well.
* Bakkies Botha was one of the nest SA locks ever before his retirement of test rugby in 2011. He returned to play test rugby under Meyer and was a bad joke in the tests he played in sine 2011. He retired from Toulon in 2015 at the age of 35.
* Juan Smith was very good - but had a serious ankle injury that threatened his career om 2011. He went To Toulon in 2013 and apparently is still on contract with them, but he is not in the recent teams playing for Toulon. He layed o test under Meyer and afterwards apologized publicly for letting SA and the team down for a seriously defenctive performance. He is already 37 years old and onviously past his sell-by date.
* Brain Habana - one of the best wings ever - went from an international perspective on the slide since 2015. Although Toulon extended his contract for a year they did not select him in 2018 to play in matches for them and he then retired.
* JP Pietersen was a top class international wing until 2014 - but then the slide set in in 2015 and by 2017 he was ou of real contention for Springbok selection. He is still playing for Toulon at full back - he has a pace-deficiency that is not good enough as a wing.
* Duane Vermeulen had a serious neck injury in 2015 and was rushed back by Meyer to play in the WC - where he did well enough - but then went off to Toulon. His stay with them was marred by injury problems in 2016 and 2017 and he was not a regular in the Toulon team. His contract was not renewed at the end of the 2017/8 season and he then played three tests for the Springboks in June 2018 - excellent in the first two tests and off the boil in the third. He then went off to japan and skipped the RC tests in 2018 and returned for the November 2018 tests - still off the boil.
Toulon also contracted other internationals like Ma'a Nonu - he was successful - but he did nit renew his contract with the Club and went back to NZ at the age of 36,
From the above it is obvious that Toulon suffered from the same malady that was started by Meyer and with disastrous consequences subsequently - namely the selection of too many past their sell-by date players and to little emphasis on team building for the future.
