When Christophe Urios, Joe El-Abd and Frederic Charrier joined Castres Olympique as coaches at the start of the 2015/16 season, the club was in something of a crisis. I spoke to forwards coach El-Abd about the new coaching team’s aims for their first season
The new coaching team at Top 14 side Castres Olympique has set the players an ambitious target – an immediate return to the top six.
But, when he spoke to Rugby Wrap Up, forwards coach Joe El-Abd insisted: “We’ve not set anything in stone – we have already talked about being in the top six. We want to get back into the higher echelons of the table.”
It is a big challenge. Castres lifted the Brennus in 2013 and played the part of plucky losers to Toulon in the final that will be forever remembered as the emphatic punctuation to the glorious long goodbye of His Awesome Imperial Galactic Majestic Highness Lord Sir Jonny of Wilkinson a year later. But they plumbed the depths last season.
James Harrington: Freelance sports journalist 