A couple of seasons you were coaching against each other for Bath and Leicester – how are you enjoying coaching together? What are the main differences to English rugby?

Mike Ford [Toulon head coach] It has been brilliant. Mad but brilliant.

Richard Cockerill [Toulon forwards consultant] Everything is different. Match days are different. The noise of the crowd and what they think constitutes a high tackle. The concept of sportsmanship is very different. It is not very logical is probably the best way to look at it. It makes me look quite calm and thoughtful.

MF Half the team is English-speaking and the Test players in particular would understand the way we coach – the structure and the detail. Then you have the French guys who don’t do as much in detail and are very emotional. The way they play well is by firing them up. Then you have to find a way to gel that together on top of the pressure you have of Toulon being expected to win every game because of what they did three years ago.

RC Everything is a little bit more kneejerk in France [Toulon announced last week that Ford will leave at the end of the season, while Cockerill is moving to Edinburgh]. It always has been. You are always in the moment and what happened today, whether that is the result or the league table. That means the structure and the environment around a club are very different. The foundations are not the same. The French sides are very here and now.