The Toulousains retained their title of French champion by atomizing the Bordeaux team 59 to 3 at the end of a demonstration punctuated by 9 tries.
Special envoy to Marseille
Emmanuel Macron missed the recital. The President of the Republic, in this turbulent electoral period, preferred to deviate from a 70-year-old tradition and forfeit the Top 14 final. He therefore did not attend the demonstration of the Toulouse team, reigning French champions. who retained their property. Lifting for the 23e times the mythical shield of Brennus (in 30 finals played).
Read alsoToulouse-UBB: Dupont, Mauvaka, Ramos… In video, all the tries of the Top 14 final
Ruthless, methodical people from Toulouse,never jaded» to repeat Romain Ntamack’s warning before this final. The 10e won in a row by the Rouge et Noir since their last failure, in 2008 (7 Top 14 finals and 3 Champions Cup finals). For the golden generation of Dupont, Ramos, Mauvaka, Cros and other Ntamacks, the raid continues. For five years, they have added four Brennus Shields (2019, 2021, 2023, 2024) and two European Cups (2021, 2024) to the trophy cabinet. Invincible.
Dupont superstar
On paper, the face-off already seemed unbalanced between a Stade Toulousain in search of a fourth French championship title in five seasons (no final in 2020 due to the pandemic) and a Union Bordeaux-Bègles which was playing its first final since its creation, in 2006, from the merger of Stade Bordelais and CA Béglais.
Read alsoTop 14 Final: 56 points difference between Stade Toulousain and UBB, a record in the history of the French championship
It was even more so thanks to a player, the best in the world. From the 6the minute, Antoine Dupont, relaying his forwards who had hit hard in the Gironde defense, scored his first try by resisting four defenders! At the 20e minute, the scrum half and captain delivers his 40e assist of the season (all competitions) to offer the second to his hooker Peato Mauvaka. Already 15-3 for the European champions.
But the masterpiece was still to come. Behind a maul, the combination is perfect. Interior return of Mauvaka who serves Mallia. The Argentine winger infiltrates the beleaguered defense and serves Dupont. Small kick to follow for himself to get rid of his opposite Maxime Lucu and second personal try of the evening for Super Dupont. We’ve only been playing for 22 minutes and the reigning French champions are already flying away, 22 to 3.
The Toulouse forwards smash everything
It all starts up front in rugby. And the score of the Toulouse pack, in the wake of an unleashed Jack Willis, greatly facilitated the lone rider of the Rouge et Noir. In the first half, the English flanker opened huge gaps with great shoulder thrusts, gaining 60 meters with the ball in hand, scattering the Bordeaux forwards with each of his charges.
Let’s add to this the science of Toulouse alignment to steal ammunition from the UBB on the sidelines. The first steal is directly at the origin of Dupont’s first try. In a closed scrum, the poker move of the Bordeaux manager, Yannick Bru, to align his non-format pillar, “Big” Ben Tameifuna, victim of a dislocation of the right shoulder in the play-off two weeks ago, ended turned out to be a loser. The 148 kilo Tongan was shaken, like all his partners, taken in strength and ferocity by a Toulouse pack bursting with health.
Read alsoTop 14 Final: 56 points difference between Stade Toulousain and UBB, a record in the history of the French championship
A work of undermining which paid off at the end of the match. While the score was still 22-3 at the 63rde minute, the dam completely gave way in ten minutes. With a marvelous outside-of-the-foot shot, Ntamack sends Ramos into the Bordeaux end zone (64e). Then it was Julien Marchand, who registered, in force, the 5e his team’s try (67e). Before the Scotsman Blair Kinghorn took advantage of an interception (69e). Ramos will be at the conclusion of a major movement at the 74e minute to make it 47-3.
Two minutes later, it was the turn of the replacement pillar, the American Ainuu, to go to the promised land. And, in stoppage time, the Toulouse team ruthlessly restarted from their goal. One hundred meters further from an anthology action, Ange Capuozzo registered on the 9the and last test of his people. Triumphant 59 to 3. The largest gap of all time in the final of the French championship, shattering the previous record dating from… 1900 (Racing CF-Stade Bordelais, 37 to 3).
A record-breaking Ramos
The Toulouse armada has no weak points. Like its scorer. Thomas Ramos has once again come close to perfection (20 points, including two tries). To increase the score. And, in the process, become the best scorer in the history of Stade Toulousain. Before the kick-off of this final, the international full-back was only two kicks behind the record holder, the former half-back (scrum and fly-half), Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 1776 points scored in the red and black jersey. He has now been overtaken by Thomas Ramos, who has 1792 points. And it is far from over for the elite shooter who is only 28 years old.
