In 2023, Stade Toulouse snatched the title of French champion down to the wire, thanks to a final solo ride from Romain Ntamack. A year later, Friday June 28, the Rouge et Noir offered themselves another style of solo rider. At the Marseille Vélodrome, the Rouge et Noir inflicted a correction on the completely overwhelmed Bordelais (59-3) to achieve a 23e Shield of Brennus.
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The conclusion of a perfect season, during which a European Cup also added to the club’s imposing trophy cabinet. A double, like in 2021. “We have an incredible group that pushes the limits. And we want to continue to think big,” savored the third row François Cros, medal around his neck. On the eve of the match, his trainer Ugo Mola mischievously believed that“there’s still a little bit missing” to his team for “mark the club more than previous generations”.
All smiles in front of his bench, he was able to see that his team, ” The best “still had a recipe that works. Here it is now with six titles (four Top 14 and two Champions Cup) since 2019. All this, with a will in the form of a requirement that can be summed up in a few words: “Marking the history of our club and our sport” as Thomas Ramos poster.
By scoring twenty points against Union Bordeaux-Bègles, the fullback walked his talk to become the top scorer at Stade Toulouse, at the heart of a record evening: a Top 14 final had never ended with such a significant gap to the mark. “We quickly saw that we weren’t invited” noted Yannick Bru, who came “do the job” facing the press. Former hooker and coach in the Pink City, the Bordeaux coach was not surprised. “In the Top 14, there is only one champion, often Toulouse, and thirteen disappointed. »
Dupont conquered the curse of the Vélodrome
Between bluff and poker move, he had decided to start his super-powerful pillar Ben Tameifuna and his star Matthieu Jalibert. The former was injured in the shoulder and still had his arm in a splint on Wednesday, while the fly-half had himself announced his end of season after a torn thigh. It’s hard to do without your best cards for a final. But Bru’s “all-in” didn’t pay off: the two players were invisible, and came out with their heads down in the second half.
Read also | Toulouse and Bordeaux-Bègles ready to offer “a little fireworks” in the Top 14 final
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On the contrary, it is under a loud cheer and the “Antoine, Antoine” coming down from the stands as Dupont left the pitch at the end of the match. Author of two tries and voted man of the match, the scrum-half appeared in his garden at the Vélodrome. However, he only had bad memories in Marseille. In 2022, he received the first red card of his career after an aerial clash with South African Cheslin Kolbe. A year later, it was again at the Vélodrome that he brought improbable notoriety to his maxillary and zygomatic bones by fracturing them against Namibia, in the middle of the World Cup.
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