The joy of Toulouse after their victory in the Champions Cup final against Leinster, Saturday May 25, 2024 in London. JOHN SIBLEY / ACTION IMAGES VIA REUTERS
And in the end, it’s Toulouse who wins. The formula is more than hackneyed, but it is essential with Stade Toulouse, undefeated when it reaches a final since 2008. The Rouge et Noir once again imposed themselves, Saturday May 25 in London, winning a final down to the wire suffocating Champions Cup against the Irish from Leinster (31-22 after extra time). Captain Antoine Dupont’s partners can embroider a sixth continental star on their chest.
Relive the meeting | Leinster – Toulouse: Stade Toulouse wins the Champions Cup down to the wire and wins its sixth European title
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On the pitch of the brand new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the British capital, Ugo Mola’s men defeated the Dubliners at the end of a fiercely contested game. Manhandled for a long time by the conquering Irish, Ugo Mola’s men suffered a lot, pushed themselves hard in defense, and ended up winning after an extension full of twists and turns. “We knew it was going to be a standoff until the end, that we weren’t going to have to let go. And we managed with a lot of solidarity and heart to hold on and make them break in overtime”savored third row François Cros, interviewed on France 2.
This clash between two teams respectively forming the backbones of the French and Irish XVs remained undecided for a long time. Toulouse thought they were starting the game with a bang. But the “game of hands, game of Toulouse” launched and concluded by Juan Cruz Mallia after a tightrope walk by Antoine Dupont did not result, from the second minute, in a try, a foot from the French scrum half brushing past the sideline. And after this surge, the game essentially came down to a duel of defenses and scorers.
Toulouse has never given in to the blue waves
The two teams were back to back at halftime (9-9). “We’re going to have to do more if we want to win. We can’t endure like this for another forty minutes, because it’s going to end up breaking.”, anticipated Romain Ntamack at the break, questioned by the broadcaster. And yet, the Toulouse residents will have suffered more: almost seventy minutes, counting extra time and additional time.
In the second half, the Toulouse reeds gave way under the Irish onslaught. But they never gave in, like a salutary scratch from Antoine Dupont, a few meters from the line and a few minutes from the siren. Their faces marked by the fight, sometimes groggy, and always on the back foot, the partners of the captain of the Blues have never put their knees on the ground in the face of the blue waves breaking over their in-goal.
“What a blast!” » savored full-back Thomas Ramos, interviewed on BeIN Sports. Coming into play at the end of the game and decisive against the posts, the back of the Blues was pleased to have beaten “our pet peeve” – the Irish remained on four straight wins against Toulouse – at the end of a game “which could have been even more padlocked. » Because Ugo Mola’s men ended up finding the key to Leinster’s defense. Not without having come close to the precipice, after Leinstermen Dominators tried to tip the scales to their side at the very end of the match. But Ciaran Froley’s trickster drop in the final seconds of regulation time went a few centimeters to the left of the posts.
Read also | In the Champions Cup final, Toulouse seek the key to the Leinster problem
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If Toulouse were dominated in the second half, they mastered the extension masterfully. Well helped by the yellow card quickly received by winger James Lowe, which reduced the Irish to fourteen, the Red and Black dived on their first opportunity. Wonderfully negotiating a shift on the wing, Matthis Lebel scored the first try of the game, and his sixth of the competition. With a ten-point lead (25-15) and a few minutes before half-time in extra time, Toulouse were getting closer to a sixth coronation.
Three defeats in a row in the final for Leinster
But a new twist occurred. While the weather seemed good for the Pink City, Toulouse second row Richie Arnold was penalized with a red card for sending a shoulder blow to Cian Healy’s face. In their turn at 15 against 14, the Leinstermen immediately sanctioned Toulouse. At the end of a new rush on the French defense, third row Josh van der Flier scored a try – validated by the video referee – and brought his team to three points (22-25).
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But habits die hard. Once in the final, Toulouse has been unbeatable since 2008 (six titles in the Top 14 and now three in the Champions Cup), where Leinster arrived weighed down by two continental finals lost in a row, against La Rochelle. Never two without three, therefore, after an end of the match marked by an intractable Toulouse defense, like the English scratch Jack Willis, author of 30 tackles. “I don’t think we’ve ever tackled so many times in a rugby match. We never gave up. It wasn’t our best match in terms of rugby, but in terms of solidarity, we’ve never done better.”greeted opener Romain Ntamack on BeIN Sports.
« Le secret [des finales gagnées]you have to ask Real Madrid, not us”, joked Ugo Mola the day before the meeting. No offense to the Toulouse coach, his players could give a clue or two. With now six European Cup titles, Stade Toulouse is close to the stars, like the White House in football.
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2024-05-25 18:06:55
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