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 election 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 Toulousains, reigning French champions who retained their property. Lifting the mythical Brennus shield for the 23rd time (in 30 finals played).
Also read: Toulouse-UBB: Dupont, Mauvaka, Ramos… In video, all the attempts in the Top 14 final
Ruthless, methodical people from Toulouse,never jaded» to repeat Romain Ntamack’s warning before this final. The 10th in a row won 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.
Also read: Top 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 the grace of a player, the best in the world. From the 6th minute, Antoine Dupont, relaying his forwards who had hit hard in the Gironde defense, scored his first try by resisting four defenders! In the 20th minute, the scrum half and captain delivered the 40th assist of the season (in all competitions) to offer the second to his hooker Peato Mauvaka. Already 15-3 and European champions.
But the masterpiece was yet to come. Behind a maul, the combination is millimetric. Inside return from Mauvaka who serves Mallia. The Argentinian winger infiltrates the desperate 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 have only been playing for 22 minutes and the reigning French champions are already flying to the board, 22 to 3.
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, UBB launch, in touch. 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.
Also read: Top 14: Thomas Ramos becomes the best director in the history of Stade Toulousain
Undermining work which paid off at the end of the meeting. While the score was still 22-3 in the 63rd minute, the dam completely gave way in ten minutes. With a marvel from outside the foot, Ntamack sends Ramos into the Bordeaux goal (64th). Then it was Julien Marchand, who scored, in force, the 5th try for his team (67th). Before the Scotsman Blair Kinghorn took advantage of an interception (69th). Ramos will be at the conclusion of a major movement in the 74th minute to bring the score to 47 to 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 scored the 9th and final try for his team. 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 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.
