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Toulouse do the double by routing Bordeaux in Top 14 final
Clinical. It’s the best way to describe Stade Toulousain’s victory over Union Bordeaux Bègles in the Top 14 final, with the now 24-time champions defeating their Bordeaux rivals by 59-03. Antoine Dupont pulled another stunning performance, scoring two tries, one sorted down in the very early stages of the game, inspiring the champions to dominate from the start.
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At the Marseille Orange Vélondrome, Toulouse started their assault early on, pressuring the Bordeaux side thanks to well placed kicks. After poucing a turnover, the rouge-et-noir stepped on the gas and Dupont concluded the attacking spree. Thomas Ramos added the extras, but match-official Ludovic Cayre was requested to rewatch the replay, as Tevita Tatafu had high tackled Santiago Chocobares. The final decision was a yellow card.
Tatafu’s 10 mins sin bin in the first half gave an opening for the champions to crack open gaps, cruising inside the UBB half with ease thanks to a slick combination of Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack, and Thomas Ramos.
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Peato Mauvaka would be the next in line to add his name to the try list scorers, and Dupont got a brace after eluding the opposition. The best the girondins were able to do was a 3-point penalty kick converted by Maxime Lucu.
Before half-time Toulouse seemed to have clinched a fourth try, after a loose ball from the UBB lineout fell straight to Peato Mauvaka’s hands. The TMO checked the try and invalidated it, due to a forward knock done by a Toulouse jumper.
22-03 was the score at half-time, a fair lead for Toulouse after a rampaging first forty minutes. The champions would come out from the locker room with the same intensity, providing another chance for Thomas Ramos to extend further the lead. The French international didn’t disappoint and added the three.
With time slipping by, Bordeaux Bègles were unable to turn the tide and were kept out of the Stade Toulousain’s 22. With Dupont and Ntamack running a vibrant show, Toulouse broke again the advantage line and thanks to the fly-half they got their fourth try. Ntamack drew a perfect grubber for Ramos to gather it and run unimpeded. Unsuccessful conversion.
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UBB lost their way and opened the flood gates to allow Toulouse to score four more tries. First by replacement hooker Julien Marchand; then by Scottish winger Blair Kinghorn; at the 73th minute Ramos dotted down the ball in the corner to add a brace; prop David Ainu?u shrugged off a couple of tacklers to reach the try-line; and finally, just before the final whistle, Ange Capuozzo struck the last try, to wrap up the match.
It was a one-way traffic match as Stade Toulousain never took the foot out of the gas pedal, dominating in the set-piece and having the best version of Dupont and company. Ramos finished as the top point scorer of the match with 20 points. Perfect season for the French side after conquering the EPCR Champions Cup against Leinster in early June, adding now a successful campaign to retain the Top 14 title.
Ntamack! Wow!
What a loss for France in the last world cup and the last 6Ns. How different things may have been.
Even Dupont looks better when he's on the pitch.
And I thought the super rugby final was a one-sided match…
UBB were clearly fatigued after 3 hard weekends. Toulouse cleverly played with a massive intensity getting 22-3 at half time. UBB smashed themselves against them for the first 20 mins of the second half for a 0-3 return. Dupont upped the tempo again and UBB broke almost every attack in the closing 10-15 minutes returning a try.
Yeah, they looked shattered sadly. Dupont and Ntamack both have 80 min engines so in no mood to go easy on them.
It possibly puts Leinster's ‘choke’ in a different light too. Toulouse should be chasing 3/4 in a row with this squad.
what a disappointment…. the pinnacle of the so called best domestic league in the world - and then you have this travesty of a game …. a rather average display from Toulouse, whilst UBB looked like a bunch of pub-goers after a night out …..