Top 14: Toulouse will defend its title in the final after its victory in the semi-final against a La Rochelle team reduced to 13

Toulouse ira bien en finale défendre son titre. MAXPPP – LAURENT DARD

Toulouse s’est qualifié pour la finale du Top 14 après avoir battu en demi-finale une équipe de La Rochelle réduite à 13 en deuxième mi-temps (39-23), vendredi 21 juin à Bordeaux.

The defending champions, who played with a numerical superiority from the 43rd minute, will face the winner of the other semi-final, which pits Bordeaux-Bègles against Stade Français on Saturday.

The two best teams of the season will therefore meet on June 28 at the Stade Vélodrome, for a final relocated due to the unavailability of the Stade de France reserved for the Paris Olympic Games, a first since the 2016 edition won at the Camp Nou in Barcelona by Racing 92 against Toulon (29-21).

Antoine Dupont's teammates will try to win their twenty-third Bouclier de Brennus, their second in a row. Better, in the event of a victory in Marseille, the Toulouse team, crowned in the Champions Cup less than a month ago, would sign their third European Cup-French championship double after those of 1996 and 2021 .

Two red cards that change everything

But, before joining Emile Ntamack, Christian Califano, Maxime Médard or Jerome Kaino in legend, Ugo Mola's men were above all able to extricate themselves from the La Rochelle trap thanks to tests from wingers Blair Kinghorn (22nd), Juan Cruz Mallia (30th, 48th) and Matthis Lebel (80th) then from center Santiago Chocobares (52nd).

The Rochelais, who stood up to Toulouse for a long time, shot themselves in the foot with two red cards for international pillars Uini Atonio (43rd) and Reda Wardi (61st), unable to keep a cool head. The temporary exclusions of third row Jack Willis (31st) then hooker Julien Marchand (61st), on the Toulouse side, have not changed much.

As the symbol of a season where they evolved a tone above the fray, the Toulouse residents never really trembled, even trailing by the score after the ;test from hooker Silatolu Latu (11th) or third row Grégory Alldritt (39th), even dominated on carried balls and in ground play.

Toulouse assumes its status

This season, they finished in first place in the Top 14 rankings with the best attack in terms of points scored (765) and tries scored (103). And, against La Rochelle, the Haut-Garonnais once again made their mark, resisting La Rochelle's game of methodical destruction before killing any semblance of suspense in the second half.

Assured to reach the final four directly since mid-May, Stade Toulouse was able to manage the end of the season by rotating its squad. And this extra freshness, both physical and mental, was undoubtedly decisive on Friday evening against the Maritimes forced to fight until the last day, against Racing 92 (24-19) and to go through the play-offs, in Toulon (34-29).

Double punishment for La Rochelle

Toulouse thus reached its fourth final in the last five exercises which have come to an end. The Rouge et Noir have won three, in 2019, 2021 and 2023, with a golden generation undoubtedly set to stay at the top of French rugby for a few more years.

For the Rochelais, the pain is double. A few months after abandoning their continental crown, they once again came up against their nemesis. For the sixth consecutive time in the final phase, the Rouge et Noir have indeed got the better of the Jaune et Noir: in the play-offs (2022), in the semi-final (2019) as well as in the Top 14 final (2021, 2023) and of Champions Cup (2021). Inexorable.