Toulouse v Bordeaux-Begles: Five talking points ahead of the Top 14 final as Antoine Dupont looks to sign off with the double
Will it be Toulouse or Bordeaux-Begles lifting the Bouclier de Brennus?
The Top 14 final between Toulouse and Bordeaux-Begles takes place in Marseille on Friday and here’s our talking points ahead the Bouclier de Brennus clash.
This season the Stade Vélodrome plays host to the showpiece game in French club rugby, due to the Stade de France being prepared for the upcoming Olympic Games.
It is a wonderful venue for the meeting between two entertaining heavyweights as the teams that finished first and third respectively in the regular-season lock horns.
Toulouse chasing an incredible double
They did it in 1996 and 2021 and Toulouse are looking to secure the Top 14 and Champions Cup double once again. Standing in their path is a dangerous Bordeaux-Begles team but, buoyed by that European win and with Antoine Dupont leading from scrum-half, Stade Toulousain head into the game as favourites and rightly so.
UBB are featuring in their first Top 14 final so one wonders how the occasion might affect them but for Toulouse – and their knack of getting the job done with this group of stars under head coach Ugo Mola – they will be unnerved by what stands in front of them tonight. Can they be stopped or is the double success inevitable?
Antoine Dupont’s pre-Olympic send-off
We ran out of superlatives long ago for France and Toulouse’s scrum-half, who has also making waves in Sevens for his country since trying his hand in the game.
After this final he will switch back to the shortened form of the game as he strives for a medal, gold preferably. Dupont has been a significant addition to the Sevens squad as he inspired them to a Series title in Madrid earlier this month, with his impact markedly improving the team and also improving him at Fifteens level.
Indeed, we witnessed during the Champions Cup final his vast improvement at the breakdown as he frustrated Leinster in that area. Equally solid off both feet in his kicking game, there’s seemingly nothing he cannot do on a rugby field and he will be keen to sign off from Toulouse duty with another trophy in the cabinet.
Bordeaux-Begles wings key to their hopes
They flourished together at international level so when Bordeaux completed the signing of Clermont legend Damian Penaud, there was huge excitement about him linking up with Louis Bielle-Biarrey. Both are wonderful players and a joy to watch, with Penaud being right up there with the best in the world in recent years.
Sportword: Play the daily rugby union game on Planet Sport
Of course this pair are key to UBB’s hopes of causing an upset and if the forwards can provide a platform and the half-backs steer the ship to the best of their ability, the rest should take care of itself out wide. Toulouse will be wary of Penaud and Bielle-Biarrey and will be desperate to limit the talented pair’s involvement.
Jack Willis flying the flag for England
If he was playing his rugby in the Premiership there’s little doubt Willis would be in New Zealand right now preparing for England’s opening Test against the All Blacks next week. But there’s absolutely no regrets from Willis as his move – after Wasps’ demise – has been nothing but positive and hugely successful to boot.
Indeed, Willis has become a fan favourite at Toulouse and has flourished in the Rouge et Noir shirt. Such a competitor with and without the ball, he compliments Francois Cros and Alexandre Roumat superbly and will no doubt be in the thick of the action from kick off. England’s loss has certainly been Toulouse’s gain.
France fly-half battle vital to outcome
While France’s international side are preparing to face Argentina in Mendoza on July 6 before two further Tests in South America, they are without several star names. Two of those are facing off in the number 10 shirt on Friday as Romain Ntamack clashes with Matthieu Jalibert in what should be a box office tussle.
Ntamack has firmly put his 2023 Rugby World Cup injury heartbreak behind him and lifting the Champions Cup was something of a healing moment for the playmaker. A double would no doubt put the icing on the cake for 2024 but Jalibert will have other ideas as two dazzling 10s duke it out in a fascinating showdown.
The teams
Toulouse: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Juan Cruz Mallia, 13 Santiago Chocobares, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Blair Kinghorn, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Alexandre Roumat, 7 Jack Willis, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Thibaud Flament, 4 Richie Arnold, 3 Dorian Aldegheri, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Rodrigue Neti
Replacements: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 David Ainu’u, 18 Clement Vergé, 19 Joshua Brennan, 20 Paul Graou, 21 Ange Capuozzo, 22 Paul Costes, 23 Joel Merkler
Bordeaux-Begles: 15 Romain Buros, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Lucu, 8 Tevita Tatafu, 7 Mahamadou Diaby, 6 Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Cyril Cazeaux, 3 Ben Tameifuna, 2 Maxime Lamothe, 1 Jefferson Poirot
Replacements: 16 Clement Maynadier, 17 Ugo Boniface, 18 Kane Douglas, 19 Pierre Bochaton, 20 Pete Samu, 21 Paul Abadie, 22 Pablo Uberti, 23 Toma Taufa
Venue: Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
Kick-off: 21:05 local (20:05 BST, 19:05 GMT)
Referee: Ludovic Cayre
Assistant Referees: Thomas Charabas, Adrien Marbot
TMO: Eric Gauzins