Late Ntamack magic wins Top 14 title for Toulouse, denies La Rochelle double
Toulouse's French fly-half Theo Ntamack celebrates after scoring a try during the French Top14 rugby union final match between Stade Toulousain Rugby (Toulouse) and Stade Rochelais (La Rochelle) at the Stade de France
Romain Ntamack sliced through a shattered La Rochelle defence in the 78th minute of a no-quarter Top 14 final as Toulouse denied Ronan O’Gara’s side a first Top 14 title and a domestic and Champions Cup double.
The international fly-half ran through a shifting gap in the too-slow defensive wall and raced 50 metres unopposed to the line to take Toulouse into a decisive 29-26 lead at the end of a momentum-swinging match. Both sides had the Bouclier de Brennus in their hands at various moments over the 80 dramatic minutes.
Moments earlier, he had messed up a penalty to touch, firing it long to give La Rochelle a scrum. He was certain, then, that he had kicked the title beyond their reach.
He wasn’t the only one. The Rochelais looked to have the winning of the final, after Antoine Hastoy had kicked them into a four-point lead with the clock ticking down.
It seemed certain La Rochelle’s direct power would tell - as it had in Dublin last month. Their pack had been in charge all night. Scrum power had pulled them back into the game in the first half after Toulouse threatened to ease away in the first quarter - Ugo Mola’s side have rarely been more dangerous in the loose than they were at Stade de France.
And their forwards took them into the lead early in an increasingly frantic second period, as Hastoy and Thomas Ramos traded penalties and the lead.
Defence had defined the first half - aggressive, suffocating, all-powerful defence. But this was no dull, cagey, midfield arm wrestle driven by a fear of losing.
On a hot and humid evening in Saint-Denis, Toulouse and La Rochelle went hell-for-leather at each other from the first whistle. Neither side was willing to die wondering on the showpiece night of a long and draining season.
While La Rochelle were ascendent in the tight, Toulouse were more dangerous in the loose - Ntamack and Ramos weren’t the only ones asking difficult questions with ball in hand.
But, outside team style, the early difference between the two sides was paper-thin - and there was nothing to separate their ferocious defences.
Inevitably, mistakes mattered. Santiago Chocobares seized on Jonathan Danty’s knock-on, and sidestepped the La Rochelle defence to score the game’s opening try in the 23rd minute. Ramos converted, and Toulouse were suddenly 13-3 ahead.
It looked, after Antoine Hastoy had missed two of three kicks at goal, that Toulouse had the game in hand. But Francois Cros’ knock-on five metres from his own line led to the scrum from which Tawera Kerr-Barlow somehow burrowed through Dorian Aldegheri and Emmanuel Meafou to wipe out the arrears on the stroke of halftime.
And when Uini Atonio crashed over five minutes into the second half, following Pierre Bourgarit’s burst through the middle, the pendulum swung again. La Rochelle had the game by the throat.
Their advantage was brief, as Ramos kicked two penalties to give Toulouse the lead - but Hastoy replied with two of his own to give La Rochelle what looked for all the world like an unbeatable lead - they’ve successfully defended smaller advantages before.
But Ntamack had the final say, finding a gap in a shattered defence, and racing clear to give Toulouse their 22nd Bouclier de Brennus, and their third since 2019.
Toulouse: Ramos; Retière (Mallia 54’), Chocobares, Ahki, Lebel; Ntamack, Dupont; Cros, Roumat (Placines 60’), Willis (Tolofua 67’); Meafou (Arnold 58’), Arnold (Flament 54’); Aldegheri (Faumuina 58’), Marchand (Mauvaka 60’), Baille (Neti 67’).
Not used: Barassi La Rochelle: Dulin; Leyds, Seuteni, Danty, Rhule; Hastoy, Kerr-Barlow (Berjon 69’); Botia (Bourdeau 20’, Botia 30’, (Bourdeau 67’), Alldritt (cap), Paul Boudehent (Dillane 67’); Skelton, Sazy (Lavault 51’); Atonio (Colombe 60’), Bourgarit (Lespiaucq 57’), Wardi (Sclavi 60’).
Not used: Favre
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