Only one thing counts as Bordeaux and Toulouse square up

The limits of Toulouse’s much-vaunted squad depth are being stress-tested.

INCREASED RESPONSIBILITY: Stade Toulousain's Romain Ntamack. Pic: Bryan Keane/Inpho

There are several ways to approach Sunday’s all-Top 14 Champions Cup semi-final between Bordeaux and Toulouse.

Depending on your starting point, it’s one, or more, or all, of the following: a high-stakes face-off between by far the two best sides in France; ambitious rugby upstarts versus the game’s establishment princes; a rerun of last year’s Top 14 final, or the 2021 Champions Cup semi-final; and, therefore, a two-in-one chance for revenge for Bordeaux; an early preview of this year’s probable Top 14 final at the end of June; time for Toulouse to correct the record after not one but two defeats to the same opponents already this season; and/or a first opportunity for Bordeaux to test themselves for the first time this campaign against full-bore jeu de mains, jeu de Toulousains after a pair of mixed league wins over heavily rotated 23s.