2023-06-18 11:04:52
The numbers are there. Hard to swallow. Toulouse remains on 3 finals won out of 3 against La Rochelle. The people of Toulouse collect 22 Shields of Brennus. The Rochelais, zero. And, to the harsh reality of the statistics, is added the pain of a completely crazy match scenario. 2 minutes from time, with a 4-point lead, Ronan O’Gara’s players held their first French championship title. In a flash from Romain Ntamack, everything collapsed. The two consecutive Champions Cup titles against the Irish of Leinster have not changed anything: La Rochelle yields in the final to Toulouse and will still not brandish the Shield of Brennus on the Old Port.
Worthy in defeat like their supporters, manager Ronan O’Gara, captain Grégory Alldritt and rear Brice Dulin ended up finding the words to talk about, after the match, this cruel defeat from which they will take time to recover. “We were a little too far from our best level tonight, regrets the demanding Irish manager of the Maritimes. Even coming back from 13-3 to 13-20, behind we took three penalties which cost us the match. It’s the high level, it’s ruthless. A bad decision from time to time, a little too much indiscipline, and the last act of a great player. We are going to have a lot of difficulty digesting, because we were better than them in many areas. It’s a big void for me not to have the Abacus in port tomorrow. But we can cry all evening, it doesn’t change anything…”
“The great Toulouse stadium will explain rugby to everyone”
“We lose it on our own, rages the back Brice Dulin on his side. I had a cold anger at the end of the match because these are things that we could control. Except that fatigue, the facts of the game, the circulation of our defense mean that we take this action at the end of the match. It’s the first time I’ve lost a final by controlling the game. It’s hard to accept. »
Additional pain: O’Gara, a fan of sound bites, had the imprudence to say during the week that “if we play our game, no team can beat us”… Which did not fail to sting the Toulouse, too happy with the outcome. Clément Poitrenaud, coach of the three-quarters red and black, was happy to remind us: “We have always been used to having teams, like that, who pointed the tip of their nose and came to tickle us. The important thing is that we stay on top, permanently, and that Stade Toulousain is always difficult to beat, especially in the final. It’s not enough to affirm it in the microphones, then you have to assume it on the ground. A lot of things were said during the week, and I’m very happy that the players responded and managed to turn things around.
Ronan O’Gara saw it coming…: “It’s difficult for us now because we’re going to have the big Toulouse stadium, which will explain rugby to everyone, say that we’re not capable of winning finals… You have to accept it, but when you look at the match, it’s not the truth. The La Rochelle domination, in melee and in touch in particular, was not rewarded.
“We will come back stronger, we will replay finals and win back titles”
The Rochelais finally came within a hair of the Champions Cup-Top 14 double, achieved so far only by Toulon in 2014 and… Toulouse in 2021 since the establishment of the Top 14. “We were not far from a magnificent season , unbelievable… Now she’s average. Good rather between the two in reality, breathes O’Gara. But it’s hard, very hard tonight. We are very very disappointed. The double was there, in the pocket. It’s up to us to save this frustration for next season. »
His captain Grégory Alldritt, shot after the match in the bays of the Stade de France, and after a comforting pat from his executioner of the day and teammate in blue Romain Ntamack, also tried to be positive. “There is a lot of disappointment, it will be hard to digest over the next few days, recognizes the number 8 from La Rochelle. But we have to digest it, that’s what will make us better. We have to force ourselves to watch the match, it will be hard, and see where we made the mistakes. It’s hard to lose this way at the last minute but you also win two titles this way. We’re not going to find excuses, it’s a losing mentality. It’s up to us to question ourselves, and to use this final to progress. We will come back stronger, we will replay finals and win back titles, I am sure. »
#Final #Top #great #emptiness #Shield #port.. #Rochelais #inconsolable