Toulouse against La Rochelle, a new classic for Brennus? – Liberation

2023-06-17 17:55:19

Double winners in the European Cup, the Rochelais present themselves this Saturday, June 17 at 9 p.m. for a historic double and a first title of champion of France. The Toulousains want to return to victory after a white season.

We must expect sparks on the lawn of the Stade de France. Toulouse, at the head of the championship and impressive in the Top 14, faces this Saturday June 17 at 9 p.m. La Rochelle, its runner-up and European champion for the second time in a row. This expected clash between the two best French teams of the season also represents a revenge after the 2021 final, won by Toulouse 18 to 8.

Already, in the press conferences, the strategic combat has begun this week. Honest, the coach of the Maritimes, Ronan O’Gara did not go there by four ways: “if we play our game, there is no team that can beat us. We are ready to make history!” A way to give confidence to his players and his staff. Because the Rochelais, if they are once again enthroned on the roof of Europe, could suffer from a slight inferiority complex.

Facing them, Stade Toulousain presents itself this evening to win a 22nd title of champion of France, a record. La Rochelle hopes for its part to raise its first shield of Brennus. An unbalanced duel? Not at all, according to Ugo Molla, manager of the Rouge et Noir, for whom La Rochelle is “arch favorite”. “To beat La Rochelle today, you have to be 100%, you will need a great Toulouse stadium. […] We are going to play the best team in Europe, they showed it by winning matches in the last moments, so with remarkable strength of character.

If the Toulouse coach plays it humble, the objective is obviously to reconnect with success for this team whose years without a title always look like failures. Eliminated last season in the semi-finals in the Top 14 and in the Champions Cup, Toulouse have again failed at the gates of the European Cup final this season, against the Irish of Leinster. “Beyond this duty to win, it is a desire on the part of the whole group, explained captain Antoine Dupont. When we do a season like this year, where we were first all season, we want to bring back the title at the end. We all remember last season which left us with a bitter taste, as much for us as for the staff, the supporters and the management.

This season, the two teams have each won their home game against the other. This third confrontation will therefore have a flavor halfway between the remake and the revenge. This is the fourth consecutive time that the leader of the classification finds his runner-up in the final. And Antoine Dupont’s teammates can inflate their chests: each time Stade Toulousain has finished top of the regular season, they have been champions of France (2011, 2012, 2019, 2021).