Toulouse beat Bordeaux-Begles in the Top 14final over the weekend, in what was one of the greatest finals France‘s top league has ever seen.
Held at the Stade de France, with around 80,000 people in attendance and millions of others watching from across France and around the world, Thomas Ramos scored two penalties in extra time to send the trophy to Occitania for the third year in a row.
It was end-to-end, had drama in the form of a late Bordeaux comeback, which saw them score ten points in the final ten minutes and saw some Test-level rugby being played.
Here, Charlie Elliott looks at what made it so good and looks back at some previous finals that have had similar levels of entertainment.
Coming just weeks after Bordeaux beat Toulouse in the Champions Cup semi-final and won its first European title, this rematch had extra meaning.
Toulouse were looking for payback and aiming to win its 24th domestic title, while Bordeaux was trying to claim its first.
It also would have meant a rare double for Bordeaux, and Toulouse went into the game looking to secure three titles in a row for only the third time ever in club history and for the first time since 1997.
First v second playing against each other in a final always seems the fairest way to win a title, and while an underdog being on the biggest stage is nice, sometimes it can lead to a dull final.
That was one of the reasons why this was so great, because it was the two teams that were a deserved first and second and head and shoulders above the rest of the league (aside from Toulon, who are a close third).
On the pitch, it did not disappoint.
Intensity on the pitch
The game was intense from the start. Bordeaux took the early lead with points from Maxime Lucu and a try by Damian Penaud. Toulouse answered through Jack Willis and Anthony Jelonch.
The first half ended with Toulouse ahead 20-16 after a try from a rolling maul.
In the second half, Matthieu Jalibert scored a strong solo try to give Bordeaux the lead. Toulouse quickly responded with another try from Willis and more points from the boot of Thomas Ramos. Despite falling behind 33-23, Bordeaux fought back again.
Guido Petti scored from a counter-attack with 11 minutes to go, and Lucu tied the game with an 80th-minute penalty to send it into extra time.
In the final moments of extra time, Toulouse’s forwards won a crucial penalty at the breakdown. Ramos then kicked the winning points in the 100th minute.
Toulouse won 39-33 and secured a third straight Top 14 title. Ramos scored 24 points, and Toulouse’s experience and depth proved decisive.
Other great finals in recent memory…
Racing 92 v Toulon – 2016
Played in front of over 90,000 fans at the Camp Nou in Barcelona due to the Stade de France being used for Euro 2016, the stage was already unique.
The match took a dramatic turn when Racing scrum-half Maxime Machenaud was sent off just 18 minutes in for a dangerous tackle.
Down to 14 men, Racing faced long odds but responded with tactical discipline, smart kicking from Dan Carter and Johan Goosen, and a brilliant try from Joe Rokocoko.
Despite Toulon’s pressure late in the match, Racing held on for a 29-21 win, earning their first Top 14 title since 1990 and delivering a memorable final under historic circumstances.
Toulouse v La Rochelle – 2023
The 2023 Top 14 Final between Toulouse and La Rochelle stands as a serious contender for the greatest final in the competition’s history.
In front of a packed Stade de France, Toulouse pulled off an unforgettable comeback, trailing with just minutes to go.
La Rochelle, fresh off a Champions Cup win over Leinster, looked set to complete the double.
But Toulouse, led by Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack, flipped the script. Ntamack’s stunning solo try in the dying moments turned the game on its head, sealing a dramatic 29-26 victory.
In some ways, it echoed Bordeaux’s comeback this year, but where UBB failed to get the job done, Toulouse lifted the trophy in 2023.
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