There are a lot of good teams out there, but at club level, it’s Toulouse without a doubt. By winning a dramatic sixth Champions League title, they took a huge step beyond their biggest European rivals and remain a formidable team in any language.
Club rugby games don’t get any bigger or more intense, with the score tied at 15-15 at the end of normal time and the atmosphere getting more intense with everything out of reach. The time has come, the time has come man. Three minutes into the first period of extra time, James Lowe found his way into the penalty area and the French giants held a tiring Leinster defense open on the left, with Matthis Lebel The shot scored.
Although Richie Arnold was sent off for a dangerous clearance on Cian Healy, 14-man Toulouse then started to get on with Thomas Ramos’ precision Four crucial penalties with his right foot ensured France’s fourth consecutive victory in four years. This is the third Champions League final that has gone into overtime, and it’s worth noting that Toulouse has won all of them.
It was a cruel way for Leinster to lose a third successive final, especially considering how intensely they fought over the regular 80 minutes. But ultimately, they don’t have a play-calling architect like Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack, and their Jacques Ninabel-inspired defensive excellence doesn’t quite match the ruthlessness of their “red zone” offense.
What an epic game this was, no matter the final outcome. If seven penalties against Leinster in the first half suggested an unsatisfying start-stop affair, that was not the case. The Test match was less sensational and once the dust settles, it will be remembered as the most riveting final of the tournament.
It would be an oversimplification to see this as a battle between Leinster’s defensive excellence and Toulouse’s majesty, but both elements were on full display. Dupont’s talent was evident from start to finish and he was crowned Player of the Match and Championship Player of the Year. At this rate, this summer’s Paris Olympics, where he will represent France, may become a one-man show.
For Leinster, they will regret denying a number of kickable penalties that could have made a big difference in a tense game. Then again, Toulouse look like a team that will find a way no matter what, with the relentless work of England’s Jack Willis being another key factor.
Where to start. Two penalties from the excellent Blair Kinghorn gave France an early 6-0 lead and Leinster, despite a long period of territorial pressure, were only able to score through Ross Byrne. Ross Byrne’s penalty sealed the win.
Byrne will always be a standout purely because he wore Johnny Sexton’s old jersey. He may seem a bit upright and mechanical in comparison, and at this level, just being proficient is enough. It was a relief for all Leinster fans when he brought on Robbie Henshaw for a sharp midfield break to show why Leinster’s manager kept faith in him .
However, in these tense days, even the best people occasionally make errors in judgment. A small shot from Dupont briefly disrupted the team’s rhythm, before a brief distraction in defense allowed Dan Sheehan to rush from inside his own half to within five meters of the Toulouse line. Leinster went down in the ensuing thumping, conceding a penalty the other way, letting their opponents off the hook.
All hell broke loose until Dupont went on a 50-22 run to establish himself, his team winning a scrimmage free throw, and Kinghorn draining a crucial 3-pointer. Toulouse would have really gone into the half with confidence had the full-back not missed a fourth penalty a minute before the break.
Newsletter Promotion Post
Instead, Leinster hit back just before half-time, with Byrne kicking his second penalty after a flurry of movement, during which James Lowe briefly thought he had scored in the left corner, only to find the referee Hugh Culley had blown the whistle.
The exciting play of muscular cats and alert rats continued in the second half, with Byrne leveling the score at 9-9 after 47 minutes and Ninabo’s fight-for-everything Springbok mentality in its new blue form. reflected.
quick guide
How do I sign up for sports breaking news alerts?
exhibit
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for “The Guardian.”
- If you already have the Guardian app installed, make sure you’re using the latest version.
- In the Guardian app, click the Menu button in the lower right corner, then go to Settings (gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on motion notifications.
However, between 12 o’clock and 12 o’clock, who will blink first? For a split second, it looked like a great shot from LeBel, but replays showed Jordan Larmour had intervened at the crucial moment. However, after Ramos and Frawley further exchanged penalties, Frawley missed a shot at the last moment and almost missed the chance to solve the problem.
Extra time only heightened the unbearable tension. Granted, the event has its flaws, both structurally and logistically. But sitting beneath Tottenham Hotspur’s eye-catching golden rooster, watching some of the world’s best players chasing an egg-shaped ball, it’s equally true that big-time rugby can refresh parts of the world that no other sport can.
Elsewhere, for example, you’ll encounter supporters wearing the unusual combination of Toulouse replica jerseys and short skirts on their way to the stadium. It turned out that they had participated in the previous dozen finals, each time wearing contrasting national costumes. “That’s what sport is all about,” said my new Scottish friend, who loved every second of his annual outing.
This year’s final will forever remain etched in people’s memories, both on and off the field.
