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Champions Cup: the Toulouse rocket continues its flight

2021-04-11T18:40:46.551Z


In the quarter-finals of the European Cup, Toulouse won on the lawn of Clermont (21-12). Ending their black series in Auvergne and confirming their rise to power. 


In orbit.

Stade Toulousain, which for the first time wore its new high-tech jersey designed by astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Aerospace, continues to take off.

Leader of the Top 14 and, now, semi-finalist of the Champions Cup after winning the European but fratricidal showdown against Clermont.

A victory, 21-12, which puts an end to an incredible black series.

The Toulousains had in fact not won at the Michelin stadium since… 2002 (15 defeats, one draw)!

»READ ALSO - 

Tops / flops Clermont-Toulouse: end of the black series for the Stadistes, new disillusion for the ASM

Antoine Dupont and his partners won out.

Patients and masters of their game and their nerves, facing Clermontois distraught by the early exit (from the 5th minute) of their playing master, Camille Lopez, hit in the shoulder, and very unruly (17 penalties conceded).

Romain Ntamack, after missing his first two attempts, fortunately recovered to investigate 7 kicks and register all the points for his team.

“It was a hotly contested match in difficult weather conditions.

We surrendered blow for blow but, in the end, we made fewer small mistakes than Clermont, summed up the third-row François Cros at the microphone of

beIN Sports

.

It is the victory of patience, we are taking another step forward in our progress. ”

Magnificent !

And in addition it brings them good luck.

Well done the Stadium and we continue the adventure ⚫️ https://t.co/3G61fZvv5o

- Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) April 11, 2021

For the third year in a row, Stade Toulousain has therefore reached the semi-finals of the Champions Cup.

With the determination to overcome this time the pitfall after two painful eliminations.

It will be at the beginning of May, at home, against Union Bordeaux-Bègles, which reached this level of European competition for the first time in its history.

Les Rouge et Noir have reason to believe, can still hope to win a fifth star, they who already have four (1996, 2003, 2005, 2010) but have been waiting for more than ten years to reconnect with their glorious past.

With an enticing duel between the two opening halfs of the XV of France, Romain Ntamack and Matthieu Jalibert, who also offered the qualification to his team.

New disappointment for ASM

For Clermont, who held on for nearly an hour (12-12 in the 58th minute) before breaking down, it is however a new setback.

A third consecutive failure in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup, all at home, after eliminations against Racing 92 in 2018 and 2020. It is also a third consecutive defeat on its turf in the European Cup (Racing, Munster, Toulouse), the absence of its fervent public, the famous Yellow Army, certainly annihilating the advantage of receiving in its lair.

The head coach, Franck Azéma, who will leave ASM at the end of the season, will therefore complete a decade in Auvergne without winning the great European Cup (a coronation in the Challenge Cup in 2019), with three finals lost (2013, 2015, 2017).

“There is disappointment, obviously, lamented, after the match, the captain of ASM, Morgan Parra, author of the 12 points from Clermont.

We put in the right commitment.

On the other hand, we were lacking a little juice, we dropped in the second half.

We suffered a lot more, we were unruly and we took three points then three points then three points… Against Toulouse, if you are left behind, it's very hard.

There is frustration because we are competitors.

But we make too many mistakes to be able to win this kind of match. "

Read also

  • Champions Cup: Fixtures and results

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2021-04-11

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