The European champion will not even see the last four of the Top 14, and he owes it to the one he succeeded on the roof of the continent and deprived him of a first Champions Cup and a Brennus shield. a year ago.
The sentence says it all about the density of French rugby, the incongruity of seeing this poster between Toulouse and La Rochelle "relegated" to the rank of the first dam of the weekend, but above all the inability of the Maritimes to get by, that regardless of the context, the problems posed to them by the Rouge et Noir for more than two years.
It's now been seven consecutive losses against Ugo Mola's men, and he suffers from little debate, despite what the final score suggests.
Because if the drops quickly flowed on the forehead of the European champions, it is not only because of the heat which enveloped this beginning of the weekend in Haute-Garonne.
Next to their pumps from the start of the match, the Maritimes suffered the speed and impacts of a French champion unleashed under the cheers of his audience.
And when in addition the best player in the world decides to get into the tone, it quickly hurts a lot.
Antoine Dupont makes his speed speak
On his Ernest-Wallon lawn, Antoine Dupont again justified on his own that we block an evening for one of his matches.
The captain of the Grand Slam of the Blues dropped the entry legs, digging the defense of La Rochelle for more than 50 meters before his partner Pierre Fouyssac launched the evening (8th).
Five minutes to barely breathe, and still turn heads, especially that of the Maritimes opener Ihaia West, completely dropped on the second Toulouse try, the work of his scrum half (13th).
“The start of the match gave us confidence, explains Dupont at the microphone of Canal +.
We all had fun tonight.
We had a freshness advantage compared to the Rochelais.
We were determined to make it to the semi-finals.
On the state of mind, it was seen this evening ”.
The Toulouse fury!!!
😮
Antoine Dupont already scores the 2nd try ⚡#BarragesTOP14 #STSR pic.twitter.com/ARYtuUxvg6
– Canal Rugby Club (@CanalRugbyClub) June 11, 2022
So to recover from this stunning 15-0, the European champions tried to bet on the showdown.
But in vain.
A first response from the arms of Wiaan Liebenberg (25th)?
Very quickly calmed down by the foot of Thomas Ramos.
A second from the overpowering Grégory Alldritt (56th)?
a brief hope of an unexpected victory killed by the third Toulouse try, signed by Juan Cruz Mallia (62nd).
One too many, before Romain Ntamack still made his supporters scream with joy (69th).
Enough to let it flow and not tremble despite two final and anecdotal tests from La Rochelle (79th, 80th).
Here is Toulouse which has won the right to go to Nice for the last four where it will face its neighbor Castres on Friday in order to find the Stade de France.
It will be with the sign of the big favorite, given his workforce populated by internationals, his evening performance and this prospect of a third national title in a row.
But hey, it doesn't really bother them in general.