Two trains launched at full speed.
On the same path.
The impact promises to be thunderous this Saturday evening in Toulouse in the barrage of the Top 14 between two shock troops.
Between the last two European champions.
Last season, Stade Toulousain took it all.
The continental crown and the national shield.
By taming Stade Rochelais each time in the final.
This is more than enough to fuel the determination of the Maritimes, eager for revenge.
To discover
Schedule and Top 14 results
Ranking Top 14
These two defeats changed the destiny of Ronan O'Gara's men.
Don't go through such pain anymore.
No longer be satisfied with accessits.
By dominating the Irish province of Leinster in the Champions Cup final two weeks ago, Les Rochelais entered the big leagues.
A new status that motivates.
Who obliges.
Why not, therefore, become caliph in place of the caliph by also depriving Toulouse of its title of champion of France?
The Rochelais have won ten of their last 11 matches.
The only defeat?
Facing Toulouse...
The Rochelais have arguments to put forward.
They now master the big meetings.
Have players who have nothing to envy the Toulouse stars.
And they are in a champion dynamic.
Ten victories in their last eleven meetings.
Their only setback?
April 30 against… Stade Toulousain.
Who, at the start of the season, had also beaten them at home.
To feed the black series a little more: six defeats in a row.
What to enrage a little more…
Will this be enough to end the Toulouse reign?
Ugo Mola and his players have had a turbulent season.
Duplicates, the Covid, injuries, the release of the film "
Le Stade
" disrupted their rise to power.
They lost their European title in the process, eliminated in the semi-finals by Leinster.
The surge of pride is expected.
Keeping the Brennus shield won in 2019 and 2021 (no French championship title awarded in 2020) has become their driving force.
Erase doubts and failures, put an end to irregularity (4 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw since the beginning of April), to, in three matches, remind everyone who is the boss.
Telluric shock between Meafou and Skelton, more than 2 meters and 140 kilos HT each
The collision between the two trains will therefore make a mess.
The duels confirm it.
Cyril Baille facing Uini Atonio on the front row.
A clash of colossi between the Franco-Australian Emmanuel Meafou and the Australian Will Skelton, more than 2 meters and 140 kilos HT each!
Anthony Jelonch will fight with Grégory Alldritt.
Who from Pita Ahki or Levani Botia will open the most breaches?
Thomas Ramos or Brice Dulin to shine in reminders?
Lebel and Mallia or the South African wave (Rhule, Leyds) with wings?
Toulouse ease or La Rochelle roughness?
On the Toulouse side, we prefer to play it low profile.
Getting into the underdog's shoes.
“
We will have to hang on, warns Julien Marchand.
La Rochelle is a team that has always been dangerous.
And it's not from today.
Each time we have played them, we have always suffered and we still expect to suffer…
” A little more certainly this time.