Defending champions Toulouse hold off Bayonne to reach Top 14 final
Toulouse scored two tries through half-backs Romain Ntamack and Paul Graou, while full-back Thomas Ramos kicked 22 points.
But Ugo Mola's side were pushed hard in the sweltering Lyon heat, failing to erase the doubts of their 35-18 defeat in the Champions Cup semi-finals against Bordeaux-Begles in early May.
Bordeaux-Begles face Toulon in Saturday's second semi-final.
Bayonne, playing their first semi-final since 1983, were only trailing 20-15 at halftime but buckled in the second half.
"In this type of match, Toulouse often comes out on top because they have the experience," said Bayonne coach Gregory Patat.
"They controlled the game at their own pace, with their own know-how.
"We should have scored a few more to get back into the game, to see where they (Toulouse) really stand."
A succession of injuries in the last few months to Antoine Dupont, Peato Mauvaka, Blair Kinghorn, who returned on Friday night, and Ange Capuozzo, had raised Toulouse concerns but they came through to stamp their ticket for next week's final at the Stade de France.
"Regarding commitment, and certainly what I needed answers on, we got answers," said Mola.
"We were there. And we hadn't really hit the ground running for two months."
Two-time defending champions and already qualified for the semi-finals several weeks ago, Toulouse had delivered several poor performances in recent weeks, including a defeat to Perpignan on the final day of the regular season.
"This match was choppy, with a lack of rhythm, small mistakes, and minor errors that put us in a bit of difficulty," Mola acknowledged.
"It was a tough and physically demanding match."
Indiscipline
Mola was left frustrated by the pileup of penalties conceded by his team, which Bayonne fly-half Joris Segonds took advantage of to keep his side in the game, scoring 18 points in total.
Former Stade Français fly-half Segonds gave his team an early lead 6-3 after 10 minutes.
But the reigning French champions fronted up physically and produced flashes of brilliance, with Argentinian Juan Cruz Mallia finding a gap for Ntamack to touch down his third try in three matches.
Bayonne were opportunistic but struggled to put Toulouse under any real pressure in their own half.
Ntamack set up Graou for Toulouse's second try after 31 minutes.
Segonds' six penalties kept Bayonne in touch but they were always playing catch-up.
Ramos punished the Basques with the boot taking Toulouse out to a 32-18 lead before Lucas Martin's consolation try for Bayonne in the final minute.
"We saw a team that was used to controlling this type of match," said Patat of Toulouse who were playing in their sixth consecutive semi-final.
"A match like this is significant," added Bayonne's former France fly-half Camille Lopez after his final match with the club.
"It allowed us to gain experience. I hope the squad will build on this."
Toulouse are now angling for a fifth crown in seven seasons since the first title won by this generation in 2018-2019.
The June 28 final at the Stade de France will be the 31st in Toulouse's storied history.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Inter Milan, Dortmund claim first wins at Club World Cup
At Lumen Field in Seattle, Ryoma Watanabe got an early opening goal for Urawa Reds, who were backed by a noisy contingent of their supporters. But captain Lautaro Martinez -- who got Inter's equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Monterrey of Mexico in their opening game -- repeated the trick to level matters with a clever overhead kick 12 minutes from time. Valentin Carboni was then the unlikely hero as he grabbed the winner two minutes into injury time. The 20-year-old Argentine had not played a competitive game since early October after suffering a serious knee injury while on loan at Marseille. Carboni had not made an appearance for Inter in over two years, but he was on to hand to sidefoot home when the ball fell to him in the area. "Our opponents play with their hearts and to counter that as a team we need to play with more pride, be humble and know how to suffer," Martinez told broadcaster DAZN after Inter were made to work for the victory. The result left Inter provisionally top of Group E on four points, one point ahead of River Plate before the Argentinian giants faced Monterrey later in Pasadena. Meanwhile a second defeat in as many matches means Urawa Reds are eliminated, and many of their supporters were in tears at full-time. "Our emotion is very bad after this game. We are out of the tournament so now we can only fight in the last game to achieve our one and only win," said their Polish coach Maciej Skorza. Bellingham strikes Earlier Jobe Bellingham got his first goal for Dortmund as his new club overcame stifling heat in Cincinnati to beat Sundowns 4-3 and move to four points from two matches in Group F. The South African champions had taken a surprise early lead through a fine solo goal from Lucas Ribeiro. However, Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams handed Dortmund their equaliser on a plate, passing the ball straight to Felix Nmecha, who stroked home. Serhou Guirassy gave Dortmund the lead with his 35th goal since the beginning of the season. English midfielder Bellingham, who this month followed older brother Jude's footsteps in joining the German side from Sunderland, started for the first time for Dortmund and made it 3-1 just before the break. Khuliso Mudau's own goal made it 4-1 before the hour mark, but Sundowns salvaged some pride by reducing the deficit through Iqraam Rayners and Lebo Mothiba. "I'm sweating like I've just come out of a sauna," said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac when asked about the conditions in a game which started at midday local time. "It was tough going for both teams, but the opposition are used to it. We certainly didn't give our best performance, but that wasn't possible today." Sundowns will still go into their final game in Group F with a chance of qualifying for the last 16. "The boys made a wonderful performance... it was a hell of a match. I'm not happy but very proud," said their Portuguese coach, Miguel Cardoso. Fluminense, who held Dortmund 0-0 in their first match, took on Ulsan of South Korea at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford in the other Group F game later on Saturday.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
'Lucky' Lamothe hat-trick guides Bordeaux-Begles into Top 14 final
Lamothe became the first player to score three tries in a Top 14 knock-out game which helped clinch a place in next Saturday's decider in Paris against holders and record 23-time champions Toulouse. Bordeaux-Begles will now eye a double after winning the Champions Cup a month ago and they will also seek revenge for being hammered 59-3 in last year's domestic final. "The hat-trick is a anecdotal more than anything, I'm lucky, thanks to all my team-mate who did all the work" Lamothe told French broadaster Canal+. "We're where we want to be, now it's up to us to do the job," he added. New Zealand centre Leicester Fainga'anuku, Fiji winger Setariki Tuicuvu and Georgia prop Beka Gigashvili were Toulon's try-scorers in their first French semi-final since 2017. Toulouse reached their 31st French final by holding off Bayonne 32-25 on Friday. Bordeaux-Begles, who finished second behind Toulouse in the table, were without winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey due to concussion but the 22-year-old said before the game he hoped to be fit if they reached next weekend's showdown in Paris. Toulon were captained by former England lock Dave Ribbans with influential Baptiste Serin at scrum-half for the four-time French champions. By the half-hour mark Bordeaux-Begles looked like they were in control and led 15-3 after centre Nicolas Depoortere and Lamothe crossed thanks to assists from scrum-half Maxime Lucu. But on the stroke of half-time, Toulon cut the gap to five points as Fainga'anuku powered on his last club appearance before returning to New Zealand with the Crusaders. After the break, Lamothe claimed his second touchdown before Toulon lock Matthias Halagahu was yellow carded, dealing a hammer blow to Toulon's hopes of reaching a first final in eight years. During Halagahu's absence, Bordeaux-Begles scored twice as winger Damian Penaud slalomed over from a Matthieu Jalibert kick assist and 26-year-old Lamothe claimed the first hat-trick of his senior career. Tuicuvu and Gigashvili claimed consolation efforts in the final quarter as Bordeaux-Begles were able to make replacements including fly-half Jalibert earlier than planned with next weekend's final in mind. On a positive note for Toulon's French players, defeat means they have more of a chance of being named in France's squad for the July Test series with New Zealand.
LeMonde
a day ago
- LeMonde
Paris' iconic cauldron from the Olympic Games returns to light up summer nights
A year after it captivated crowds during the Paris Olympics, a centerpiece of the summer Games made a comeback Saturday, June 21, to light up the French capital's skyline. The iconic helium-powered balloon that attracted myriads of tourists during the summer Games has shed its Olympic branding and is now just called the "Paris Cauldron." It rose again into the air later Saturday, lifting off over the Tuileries Garden just as the sun was about to set. Despite the suffocating hot weather in Paris, around 30,000 people were expected to attend the launch, which coincided with France's annual street music festival — the Fête de la Musique, the Paris police prefecture said. And it won't be a one-time event. After Saturday's flight, the balloon will lift off into the sky each summer evening from June 21 to Sept. 14, for the next three years. The cauldron's ascent may become a new rhythm of the Parisian summer, with special flights planned for Bastille Day on July 14 and the anniversary of the 2024 opening ceremony on July 26. Gone is the official "Olympic" branding — forbidden under International Olympic Committee reuse rules — but the spectacle remains. The 30-meter (98-foot)-tall floating ring, dreamed up by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur and powered by French energy company EDF, simulates flame without fire: LED lights, mist jets and high-pressure fans create a luminous halo that hovers above the city at dusk, visible from rooftops across the capital. Though it stole the show in 2024, the cauldron was only meant to be temporary, not engineered for multi-year outdoor exposure. To transform it into a summer staple, engineers reinforced it. The aluminum ring and tether points were rebuilt with tougher components to handle rain, sun and temperature changes over several seasons. Though it's a hot-air-balloon-style, the lift comes solely from helium — no flame, no burner, just gas and engineering. The structure first dazzled during the Olympics. Over just 40 days, it drew more than 200,000 visitors, according to officials. Now anchored in the center of the drained Tuileries pond, the cauldron's return is part of French President Emmanuel Macron's effort to preserve the Games' spirit in the city, as Paris looks ahead to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
