Twickenham (United Kingdom) (AFP)

And now the double!

After a fifth unprecedented title in the European Cup, Stade Toulouse and its young generation embodied by Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack are aiming for a twenty-first coronation in the league, to further assert the domination of the most successful club in France.

"Today, the club is holder of the title record (in the European Cup) and we can put this fifth star on the jersey. We realize the heritage in which we are and we are only perpetuating the tradition, "Dupont relished on Saturday at Twickenham.

Eleven years after its last continental trophy, Stade Toulouse has achieved historic success in the temple of English rugby, defeating La Rochelle (22-17) in the Franco-French epilogue of the Champions Cup.

The red and black club is now alone at the top of the continent.

He previously shared the record with the Irish province of Leinster.

The leader of the French Championship "did not make a great match" in the garden of the XV de la Rose, with "wanderings and in particular a strategic plan necessarily not very successful", as underlined by their coach Ugo Mola.

Toulouse even got scared in the "money time" when the La Rochelle scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow scored the only try of his own.

We even saw the specter of France-England 2020 dawn when Dupont sent the ball to the stands a little too early, thinking that the regulation time was exceeded.

A blunder which had cost the victory to the Blues in the Six Nations Tournament at the time of the accounts.

"The first instinct was to watch that the time was over because I had problems with that ...", explained the N.9 of the Blues, named European player of the year.

A first for a French.

- Mallia, the beautiful story -

The last champion of France (2019) suffered in the face of the harshness of the package of forwards from Stade Rochelais, yet reduced to fourteen in the 28th minute after the red card inflicted on Levani Botia.

The Fijian center was guilty of a violent tackle with the shoulder on the chin of the indestructible Maxime Médard, the last survivor of the two previous European finals in Toulouse (2005, 2010).

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But even when it plays less well, the Toulouse armada is doing well.

Yet his wounded (Yoann Huget, Sofiane Guitoune, Alban Placines, Dorian Aldegheri, Zack Holmes) could have weakened him.

The suspension of the XV of France hooker Julien Marchand, sanctioned for a dangerous tackle in the semi-final against Bordeaux-Bègles, even more.

But it is as if his long experience of major events had made the difference in front of La Rochelle, a novice at this level of competition.

The planets seem aligned this season for the Rouge et Noir to achieve a rare European Cup - Championship double.

Only two French clubs have succeeded so far: Toulon in 2014 and ... Toulouse in 1996, for the first edition of the Champions Cup.

Provided that Dupont and others hold the shock and keep enough ammunition, while the second line Australian Richie Arnold, hit in a thigh, had to leave the field after ten minutes on Saturday.

But the Toulouse team has resources on the bench side.

The decisive try of the Argentinian Juan Cruz Mallia - his first in the red and black jersey - is symbolic of this.

- Rendezvous against Clermont -

Arrived in January in Haute-Garonne, then operated on a finger in March, the center of the Pumas, 24, was not even to hold Twickenham.

“The story is great,” said Mola.

The story can be better if his team wins a twenty-first Shield of Brennus on June 25 at the Stade de France.

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Already qualified for the finals of the Top 14, she will have to put on a final push at the end of the regular season to seal her place in the top two, go directly to the semi-finals and thus play one game less.

Rendezvous Saturday against Clermont.

© 2021 AFP