Since the 2014/2015 season, the French championship has even placed fourteen representatives in the last four (out of 32 places).

This year, it is the fifth hexagonal hat-trick after 1998 (Toulouse, Brive, Pau), 1999 (French stadium, Perpignan, Colomiers), 2005 (Biarritz, French stadium, Toulouse) and 2021 (Toulouse, La Rochelle, Bordeaux- Begles).

However, having three clubs in the semis is not necessarily a guarantee: Toulouse is the only one to have won (2005 and 2021) on these five occasions.

Good news for the Top 14, the most successful club in the competition, with five stars on its jersey, is still in the race.

After dominating Ulster in the eighth then Munster in the quarters, Toulouse continues its Irish journey against the ogre of Leinster, its myriad of internationals and its four continental titles, in Dublin.

Toulouse winger Matthis Lebel dives into the opposing in-goal in the European Cup quarter-final against Munster on May 7, 2022 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin Lorraine O'Sullivan AFP

The other half, relocated to Lens, will see a Franco-French clash between Racing 92 and La Rochelle.

There will therefore be a club from the Top 14 in the final, confirming the current good progress of French rugby, after the Grand Slam achieved by the Blues during the Six Nations Tournament.

"Good teams"

“They are good teams, aren't they? Really good teams. teams a little too playful and it had even become a joke in the English championship", explained to AFP Alex Sanderson, director of rugby for Sale, stopped in the quarters by La Rochelle (45-21) last season then by Racing 92 (41-22) this year.

"Now, these are well-trained, well-prepared, well-coached teams... their infrastructure is at the top. And all that is reflected in their performance," further justified the Englishman.

Opener Finn Russell and center Gaël Fickou, from Racing 92, congratulate each other after a try against Sale in the quarter-final of the European Rugby Cup on May 8, 2022 at La Défense Arena in Nanterre near Paris Bertrand GUAY AFP

In the English press, we point to the difference in salary cap between the Premiership (7.4 million euros this year) and the Top 14 (11 million) to explain the new British road exit.

"This difference has always existed between French clubs and English clubs. When Toulon had a salary cap (salary cap) of 20 million, the English only had 5 or 6 million and still managed to win", explained further Sanderson.

"You can compensate for this difference with good infrastructure, with precise training and a real culture. You can bridge the gap thanks to talent, cohesion and good coaching," he continued.

Training centers

Gregory Alldritt, the N.8 of La Rochelle, against Montpellier in the quarter-final of the European Rugby Cup on May 7 at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre in La Rochelle XAVIER LEOTY AFP

Because money is not everything, even if it helps to attract the best players on the planet.

"In England, they have two marquee players (player excluded from the calculation of the salary cap, editor's note). The number of players and the quality of recruitment in France helps a lot", tempered the Scottish opener of Racing 92 Finn Russell.

"The training centers are very important here. Elsewhere too, but at Racing 92, we have a lot of young people in the first team who have gone through the academy. It's not just a question of money but of training, recruiting, development...", assured Russell.

Competitiveness too, the English Premiership having recently decided to block relegation until the end of the 2023-2024 season.

A decision justified by the need to help the clubs to sustain themselves financially.

"In the Top 14, there is flair, strategies... no match is easy. You always have to be at the max. This season, we lost against Biarritz and Perpignan (14th and 13th, editor's note). It shows that each match is huge (…) Here, we fight every weekend, to stay in the Top 14, for a place in the European Cup … The level is incredible”, assured Russell again.

Cock-a-doodle Doo !

© 2022 AFP