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O'Gara's La Rochelle thwarted by Ntamack moment of magic
By Ian Cameron
In a thrilling French Top 14 final in the Stade de France, Toulouse emerged as champions with a dramatic 29-26 victory over European champions La Rochelle.
The decisive moment came three minutes from time when Romain Ntamack, Toulouse's talented playmaker, produced a moment of individual brilliance. Breaking through several tackles, Ntamack raced an impressive 65 metres to score the winning try in the dying moments of the game and dashing La Rochelle's dream of the double.
With this victory, Toulouse extended their record number of Top 14 wins to 22, solidifying their status as one of the most successful teams in French rugby history.
Meanwhile Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle will have to wait for their first Bouclier de Brennus and will have to make do with their second Heineken Champions Cup victory on the bounce in terms of this season's efforts.
The teams entered the halftime break deadlocked at 13-13. La Rochelle fought back through tries from scrumhalf Tawera Kerr-Barlow and prop Uini Atonio, overcoming a 10-point deficit in the early stages of the match to take the lead in the closing stages. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to maintain their advantage until the final whistle, with Ntamack's brilliance sealing the deal for the red and blacks.
The boot of Toulouse's fullback, Thomas Ramos, played a crucial role in their victory. Ramos kicked an impressive 19 points. Toulouse managed to match La Rochelle's renowned physicality throughout the game, denying their opponents a maiden domestic title to accompany their recent European success.
The result also carried significance for Leinster, as it effectively determined the Irish side's second-tier seeding for the upcoming pool stages of the 2023/24 Heineken Champions Cup.
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Latest Comments
> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
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