Last weekend, Stade Toulousain and Bordeaux entertained French rugby, winning impressive victories against big teams in the championship (La Rochelle and Racing 92). Successes that allow them today to still be in the race for the Brennus shield. To do this, the defending champion, Toulouse, will face his best enemy Castres Olympiquewhile UBB will challenge a team from Montpellier very solid. Two meetings that promise to be just as tough as they are tight. And even if Bordeaux and Toulouse impressed during their play-offa final between these two formations seems (very) complicated, at least in view of previous years…
Indeed, if Stade Toulousain and UBB manage to qualify for the final, this would be a first in the history of the Top 14! Introduced in 2005, this format comprising 14 teams experienced several types of endgames. First of all, only the first 4 were concerned. Then there was the establishment play-offs between the 3rd and the 6th of the regular phase, as well as between the 4th and the 5th. The winners will qualify for the semi-finals. And in 16 years of existence, the Top 14 has always welcomed either the first or the second in the classification in the final (or both)! A rather crazy statistic, which shows us the advantage what do the teams have to finish in the first 2. As proof, the last two finals contested between the top two of the regular season (Toulouse vs La Rochelle, and Toulouse vs Clermont). In other words, the logic of the regular season is always more or less respected, at least for one of the two teams. You will have understood it, see Stade Toulousain (4th) against Bordeaux (3rd) in the Top 14 final on June 24th would therefore be a historic first! One thing is certain, these semi-finals promise to be exciting in many ways…
RUGBY. Top 14. Historic first for Castres, eternal outsider
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