Toulouse hold off Bayonne to reach Top 14 final
DECINES-CHARPIEU: Defending champions Toulouse held off Bayonne 32-25 on Friday to advance to the final of the Top 14 where they will play the winners of the second semi-final between Bordeaux-Begles and Toulon. 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
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 Argentinean 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. — AFP
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.- AFP
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