The verdict is in: Castres and Montpellier qualified directly for the semi-finals of the Top 14 on the evening of the 26th and last day on Sunday, while Toulouse (4th), defending champion, and La Rochelle (5th), fresh European champion, will have to go through the play-offs.
Toulousains and Rochelais will therefore meet for a revenge for last season’s final with, as a stake, a place in the semi-finals just like Bordeaux-Bègles (3rd) and the Racing 92 (6th) in the other jump-off. The semi-finals are scheduled for June 17 and 18 in Nice. The people of Ile-de-France had to fight to win their twelfth ticket for the final stages since the 2009-2010 season, ahead of the RCT (21-16), too undisciplined and too clumsy.
Toulon remains in the harbor, a hair’s breadth away from Clermont
As a result, the Rade club, 8th, misses the mark despite a cannonball end to the season. The Toulousains, them, atomized the BO (80-7) with twelve tries while the Rochelais, relieved, bent for a long time without breaking Lyons (29-26). Finally, Castres confirmed his current good form by dominating Paul (26-16) and finished in first place in the standings, ahead of Montpellieryet beaten at Clermont (20-15) but who took advantage of UBB’s misstep in front Perpignan (22-15) to qualify directly for the semi-finals.
Clermont, seventh, and Lyon, winners of the European Challenge this season, will compete with the six teams qualified for the final phase in the next edition of the Champions Cup, which will feature South African teams for the first time. On the other hand, Perpignan, 13th, will play its survival in Top 14 in front of the finalist of Pro D2 Mont-de-Marsanduring the accession/relegation final.
The regular season in numbers
15
Antoine Dupont only played fifteen Top 14 matches in the Toulouse jersey, including twelve as a starter. Between injuries, Covid, rest and the Six Nations Tournament, the international scrum-half missed eleven league matches for his club. One less than his hinge partner Romain Ntamack (16 matches including 14 starts).
21
Castres has become an impregnable citadel: 21 matches without defeat for the Tarnais in their fortress of Pierre-Fabre, where they have been undefeated since December 2020.
93
The historical hinge of Clermont, formed by Morgan Parra and Camille Lopez, has been tenured 93 times over the years. This is a record for ASM which will see the scrum half and the opener leave Auvergne this summer, Parra for Stade Français, Lopez for Bayonne.
Couilloud and Berdeu as bosses
The Lyon hinge Baptiste Couilloud/Leo Berdeu was above the lot this season: best director (251 points) and top scorer (226 pts) for Berdeu; best scorer for Couilloud (11 tries). Insufficient, however, to qualify the LOU for the final phase.
Special mention for Gregory Alldritt24, who achieved with La Rochelle and the XV of France one of the most beautiful seasons of his young career: Grand Slam with the Blues, European Cup with the Maritimes… before, why not, a double Top 14/Champions Cup.
The Fijian international Waisea Nayacalevu, second co-top scorer in the championship (9 tries), was also one of the leaders this season. Beyond his refusal to be vaccinated, he will also have allowed the French stadium to float by his crazy races or his precious tests.
The program of the final stages:
Dams
Saturday June 11:
(9:05 p.m.) Toulouse – La Rochelle, in Toulouse
Sunday June 12:
(9:05 p.m.) Bordeaux-Bègles – Racing 92, in Bordeaux
Semi-finals
Friday, June 17:
(9:05 p.m.) Castres – Toulouse or La Rochelle, in Nice
Saturday June 18:
(9:05 p.m.) Montpellier – Bordeaux-Bègles or Racing 92, in Nice
The final will take place on Friday June 24 at 8:45 p.m. at the Stade de France.