why the final between Stade Toulouse and Leinster is unique

Opposed in the Champions Cup final on Saturday in London, Stade Toulouse and Leinster are on the program for a dream match, between the two most successful teams in the history of the competition.

A summit of contemporary rugby. This is how the Champions Cup final between Stade Toulouse and Leinster could be described, Saturday May 25 at 3:45 p.m. (live on France 2 and on france.tv), at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. With exceptional players in both camps, a common history and an unofficial title of the biggest club on the continent to be sought, this final promises to be unique.

The two best results in the history of the European Cup

Throughout their long history, which began in 1875 for Leinster and in 1907 for Stade Toulouse, the two finalists have accumulated successes. With five European Cup titles (1996, 2003, 2005, 2010 and 2021), the Occitans are the record holders for the number of successes in the competition, closely followed by… Leinster and their four successes (2009, 2011, 2012 and 2018).

In total, the two clubs have combined 16 finals, arriving on Saturday to repair an anomaly: it will only be their first clash at this stage of the competition.

Defeated twice in the final match, Toulouse is doing better than Leinster and its three defeats, including two in the last two editions. The Irish will therefore play their third consecutive final, a sign of their domination of rugby Europe. For Toulouse, this final confrontation is a liberation, since since their title in 2021, they had no longer tasted the flavors of a final, despite six semi-finals in a row.

Impressive recent liabilities

If the two teams have never met in the final, the converse is not true in the other rounds of the competition, far from it. Since 2019, the two teams have become accustomed to facing each other at the semi-final stage, with three victories for the men of Leo Cullen, himself a former Leinster player. Successes which never resulted in an Irish title subsequently, but which have left their mark, particularly in the last two seasons, in 2022 and 2023.

Two confrontations which resulted in high scores (40-17 then 41-22) and left a lasting impression on Toulouse. Ugo Mola also mentioned “our nemesis, our ogre (sic)”, after the victory against Harlequins in the semi-final.

This Saturday will mark the 15th confrontation between the two clubs. Leinster have won the last four and lead the way with eight successes, against six for Toulouse.

Beaten two consecutive years in the final by La Rochelle, Leinster has a significant history with the big guns of French rugby. A Franco-Irish rivalry exacerbated by the recent very high-level clashes between the two national teams.

Stars all over the field

The titles won are not the only reason to marvel at the proposed poster. Just look at the match sheet and the 23 names on each side. As proof, of the eight players nominated for the title of best player of the season in the European Cup, five played in the final.

Caelan Doris, Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe and Dan Sheehan on the Irish side, Antoine Dupont on the Toulouse side. But they will be far from alone in London.

Alongside them, we can cite a long list of internationals, including Romain Ntamack, François Cros, Peato Mauvaka, Thomas Ramos, Emmanuel Meafou and Blair Kinghorn on the Toulouse side.

On the Irish side, we find Josh van der Flier, Robbie Henshaw and Jack Conan in particular. Leinster even has the luxury of recording the returns of internationals James Ryan and Hugo Keenan, potential starters, while Garry Ringrose is still uncertain.

An assumed stylistic opposition

On the London lawn, two styles will clash. Faced with the calm, pragmatic and almost stereotypical game of Leinster, Stade Toulouse presents itself with the unpredictability that characterizes it and its game in disorder unique in Europe.

Within the Irish province, it is the forwards who make the law and dictate the tempo. The three-quarters occupy the opposing field with their kicking game, while the eight in front take charge of advancing in conquest and in the running game by pounding the defense.

For its part, Stade Toulouse has by far the best attack of this edition, with 311 points and 46 tries in seven matches, the highest totals in the competition. In the opposing camp, we have the highest total of passes (1088), which symbolizes the widely used one-pass game. With 225 kicks, the Irish use this channel to play far from their goal, brilliantly. They finished with the best defense of the four entered after the semi-finals.