Who is popular today?

Semi-final: Toulouse 21-9 Bordeaux-Bègles
Toulouse to face La Rochelle or Leinster at Twickenham

Toulouse will contest their first European Champions Cup final for 11 years after Antoine Dupont finally put an end to the valiant challenge of Bordeaux-Bègles. The four-times winners had struggled to fully impose themselves on their depleted opponents but eight minutes from time Dupont was on hand – as he so often is – to finish off Toulouse’s second try and book their place at Twickenham later this month.
It was not a semi-final for the ages, certainly neither side were helped by the weather, but enormous credit must go to Bordeaux and in particular their ubiquitous captain Matthieu Jalibert. Their buildup was horribly disrupted due to a Covid-19 outbreak that left them without eight players and having not played a match since their quarter-final three weeks ago. That day Jalibert scored all their points – he did so again this time – but while Toulouse showed their attacking talents only in glimpses, ultimately Dupont had the final say. Continue reading...