There was a world class performance from Leinster at the start of the round but it was the final game of the Investec Champions Cup quarterfinal stage that best underlined why South African teams should be wanting to be competing in the elite European competition.
It is seldom that a rugby match delivers completely on the hype of the buildup but the titanic battle between champions Toulouse and hosts Toulon at the Stade Mayol did that and more. It was a game played at test match intensity, hard and physical but also with a good tempo, though the two defensive systems were incredibly difficult to break down.
Toulouse, as was the case in their round of 16 game the week before, weren’t at their best over the entire 80 minutes. They do look like they miss the influence of their injured leader and talisman, Antoine Dupont. They made mistakes that kept them from hitting top gear and played into the hands of the tenacious home team, urged on by a crowd every bit as passionate as the players were and determined to make the most of their chance to play there way back to the top table of European rugby.
RAMOS CLUTCH KICK ATONES FOR RARE OFF-DAY
Toulon were also helped by what by his standards was a wayward afternoon from the kicking tee from the normally ace France goalkicker Tomas Ramos. Perhaps spooked by the vociferous and hostile crowd, Ramos missed some sitters, including an opportunity to break an 18-all deadlock with a long range penalty a few minutes from the end.
That kick wasn’t Ramos or Toulouse’s last opportunity though and a poor mistake from Toulon off what became the second last move of the game, with a kick that should have been fielded easily being spilt metres from the Toulon line, led to an attacking opportunity for the visitors in the red zone. A penalty was forced, and from the acute angle, with perhaps voices going through the Toulouse heads that they should maybe set up an attacking lineout instead given the earlier kicking failures, Ramos this time got it right.
When it really mattered, and amidst scenes of unbearable tension that would have had even neutrals gnawing at their nails, the ball sailed through the uprights to break Toulon hearts. The drama that preceded the final whistle and the elation and despair that followed it was a great advert for what many players who have played in it regard as the greatest club rugby competition on earth. Full marks to English referee Matthew Carley too, as he was excellent in officiating a difficult game, as was his countryman Luke Pierce earlier in the weekend.
The South African challenge in the EPRC competitions in the 2024/2025 season ended the day before the Toulon battle with the Vodacom Bulls’ defeat in their Challenge Cup quarterfinal in Edinburgh, but it is the more prestigious Champions Cup that the SA sides should want to be part of. What we saw in the Toulon game, both in the stands and on the field, which were both to test match level, is what the local sides need to aspire to.
LEINSTER’S MASSIVE STATEMENT
They can measure themselves between now and the end of the season in their staple competition, the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, against the team that has now become the red hot favourites to lift their fifth Champions Cup title after three narrow losses at the final hurdle. Certainly Leinster’s awesome destruction of the URC’s second placed team, Glasgow Warriors, was a massive statement - not that Leinster needed one as they have destroyed several excellent teams recently.
Their big win over Glasgow though was a master-class from Leinster, who will start as favourites to beat the only remaining English team in the competition, Northampton Saints, in their semifinal on 3 May.
The other semifinal, which is set for the next day, 4 May, is less easy to call and promises to be as every bit as epic a battle as the one in Toulon on Sunday, with two crack French teams in the form of Toulouse and Bordeaux Begles set to clash in Bordeaux.
BORDEAUX ARE DIFFERENT LEVEL
The experience of hanging in to find a way to win at a notoriously difficult away venue will have been good for the champions, but Bordeaux are arguably up a level from Toulon. They hit big scores every week and were at it again against a plucky Munster side that was simply outclassed. Bordeaux have a formidable mixture of power and X-factor, much like Toulouse when the top players are all available, and they do have an excellent chance of providing the French representation in the final.
This past weekend provided a step up in intensity and quality from the top class rugby that was already evident in the competition and if that upward trend on the graph extends into the matches in early May they are not to be missed. It’s no exaggeration to suggest that the play-off stages of the Champions Cup produce test standard rugby and a test like atmosphere and it’s why it should be part of the learning experience for all local players who have lofty international ambitions.
Investec Champions Cup quarterfinal results
Leinster 52 Glasgow Warriors 0
Bordeaux Begles 47 Munster 29
Northampton Saints 51 Castres 18
Toulon 18 Toulouse 21
Investec Champions Cup semifinals
Leinster v Northampton Saints (3 May, 18,30)
Bordeaux-Begles v Toulouse (4 May, 16.00)