Toulouse dash into Final
Sun, 22 Jun 2008 23:24
Three great second-half tries rushed Toulouse into the Final of France's Top 14 when they beat the reigning champions Stade Français 31-13 in Bordeaux on Sunday afternoon.
At half-time the score was a paltry 6-3 to Toulouse. In the second half Yannick Jauzion went to flyhalf and it was a sea change as Stade Toulousain poured through the Parisian defence, much of their attack coming off turnovers at the tackle.
Toulouse were somewhat better at the line-outs, Stade Français perhaps had the edge at the scrums and the penalty count was 10-all. There was not much to choose between the two sides except that Toulouse had the better of the territory in the first half but they were far more effective on attack.
When they kicked up-and-unders they counted more but really is was the ball in hand that counted most. Later in the second half, with the score 28-6 against them, Stade Français set up a long siege of the Toulouse line. Four penalties and a free kick kept them hot on the attack but it was not till Malelei Kunavore was yellow-carded that they managed to score a try - after a 13-minute siege. And then it was a strange try. They threw short to the front of a line-out to scrumhalf Jérôme Fillol. He darted, chips a low chip that could have seemed a knock-on but was not, gathered the kick and scored. The referee asked the television match official to check whether or not there was a knock-on before awarding the try.
Juan Martín Hernández kicked off and then kicked a high up-and-under which, brilliantly, he caught himself. Was the magician about to weave his magic? Sadly he did not manage to do so, trying three drops at goal which got progressively further off target.
When Jean-Batiste Elissalde kicked an up-and-under towards the goal-posts, Ignacio Corleto missed the ball and only a scampering Christophe Dominici saved the situation.
Dimitri Szarzewski, who battled with his throwing into the line-out, conceded four penalties in the half, two of which Elissalde turned into points and Toulouse led 6-0. In between the penalties there was a promising attack set up by muscular Maxime Medard and carried on by Jean Bouilhou which ended when Szarzewski tackled Jauzion.
Just after Elissalde's second goal, Hernández pulled one back for Stat-ade Français when Thierry Dusautoir was penalised for side entry into a tackle/ruck.
Sergio Parisse came close to scoring the first try of the match. Hernández hoisted a perfect up-and-under and Parisse outjumped Kunavore and Kelleher for the ball, spinning round and diving for the line as the Toulouse duo tried to stop him. Parisse got over the line but lost the ball in the process, as the TMO conformed.
Dominici started the second half with an excellent run but then Toulouse won a turnover off Hernández and Kunavore kicked a long kick downfield where Ignacio Corleto was absent. Medard raced Julien Saubade into the empty acres after the ball and beat him to the touchdown. Elissalde converted. 13-3 after 43 minutes.
When Stéphane Glas was off-side at a kick, Kunavore kicked a magnificent penalty goal from just in from touch and 40 metres out. 16-3 after 48 minutes.
Stade Français now ran the ball and when Patricio Albacete was penalised for hands in a ruck, Hernández made the score 13-6.
In no time Toulouse were bashing at the Stade Français line. Medard kicked a fortuitous kick that rolled out near the Stade Français corner on Toulouse's right. Stade Français threw in and Bouilhou won the ball for Toulouse and the big bash was on. The referee played advantage and still the bashing went on till Shaun Sowerby gave a neat pass to Jauzion who was through a short gap and obvert. Kunavore converted. 23-6 after 56 minutes.
Stade Français put the ball into a scrum after Kunavore knocked on when he looked on the way to scoring. Stade Français heeled and Yannick Nyanga tackled Parisse. Sowerby won a turnover and Kelleher gave to Jauzion who strode inside Lionel Beauxis and kept on striding away from Hernández and over. 28-6 after 60 minutes.
Stade Français now had their long period of penalty-assisted attack till Fillol scored under the posts and Hernández converted. 28-13 with seven minutes left.
With two minutes to go replacement Florian Fritz kicked a soaring drop to end the scoring.
The final whistle ended the playing careers of Christophe Dominici and Boela du Plooy and the coaching career of Fabien Galthié - at least at Stade Français.
Scorers:
For Toulouse:
Tries: Medard, Jauzion 2
Cons: Elissalde, Kunavore
Pens: Elissalde 2, Kunavore
Drop: Fritz
For Stade Français:
Try: Fillol
Con: Hernández
Pens: Hernández 2
Toulouse: 15 Maxime Medard, 14 Yves Donguy, 13 Maleli Kunavore, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 11 Cédric Heymans, 10 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Shaun Sowerby, 7 Thierry Dusautoir, 6 Jean Bouilhou (captain), 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Fabien Pelous, 3 Omar Hasan, 2 William Servat, 1 Daan Human,
Replacements: 16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Jean-Batiste Poux, 18 Romain Millo-Chluski, 19 Yannick Nyanga, 20 Finau Maka, 21 Florian Fritz, 22 Manu Ahotaeiloa
Stade Français: 15 Ignacio Corleto, 14 Julien Saubade, 13 Stéphane Glas, 12 Brian Liebenberg, 11 Christophe Dominici, 10 Juan Martín Hernández, 9 Alexandre Albouy, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Simon Taylor, 6 Antoine Burban, 5 Boela du Plooy, 4
Marchois, 3 Sylvain Marconnet (captain), 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Rodrigo Roncero,
Replacements: 16 Mathieu Blin, 17 David Attoub, 18 Cliffie Milton, 19 Rémy Martin, 20 Pierre Rabadan, 21 Jérôme Fillol, 22 Beauxis
Referee: Franck Maciello
Touch judges: Jean-Christophe Gastou, Akim Hadj Bachir
Assessor: Roger Chiocchia, Daniel Pascal, Alain Fernandez
Television match official: Gérard Borreani
