2012 Final

[Tony Manx]

Top 14 NOT Top 16

Despite the wish of several presidents of the Top 14, the championship of France will remain as fourteen clubs next season. The Board of the National Rugby League decided this Thursday, according to statement issued today.

Final

Kick off 1800
Stade de France

Teams

Toulouse

The starting XV : Poitrenaud, Clerc, McAlister, Fritz, Donguy; (o) Beauxis, (m) Doussain; Dusautoir, Picamoles, Bouilhou, Albacete, Maestri; Johnston, Servat, Poux.
Substitutes : Steenkamp, ​​Tolofua, Montes, Millo-Chluksi, Lamboley, Burgess, Jauzion, Matanavou.


Toulon
The starting XV : Lapeyre; Palisson, Bastareaud, Giteau, Smith, (o) Wilkinson, (m) Tillous-Borde, Armitage, Fernandez-Lobbe, Van Niekerk (cap); Shaw, Botha: Kubriashvili, Bruno, Lewis-Roberts .
Substitutes : Ivaldi, Emmanuelli, Samson, Gunther, Messina, Rooney, Cibray, Chilachava.

 

[Nielsch]

Well done to Toulouse. The last five minutes of this match were one of the most intense I've ever seen. Here was hoping for Toulon but well done to Toulouse!

 

[psychic duck]

not 1 try in the final or semi finals

 

[Feicarsinn]

not 1 try in the final or semi finals

I was going to make that point too. French club rugby is boring as sin.

 

[Tony Manx]

Good lord...some comments!!!!

Cannot disagree with the argument that sometimes it is true that no tries = boring but I found the Final very interesting in the pretty poor conditions it was played in.

I have certainly seen more boring matches in better conditions in the Aviva and Rabo.....................is French rugby boring?

Maybe.

Main problem during the normal season is the way in which most of the French teams play for home victories and, in the main, are happy to pinch the away bonus point.

Problem during the play-off is the pressure I suppose?

Considering the money that is spent in French rugby......I am not totally convinced that the spectators get commensurate value for their season tickets but difficult to afford the commute back to the UK even if one wanted to!!

I think most people here are happy that ST won as Toulon is still seen very much as "new money"!!

 

[welshglory]

Trust me the Ospreys knocking the ball on every 30 seconds for the majority of the season is much more boring than that final

 

[psychic duck]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UfM0GqU5qT0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Toulon winger David Smith has had a tantrum with keyboard Twitter critics after his error lost his side the Top 14 final

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-left" data-in-reply-to="211517223448227841" width="350"><p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/HarryFosterRCT">HarryFosterRCT</a> **** off I didn't lost the game we have two yellow card and scrum was **** don't blame mate get a life</p>&mdash; Dave smithy (@Davidsm47711795) <a href="https://twitter.com/Davidsm47711795/status/211561782702125056" data-datetime="2012-06-09T20:53:54+00:00">June 9, 2012</a></blockquote>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-left" data-in-reply-to="211516466632200193" width="350"><p>@<a href="https://twitter.com/ITSpencer">ITSpencer</a> yo spencer get a life mate I didn't lost the game ok the team did everything went **** don't blame me get **** you losser!</p>&mdash; Dave smithy (@Davidsm47711795) <a href="https://twitter.com/Davidsm47711795/status/211563245184614400" data-datetime="2012-06-09T20:59:42+00:00">June 9, 2012</a></blockquote>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-left" width="350"><p>If wasn't the try from racing game we won't even make it to the final in just proud of myself and the team we make this far thnx</p>&mdash; Dave smithy (@Davidsm47711795) <a href="https://twitter.com/Davidsm47711795/status/211566968795447296" data-datetime="2012-06-09T21:14:30+00:00">June 9, 2012</a></blockquote>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-left" width="350"><p>All the supporter that support me thru this season and the team had a best time of my life with Toulon team that's all I have to say!!</p>&mdash; Dave smithy (@Davidsm47711795) <a href="https://twitter.com/Davidsm47711795/status/211567260832235521" data-datetime="2012-06-09T21:15:40+00:00">June 9, 2012</a></blockquote>
<script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Tony Manx]

Cant help but feel that the idiot Smith is right but bet he is not now looking forward to the next team meeting with the guys from the scrum who may not like being called s...!!

 

[Draggs]

Looks like the pass that Priestland dropped and possibly cost us the match.
Sure it was dropped, but a poor pass no doubt.