The two most successful teams in Europe will be on the pitch in London at 3.45pm on Saturday 25 May for the final act of the competition
Champions Cup: the preview of the final between Leinster and Stade Toulousain – ph. PAUL FAITH / AFP
The Champions Cup has reached its epilogue. On Saturday 25 May at 3.45pm Leinster and Stade Toulousain will face each other to win the most coveted trophy in the intercontinental arena.
Two teams full of champions, representing the best of European rugby and beyond. Leinster have lifted the trophy 4 times in their history, while Stade Toulousain have won 5 and are the most successful team in the competition.
The French are back in the final for the first time since 2021, while the Irish will try to erase the disappointment of 2023, when La Rochelle beat Leo Cullen’s men 27 to 26.
The path that brought these two battleships to the final was perfect. Seven games, seven wins and remarkable statistics: 31 points per game on average for Leinster, 44 points per game on average for Stade Toulousain.
Read also: Where to watch the Champions League and Challenge Cup final live streaming
Leinster-Toulouse: the technical themes of the Champions Cup final
Stade Toulousain arrives at the match at the Tottenham Stadium in London with the label of a spectacular team, entirely devoted to attack. The reality is that the French team can count on a very abrasive forward package, capable of directing the result after physically imposing itself on its opponents even in defensive collisions and in ground play.
Creative athletes like Dupont and Ntamack are comfortable finishing off the work of their teammates, but on this occasion they will have to face a surgical defense like the one set up by the world champion coach, Jaques Nienaber.
If Leinster manages to stifle the initiatives of the French midfielder they will block off-loads, the search for spaces and a large part of Toulouse’s offensive resources. Furthermore, Caelan Doris and his teammates can exploit the great quality of their throws in the game, which are often lethal when triggered at maximum speed.
In a match full of technical ideas, the foot battle becomes interesting, where the challenge between Kinghorn and Keenan pits two great interpreters of the aerial game against each other. The match is a sort of Ireland versus France as the majority of Andy Farrell’s team face the core of Les Bleus coached by Fabien Galthiè.
It is difficult to imagine a wide gap between the two. In the last four previous matches he has always won Leinster. However, the linearity of Toulouse Cuo’s Champions League campaign suggests great balance.
The Leinster-Stade Toulousain lineups
Leinster: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Jordan Larmour, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Jamie Osborne, 11 James Lowe, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Will Connors, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 Jason Jenkins , 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Substitutions: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Michael Ala’alatoa, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Ciarán Frawley, 23 Josh van der Flier
Toulouse: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Juan Cruz Mallia, 13 Paul Costes, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Matthis Lebel, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Alexandre Roumat, 7 Jack Willis, 6 François Cros, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Dorian Aldegheri, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Cyril Baille
Substitutions: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Rodrigue Neti, 18 Joel Merkler, 19 Richie Arnold, 20 Joshua Brennan, 21 Paul Graou, 22 Santiago Chocobares, 23 Thomas Ramos
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