Toulouse dominates Montpellier 40-18 and takes the lead in the Top 14

There are days when Stade Toulousain is unplayable, unstoppable. This was the case this Sunday evening, at the end of the fourth day of the Top 14, and it was Montpellier, finalist of the last championship final, who paid the price, unceremoniously swept aside 40-18. The four-time French champions scored six tries, with doubles from Antoine Dupont (in just 2 minutes!) and Teddy Thomas, and another on a magnificent collective move concluded by Romain Ntamack. The MHR scored three times but, with a reshuffled team, could not disrupt the red-and-black machine. With this flamboyant success, Toulouse moved to the top of the Top 14 ahead of Lyon and Pau. Montpellier is seventh.

The shock of June, won 28-20 by the Rouge et Noir for their fourth consecutive title, was close and electric. The first leg between Toulouse and Montpellier lasted only a half, before the Haut-Garonnais inexorably took off to win with the bonus and take the lead in the standings alone, with 15 points. Like last season, they moved to the top after four days and took a lead over their runners-up from Lyon and Pau and six ahead of the MHR, seventh.

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Rhythm, play, skirmishes and the gentleness that reigned over the Pink City at kick-off nevertheless left a scent of the final phase hovering over Ernest-Wallon, despite the reshuffled team composition aligned by Joan Caudullo, without a good part of his executives. Not at all self-conscious, the Héraultais shook the reigning quadruple French champions for just over 40 minutes.

But their embrace relaxed just after the siren signaling the end of regulation time in the first act and the start of furious action, starting from Toulouse's 5 meters and punctuated by 20 passes until Romain Ntamack's try, after a festival of repeats, crosses and chisteras (19-8, 40th+3). The blow was then tough, since Jon Echegaray (38th) had responded masterfully to Toulouse's inspirations, launched by Théo Ntamack after a beautiful combination in the scrum (23rd) then by his brother, already a decisive passer on the foot for Teddy Thomas (32nd).

Antoine Dupont is gaining momentum

On a cloud, the opener served a new offering to his winger (62nd)? enhancing the work of his eternal partner in the hinge Antoine Dupont, who we had not seen so dazzling for a long time. The Blues scrum half, captain on Sunday evening, delivered two big blows to the Cistes skull in less than a minute and a half.

“Toto” scored his first try of the season in the 50th minute before doing it again, superbly served by Théo Ntamack at the end of a scrum, piercing the defense to flatten between the posts (33-8, 52nd). Just in his management, increasingly sharp offensively, the Olympic rugby sevens champion seems to gain strength over the matches, for his fourth consecutive score sheet this season.

Like his partners, he was less visible during a less contested end of the game, where the Montpellier residents were able to reduce the gap thanks to young hooker Lyam Akrab (65th) and Arthur Vincent (40-18, 72nd). Almost anecdotal for Toulouse residents who are full of confidence before going to challenge neighbor Castres on Saturday, for a derby that is never trivial.