Kolbe’s Toulouse crowned French champions

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Cheslin Kolbe kicked a 50-metre drop goal as Toulouse beat La Rochelle 18-8 in the final to be crowned French Top 14 champions on Friday.

Kolbe’s first drop goal since joining Toulouse in 2017 capped a special campaign as the French club clinched both the Champions Cup and defended their 2019 Top 14 title (the 2020 season was not completed due to lockdown). The 27-year-old will now, together with Toulouse teammate Rynhardt Elstadt, head back to South Africa to join up with the Springboks preparing to face the British & Irish Lions.

La Rochelle, a side making their first Top 14 final appearance just seven years after promotion into the top flight, featured Springboks Dillyn Leyds and Raymond Rhule alongside former Junior Bok Wiaan Liebenberg.

Former All Blacks loose forward Jerome Kaino said he was lost for words after capping his illustrious career by winning a European and French double after Toulouse’s 18-8 victory over La Rochelle on Friday secured the Top 14 title.

Two-time Rugby World Cup winner Kaino, 38, retired after helping his club to a record-extending 21st league title, as well as a European and domestic double.

“To win the double this year makes me speechless. To finish like that is incredible,” said Kaino who will stay on at the club as a coach of the academy players.

Toulouse head coach Ugo Mola, who beat the same opposition in May’s Champions Cup final, started Thomas Ramos at flyhalf in place of fellow France international Romain Ntamack – who suffered a head injury in the semi-final – with Kaino on the bench.

La Rochelle head coach Jono Gibbes, who is leaving to take over at Clermont next season, made one change from last weekend’s last four win over Racing 92 as Geoffrey Doumayrou wore the No. 12 shirt instead of Jules Favre.

In a tight opening 20 minutes, Toulouse controlled the scoreboard but not possession in front of a 14,000-strong crowd.

Ramos kicked a long-range penalty before slotting just the second drop goal of his senior career to give the record five-time Champions Cup winners a 6-0 lead.

Ihaia West missed an early shot at goal for La Rochelle and, although Gibbes’ outfit continued to make waves into opposition territory, they failed to take advantage of the domination.

Ramos added a penalty before Kolbe’s snap drop goal from 50m out, to make it 12-0 at the break.

The forecasted rain began to fall in northern Paris as the players returned for the second-half and West made up for his early error from the tee to cut the deficit to 12-3 after two minutes of the final 40.

Kaino, who also won the Top 14 in 2019 with Toulouse, came on for the last of his 346 senior appearances with half an hour to go to deafening applause from the Toulouse faithful behind one tryline.

West missed a second penalty before Ramos slotted two in the final quarter to give Toulouse a comfortable 18-3 cushion.

La Rochelle claimed a late consolation thanks to replacement prop Dany Priso’s 77th minute try but failed to avoid a fourth loss of the season to the champions.

– AFP

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SA Rugby magazine