AXA Élite 1 Final preview: Not the finale we expected, but the one we deserve

Sunday’s AXA Elite 1 final in Biarritz between ASM Romagnat and Stade Bordelais – a repeat of the 2024 showpiece match – may not be the match-up many had expected, but it is the final the French domestic league deserves.

The good news is that it should be much cooler on the South West coast of France at kick-off than it has been all week, as the heatwave that has blasted the country this week finally relents.

In one corner, consistent, implacable ASM, who finished top of the regular-season Elite 1 table, with a club record 83 points – built on 16 wins and a draw in 18 matches – and looking for their first title since 2021. Their sole defeat came against Toulouse, as did their draw on the final weekend of the campaign.

In the other, back-to-back-to-back champions and big-occasion up-steppers Stade Bordelais, the only side to beat Toulouse this season – managing it twice in the later stages of the campaign – and who recovered from losing their opening two matches to win 14 of their next 16 and finish third in the table. A four-peat is the achievable goal.

That third-place finish meant a semi-final trip to the Stade Ernest Wallon for a third meeting of the season with second-place Toulouse.

In an interview with RugbyPass leading up to the semi-final, Stade Bordelais’ Canadian lock Taylor Price – who was not involved in the match – had predicted: “Our forwards are going to have to really win those battles in the set piece like the scrum and the lineout and just keep possession. And then, I trust our backs to do what they do.”

For an hour at the Ernest Wallon, however, Toulouse were the ones playing front-foot rugby. After 58 minutes, they were 22-10 up, and seemed certain to beat Bordeaux in a play-off match for the first time since 2022.

But then…

“We felt the game shift,” Bordeaux head coach Fabrice Nivard told regional newspaper Sud Ouest immediately afterwards. “We felt the scrum was better, the rucks were better, the lineout was cleaner. We felt a renewed energy.

“We know this group for that – they’re not called the Lionesses for nothing. They once again found the ability to surpass themselves.”

Axelle Berthoumieu touched down with 14 minutes left on the clock to narrow the gap, fellow flanker Elsa Peyras scored two minutes from time, and full-back Morgane Bourgeois nailed a penalty in the final seconds to take Bordeaux into the lead for the first time. The semi-final ended 25-27.

“We weathered the storm until our handling of the scrums and the late-game battle turned in our favour, thanks to the bench,” captain Agathe Gérin said after delaying her planned retirement for one more match. “They did what we expected of them – push forward, push forward, push forward. They’re the ones who won us the game today.”

Romagnat’s route to Sunday’s final – via a six-try 37-23 semi-final win over fourth-placed Blagnac at Stade Marcel Michelin – was much more straightforward. Half-back duo Alexandra Chambon and Élodie Fernandez, more usually a centre but who has slipped into the fly-half role as cover for the injured Lina Tuy, controlled a direct and dominant ASM throughout.

Four tries to one sealed the match as a contest by half-time, but ASM added another two in the second to keep a determined Blagnac at bay.

“When you finish first and then host the fourth-placed team, everyone already sees you in the final,” head coach Fabrice Ribeyrolles told Midi Olympique this week. “Last weekend, our job was really to give the players a good warning.

“We were aware of the quality of the Blagnac team, who were getting a lot of key players back. We were right to be alerted, because we had a pretty tough match.

“We felt the satisfaction of a job well done, but nothing too crazy: we quickly switched our focus to the final.”

Sunday’s final pits the best team of the season against the champions of the past three. Stade Bordelais have the historic upperhand; ASM Romagnat the contemporary one – they won both meetings between the sides so far this season.

“We’ve lost twice against Clermont this year, at home and away. They finished top of the table and were just where they belong, given how they have played,” Gérin said in an interview with Actu Rugby.

The recent head-to-head gives the Auvergne side a slight advantage. But regular season statistics count for little in a one-off title decider. Everything rests on 80 minutes at Stade Aguilera.

And there’s one more thing in ASM’s favour. A prediction.

“Since the beginning of the season, [Stade Bordelais] Laurent Treuil has told me we would be champions this year,” Romagnat’s Ribeyrolles joked. “I really hope he’ll live up to his promise!”