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Toulouse player ratings vs Bordeaux-Begles | 2025 Investec Champions Cup SF


Jack Willis of Toulouse looks on during the Investec Champions Cup quarter-final match between RC Toulon and Stade Toulousain at Stade Felix Mayol on April 13, 2025 in Toulon, France. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)
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Toulouse player ratings: Toulouse’s title reign came to an end on Sunday as Bordeaux-Begles booked their place in the Investec Champions Cup final for the first time with a 35-18 win.

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Bereft of some of their superstars, this was not the Toulouse that have dominated European rugby over the last 12 months, as plenty of players were outmatched by their opposite man.

It is back to the Top 14 for Toulouse – where they sit at the top of the ladder – but their campaign to add a seventh star ended miserably.

Here’s how the players rated:

1 Cyril Baille – 6
Got the upper hand against the Bordeaux pack during his 48 minutes on the field, which Toulouse ultimately could not capitalise on.

2 Julien Marchand – 6
Back as a starter following Peato Mauvaka’s injury, he showed exactly what he brings to the party just minutes into the match with a penalty won in his own 22. Had a performance sprinkled with turnovers.

3 Dorian Aldegheri – 6
Alongside Baille, looked strong at the set-piece and perhaps went off earlier than he should have.

4 Thibaud Flament – 7
Well-rounded display as ever from the lock in a pack that matched, or even got the better of, their opponents despite the scoreline.

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5 Emmanuel Meafou – 4
Coughed up possession which led to Bordeaux’s opening try, though it did require a sensational counter-attack from the hosts. Got through plenty of carries, though Bordeaux made a point of closing him down early, which forced some errors.

6 Francois Cros – 6
Plagued the Bordeaux lineout and got through his work in defence.

7 Jack Willis – 7
Alongside Marchand, the Englishman formed one of the most lethal jackaling duos in the game, and they went tit-for-tat with each other with turnovers and penalties won on the west coast. At his usual elite level but only managed 65 minutes.

8 Alexandre Roumat – 5
Got through his share of carries during the 50 minutes he was on the field, but without a great impact. Overshadowed by his replacement Anthony Jelonch.

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9 Paul Graou – 6
Kicked well at times to relieve some pressure off his side. Was turned inside out by Louis Bielle-Biarrey as Bordeaux scored swiftly after the break. Started to look a bit more lively as Toulouse began to chase the match, but he did not last much longer after that.

10 Romain Ntamack – 5
Up against his French No.10 rival Matthieu Jalibert, his counterpart certainly won their battle. Ntamack was not necessarily poor, but failed to have the influence the Bordeaux star had.

11 Dimitri Delibes – 5
Opened Toulouse’s try scoring account, though much of the work was done inside him. Otherwise a fairly quiet display before leaving on the hour mark.

12 Pita Ahki – 4
There were some bright flashes with some offloads, but he was largely neutralised by Yoram Moefana.

13 Pierre-Louis Barassi – 7
Breezed through the Bordeaux defence early on, and that was a sign of things to come. Rewarded with a try in the second half with yet another silky line.

14 Ange Capuozzo – 4
Was not necessarily rewarded with breaks or metres, but the winger frequently challenged the Bordeaux defence. Was not without errors though, including a loose pass into touch late on.

15 Juan Cruz Mallia – 5
Kicked from the tee relatively well in Thomas Ramos’ absence and topped the match for metres carried, though it was the opposing back three that made the greatest impact.

Replacements
16 Guillaume Cramont – 5
Perhaps could not make the same impact that Marchand could make.

17 Rodrigue Neti – 4
Some brainless decisions from the replacement, and also put in a limp effort to stop Pierre Bochaton scoring what proved to be the decisive try in the match.

18 Joel Merkler – 6
Maintained the same strength in the scrum and added some robust carries.

19 Clement Verge – 6
Enjoyed a busy 15 minutes on the field, particularly in defence.

20 Anthony Jelonch – 6
Brought some impetus from the bench after coming on with some punchy carries.

21 Mathis Castro-Ferreira – 5
The 21-year-old struggled to make a huge impression during his cameo.

22 Naoto Saito – 5
Came on with Toulouse staring down the barrel of a defeat and maybe had too big a task to turn the match around.

23 Santiago Chocobares – 5
Got his hands on the ball, but Toulouse looked to have run out of ideas by the time he came on.

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mJ 14 minutes ago
Wallabies' defensive woes demand overhaul to avoid Murrayfield bloodbath

They need to get the basics right and this is fundamentally their biggest issue, just like the opposite is true for their attack. The Wallabies don’t defend the gain line, teams constantly get gain line and the second is slowing down the ruck. So they are continually on the back foot and playing flat out in defence trying to get into the right positions and teams manipulate this. If the Wallabies suddenly got physical dominance with their defence and slowed each ruck down by another second or two things would be materially different. Like every 10 likes to play behind a forward pack winning gain line, every good defence benefits with time as well. If the Wallabies go out this weekend and stop Scotland gainline and slow their rucks down to 2 or 3 seconds on average our defence will be significantly better. And that is the easy fix for this weekend.

In attack our forwards need to stop being static and Lonergan needs to play with some deception and he needs to get out from behind the ruck as no one on this planet will expect him to run with the ball. Set the forward pod to go one way and then just get out and link with a runner on the opposite side. He is so one dimensional, he needs to be able to change it up and he needs to play with more tempo. So like the defence if our forwards win the gain line and rucks and we get quick ball we will stress the Scotland defence and their will be plenty of opportunities.



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