So how did Toulouse take title five? | Champions Cup Final 2021 | The Squidge Report

Europe's oldest, grandest powerhouse is back. After ten years without a title, Toulouse roared back to the top last weekend by becoming the first team to conquer Europe five times as the survived the body blows been dealt by La Rochelle. So what tactics did Toulouse employ to take out their French rivals and give Dupont et al the trophy?
If you've enjoyed any of the channel's content, you can also support Squidge Rugby on Patreon by visiting / squidgerugby , so I can buy sudoku books to try and keep up with Kolbe.If you've enjoyed any of the channel's content, you can also support Squidge Rugby on Patreon by visiting / squidgerugby , so I can etc
And if you fancy a game of Touch, 7s, Five a Side, or frankly anything else with other fans of the channel, head to go.findplay.it/squidge-rugby or download the Find A Player app, and enter the code SQUIDGE to link up with other fans of the channel!
Join The Squidge Rugby League on Superbru and prove once and for all that you know more about rugby than me! You can find the pool here: www.superbru.com/worldcup_fan... or by downloading the Superbru app and searching for the pool with code 'wisekilo'.

[@brunothompson6157]

Every time 😂😂😂 “*SEND ‘M OFF!!! GET EM OFF THE FIELD!!!!*” cracks me up so much haha

[@benstephens4994]

I wish he'd kept it running to the original yellow card. "HE'S GIVEMA YELLOW CARD."

[@brendo2005]

what is it from?

[@joelmallen7472]

@@brendo2005 search "Mick Morgan Castleford vs Wigan" or something to that effect, Mick is a rugby league commentator for Castleford who is, uh, favourable to Cas. Very funny video

[@rozza1116]

I needed a headphone warning for that jaysus 🤣

[@GrantTempleton]

Love that clip. The Kelvin Skerrett forearm smash was a truly awful thing, and far more common than it should have been!

[@tomkrys3331]

It honestly isn't fair that Kolbe and Dupont play for the same team

[@kronos3037]

Imagine if they had Dan Carter at 10 as well🙈

[@the_katman2181]

Great analysis, once again. Notice how three of the four starting wings were South African. There was a time when our only exports to Europe were props, locks and some oranges and wine.

[@nialljoachimmbrehon2910]

Props, locks and two smoking barrels (of wine)?

[@iamnutty8471]

played for south africa vs are south african u knob!

[@Simmy5x]

20 minute video. That’s 1200 seconds, and not a single second was dedicated to Skelton whipping Dupont around like a beach towel

[@adamdickinson2894]

Hate to burst your bubble but the video's only 1102 seconds long, he probably would've talked about Skelton in that last 98

[@talkaviation9261]

legendary analysis

[@alexandre526]

As a toulousain I'm so happy but gosh this final was weird, and so many injuries and cards 😥

[@lolivey8393]

Is it normal I feel tingly for that analysis of Dupont's assist for Kolbe's near try "just Rugby"?

[@randyschwaggins]

Speak to Gareth Thomas

[@kalomboC]

I remember O'Gara and Robinson talking about how O'Gara introduced the concept of defending the ball to the Saders - something they'd [the Kiwis] never seen or heard of before. They incorporated it slightly into their game and it gave them an edge.

[@reallyloudandbored]

Perfect :) every time I see your bids I crack a smile

[@thomas_corbet]

"Sideburns in space", savage!

[@Ranyanya]

10 years without Toulouse. 10 years without France. That may mean that when Toulouse is doing great, France is getting great... Sad for La Rochelle as they provide a very good rugby those last years, it could have been great for them. But very happy as Toulouse always have been my team with Brive ^^

[@garethmoffett8381]

Probably the squidgiest analysis yet - legendary 👍👍👍

[@zmyopmrnpmom2702]

I’ve been looking forward to your analysis since the end of the game I’m excited

[@owenthompson1847]

Bravo, Maestro Squidge! Da iawn!

[@johnhelms8226]

Outstanding video and analysis!

[@leobocquillon9776]

Great video as always !

[@weaponizedmaddness2700]

Great to see you got the licensing sorted

[@alexmctavish5264]

Top 14 rugby finally being shown in the uk again this weekend and I can’t wait

[@miccharlie]

I was in the stands on Kolbe's wing for the first half... So frustrating! Mad game though, cracking atmosphere for just 10k fans

[@jace8603]

12:32 "It's a non-uniform day mum please" 😂😂😂

[@MathieuChauvin]

As always, awesome work Squidge! I wouldn’t be that critical about the game quality. It’s very well balanced teams with a strong defense. Game was very tactical and a pleasure to watch even if it wasn’t ‘rugby champagne’ like in the Southern Hemisphere

[@mr.codingmaster2]

Tuff game to watch but also to ref.. credit to the ref and the touch judges for that because it was chaos!! Great analyses as always.. always great to see another vid from you !

[@discodiarm]

Agreed, the ref did a hell of a job and made the effort to talk in french. Impressive, I've always thought Pearce was good but this was another level that I think only Nigel could have handled as smoothly. He made a real game of an utter mess and deserves a lot of credit for allowing a spectacle to emerge from what could have been a blood bath.

[@wheelocksportscoaching8400]

Very good analysis as always. interesting you didn't mention how LAR loaded the other side (their right) after the previous ruck before the try and Toulouse good trickery, great defensive work to win the match

[@tonystack1622]

Great stuff squidge

[@gunna_glock9320]

this analysis is on another level

[@MrBreakingBud]

I'm from la Rochelle, I'm sad, but congrats Toulousains :)

[@lmarislmarislmaris4271]

Such a valiant effort. While i was cheering for Toulouse, I think the result might have been different if LaRochelle had held their discipline.

[@antivalidisme5669]

Imagine I was born in Bayonne.Such a bunch of talents and what a match- I wasn't talking about Biarritz Vs Bayonne though the suspens

[@jakemoore1262]

SQUIDGEEEEEEE RUGBYYYYYYY

[@Papoose316]

That’s Rugby! 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🤩

[@Argenswiss]

Toulouse have in their ranks a very very very promissing midfield partnershit in Chocobares - Mallia, they are already showing bits of what they can do but they are yet to explode as they are both really young. Make no mistake, they will be the future starting partnership for Argentina and if the french side plays its card properly, they will have a world class partnership for years to come!

[@professionalprocrastinator8103]

Squidge, dunno whether or not you're gonna read this mate but I truly appreciate this change of pace. Most of the analysis is still a mumbo jumbo of slurred words pronounced at the speed of light (kinda reminiscent of the typical spanish conversation by the way), but I respect the effort that you made to slow down ever so slightly that roughly 50% of it is understandable. Hopefully in a year I'll manage to understand it all, fingers crossed!

[@dandavies1653]

great vid

[@l.8159]

Great analysis, a real pleasure to watch! Could you consider adding some subtitles ? In french that would be perfect but even english ones could help

[@robertpurves3195]

Superb.

[@TheDeadlyVortex]

Can you do an analysis on challenge Cup final Leicester vs montpellier, love seeing your analysis on the games, cheers.

[@Personal_Chizo]

"Juan Cruz MAEIA" simply sent me to another plane of existence. 😭😖

[@calummoran4626]

To be fair to Dupont there were no clear clocks in the stadium on the day. It was really hard to keep a track of the time as there were two small boards on either end of the pitch on ground level but these were obscured by camera crews and the advertising boards

[@BeardVsTheWorldUK1]

Awesome video, but could you please do one in beginner rugby? My vocab is not enough for your fantastic, advanced analysis.

[@vonteflon]

8:25 That kind of tackle in midfield says to me this bloke is being wasted on the wing! 💪🏼

[@vonteflon]

5:00 I really hope that Devin Toner nickname sticks!! 😂😂😂

[@julien616]

Coach was saying “ we aren’t playing ball , we must play ball” I’m not kidding

[@joshc1981]

No thoughts on the Challenge cup final? I feel insulted as a Tigers fan given how well we turned around since Squidge doing his video ripping into us.

[@jorianx2197]

One word: Dupont

[@chroniclesofvereor]

great vid, MLR content who tho! USA eagles roster just named and a third of the roster are uncapped MLR players with barely a season under their belts, also the number one draft pick conner mooneyham aslo named after only half a professional season under his belt

[@billylynch6116]

8:00 was so funny

[@richardjohnston4677]

Please please please do an analysis of the ladies prem final.

[@squaddiematchracing]

Would you be able to do one on the Brumbies v Reds Super Rugby AU final?

[@louisc7525]

Can't coz of copyright unfortunately

[@squaddiematchracing]

Stick figure animations?

[@27FreddyG]

@13:25 Kolbe really didn't need to let that bounce. He slows down so much. A lot of wingers score that easily.

[@discodiarm]

😆

[@Ninjapiratewizard]

3:35 the WHAT

[@sandyjanecartigny8659]

Just for the try of La Rochelle, if you look, there is a forward. I'm french so if my english is not good it's for that.

[@sandyjanecartigny8659]

a no come

[@kulkarniprabhanjan]

Can I request you make a video on Indian rugby want to promote it on a personal level? I have watched rugby on and off, but with cricket being religion here, it makes too little sense to telecast them. want to promote it so new and young players can get in on the fun.

[@Pandemonis]

Commenting for more input on that. Just having 10 countries (ok, there's more than 10 but honestly, after the first 10 do you seriously expect an upset?) play rugby is sad, Im always up to discover some new nations' rugby, each with their feel of the game, and promoting them will make them better (remember when Argentina was a joke to everybody ? Or France - 'mmkay it much older, but still)

[@justsceptic3085]

toulouse, veni,vidi, victi !

[@richardpakkies3346]

Sideburns in space LMAO😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ellendal1976]

RUGBY !

[@rupertdodson7348]

There should be a rugby world club cup (winner of the Champions Cup plays the winner of Super Rugby)

[@jamesmichaelmcdermot]

Hmm, you said "Gaelic Dan Carter" but I think the script probably said Gallic. Gaelic Dan Carter is Ronan O'Gara. Or Stephen Cluxton. (That's a niche one for the Gaels.)

[@shanejackson2062]

How good is this man's rugby brain?

[@AntonioMiranda-ec6qq]

I love you so much

[@dhirenfernando8159]

cant believe this got taken down lol

[@away5544]

10:30 François Cros not Elstadt

[@samrowe8752]

The star war? Alright dad

[@micheltrehard5302]

great analysis, one more time.I understand that speaking so fast is part of the fun and represents a kind of signature but... it is so hard for a French brain to catch what you say. Subtitles in English would improve your audience on this side of the Channel.

[@clemt.6670]

14:53 La Rochelle's #8 is not pushing on the center as he's supposed to but between the #7 and the #4. Is that allowed? It completely ruined Toulouse's scrum in the first 20 min

[@Skyscraper2015]

Ah these are definitely odd times when the team that repeatedly wins the title is called Toulouse. I would have thought that by now they might have considered a name change but eh?

[@RabbitholeIsrael]

yes, toconquer, tobeat, totriumph, toostrong....

[@kealanharkin]

this match couldnt have been more French

[@V-2BN]

What do you mean?

[@aquiladoro8535]

well because it was an all-french final, the other leagues can't provide this at the moment 😎

[@kealanharkin]

@@V-2BN world class rugby one minute, on field decapitation the next

[@roryd892]

Here via VPN 😉

[@antivalidisme5669]

Freaking Dupont!

[@MyFreaknick]

Saying the top14 has no defence...

[@lecygnenoir4313]

Not really that it has no defense but that it doesn't have "innovative" defense? That actually seems accurate to me, top 14 defenses are extremely intense and engaged but they're also consistently one model late. There's a lot of relying on tried and tested systems from the last major international tournament and raw physicality, while offense gets a lot of tactical and technical attention. Watching top 14 you'll often get a preview of an attaking idea you'll see again in the next 6 Nations, but that almost never happens with defensive systems. One of the things that make "full strength" Toulouse so unstoppable in top 14 is that they're basically running a test-level offense (doesn't really get any better than Dupont/Ntamack as playmakers) against two to three seasons old defenses. There's a reason why France at the test level ended up bringing in outside help on the defensive side, while commiting to domestic offensive thinking.

[@symeremeyers4148]

13:41 what is he saying here ? It sounds like gibberish and I think I hear the word "try" but that doesn't make any sense as Kolbe was tackled into touch.

[@arthurespinosa8651]

⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟 ❤️🖤 Toulouse... the best

[@Nieljoyceniel]

😆

[@Theriot6592]

Eighteen minutes? That's a long time to just say "Ihaia West couldn't kick that day."

[@SiwanBouss]

He just missed half of his kicks at goal, let's give him some slack

[@a7uiop]

To summarise: "red card"

[@brendo2005]

@@SiwanBouss didnt he hit 3/5? and 2 of them were literally off the posts. man some people got no chill

[@SiwanBouss]

​@@brendo2005 He was 4/7 and all three of them were off the posts, but that doesn't really matter, the fact is that he missed them and that cost them the game. Also the first comment was a witty attempt at humoring us viewers, let's leave it at that.

[@jaytierney1401]

honestly i thought leinster were gonna win

[@draaz7171]

🇨🇵💥TOULOUSE💥 LA ROCHELLE💥 MONTPELLIER 💥🇨🇵

[@warrenconlongrant5300]

I love what you do. But I was at the match, and I saw it differently.

[@leonardomaffei1826]

Great analysis as always. I have a question... Why don't international rugby teams have the player's name on the shirt? It's a one off game so identifying players is a lot easier. Don't you think?

[@BotteEnTouche]

I have two theories. First, jersey numbers are linked to a specific position, not a player. You look at the jersey number, you know exactly what his position is on the field. This is not something you encounter in other sports where numbers aren't synonymous with a position. Second theory is that rugby is a true team sport where individual glory is discouraged in favour of collective success. Putting a name on a jersey seems individualistic and goes against the sport's values. That's my guess. I have to say I've never noticed names on rugby jerseys, where have you seen that?

[@asadok7452]

@@BotteEnTouche racing 92 had their names on their short (above their ass) last season.

[@n4s98]

Simple answer, Luke Pearce with his rules for thee not for me approach

[@gabrielventer493]

just got a vpn to watch this

[@DJjaza88]

Wait so what did Montpellier win?

[@cookiesenpai1641]

Challenge Cup. It's a European Cup for lower tier clubs as not all can qualify for the Champions Cup

[@alexandre526]

The challenge cup, the "smaller" European cup for clubs who placed lower in their domestic leagues last year

[@DJjaza88]

@@cookiesenpai1641 Ah ok

[@jamiebrown1235]

Sorta like Europa and UEFA

[@gunna_glock9320]

Please do some super Rugby NZ analysis

[@magnuspeacock5857]

Copyright doesn't allow him to unfortunately

[@martinsaville7859]

I have no dog in the fight, but surely Kolbe's "tackle" in the last phase of the game was a penalty to La Rochelle - no attempt to wrap his arms, just his right shoulder into the attacker's chest.

[@davtona]

I’d just like to mention that we all (apart from LR & Tlse fans) feel cheated not having Leinster in this match, just for the Sex-wobbler jokes, so if you could sneak a few gratuitous JS references in during the Lions Deep Dive we’d appreciate it. Yours Sincerely Waz, Stevo and Baldy.

[@Hertog_von_Berkshire]

Still doesn't explain why Toulouse won. For me the two sides were equally matched but Toulouse got the "rub of the green".

[@fastsnake]

Well, La Rochelle got a red card in the first half... I mean, that (almost) explains it all.

[@Hertog_von_Berkshire]

@@fastsnake, dang, I forgot about the red card. My memory is getting worse.

[@hitchikerspie]

Disappointed you didn't reference the Toulouse tackle that should've been a red too, everyone seems to have wiped that from history all of a sudden

[@Joellercoaster]

Squidge is generally more interested in what the players are doing than the referees.

[@eriikjohnsson]

How's the commentator shouting at 8:00 😅

[@eriikjohnsson]

Who is*

[@eriikjohnsson]

Who are?

[@pmartin3888]

Mick Morgan. check the video: Castleford v Wigan

[@alanb9443]

Sorry but defending the ball isn’t a La Rochelle innovation. Gustards entire defensive strategy was about attacking the ball. There is a video online where he explain it. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXvIn5aLjs6Yn7c There’s the link.

[@christophercrowley7574]

Two words luke pearce

[@kenrehill8775]

So, I can explain this very easily. That lot in the red, were to a man, better players than that lot in yellow. They then played the standard 80 minutes of a regulation rugby match. The ones in red scored more than those in yellow, which normally means that they won. That was the fifth time that the ones in red have won this championship, and each team that wins it gets a star. The ones in red have won it five times, so they get five stars. No racism was hurt or injured in the playing of this game, and no dodgy genders were offended, and I believe that even though there was not a single homosexual in any of the teams, somehow no one’s feelings were hurt. Generally no offence was caused, although your pronunciation Bottia, was a bit borderline in some people’s opinion.

[@SG-vq2pc]

If you think this game is most "Top 14 game" you british clearly need to watch top 14 again. Might be a good thing when you see the poor level and creativity in the Premiership

[@booey28]

Fucking hell you don’t need to analyse anything on the match Red card = losing team...simple!!

[@LureThosePixels]

Going to cover the trans Tasman super Rugby slaughter that's going on? No NZ team wants to be the first to lose to an Australian team

[@leeofdoom4452]

Not here to watch the video, just here to mention that this wasn't 'number five' The Heineken Cup has died, this is not the Heineken Cup.... Thank you

[@markc.6950]

Toulouse didnt win, La Rochelle lost it, pretty simple.

[@privatebaldric8767]

To be honest that red card still feels a bit unnecessary to me. There were half a dozen other times during the game where someone made contact to the head without similar consequences which made the whole thing feel kinda arbitrary

[@joeloutau4956]

Definitely a red card but you're right that other moments could have lead to a least a bin

[@Ranyanya]

Referees are not severe enough with red cards if you consider the new rules. There should be more of them if they applied it properly.

[@mr.meeseeks3074]

He got a red cart because of the intensity/violence of the contact at the head but also because he didn't even tried to go down.