Stade Toulousain claim record 25th Top 14 title after storm delay against Montpellier

Stade Toulousain secured a record 25th Bouclier de Brennus on Saturday, defeating Montpellier 28–20 in a Top 14 final that was temporarily halted by a thunderstorm before Ugo Mola’s side held on through a tense closing quarter.

Toulouse were dominant from the first whistle, crossing the whitewash as early as the sixth minute when hooker Peato Mauvaka found space out wide, beat Donovan Taofifenua with a sharp dummy step, and grounded the ball unopposed. Montpellier responded with two Domingo Miotti penalties to stay in touch, but Toulouse quickly reasserted control.

Romain Ntamack, in one of his finest performances of the season, restored the seven-point cushion before Toulouse put the game beyond doubt in the final seven minutes of the first half. Mauvaka crossed for his second try and Antoine Dupont added a third, with Ntamack converting one and then landing two penalties to send the defending champions into the break leading 25–6.

Montpellier emerged with greater intent after the interval. Gabriel Ngandebe set up Justo Piccardo for a well-worked try, and Toulouse’s task was briefly complicated when winger Matthis Lebel was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on. Facing a 14-man Toulouse side, however, Montpellier still could not find a way through, committing a series of handling errors that stifled their own momentum.

Ntamack extended the lead to 28–13 with a penalty around the 52nd minute, before a thunderstorm brought play to a halt and cast uncertainty over the remainder of the final. When the match resumed, Montpellier struck immediately — Léo Coly carving through the defence and converting his own try to close the gap to eight points.

With 15 minutes left, Montpellier pressed hard but were repeatedly let down by their set-piece, squandering two five-metre lineouts that could have made the scoreline genuinely precarious. Toulouse, composed and disciplined to the end, saw out the result to spark scenes of celebration and claim the title outright as the most decorated club in Top 14 history.