Why To Watch Leinster Vs. Toulouse: FloRugby Expert Philip Bendon Explains
Why To Watch Leinster Vs. Toulouse: FloRugby Expert Philip Bendon Explains
FloRugby expert Philip Bendon says the Investec Champions Cup at 9:45 a.m. EDT on May 25 features the top two teams in the world and expects "fireworks."
The Investec Champions Cup Final will always bring a lot of excitement as the best professional rugby club is crowned as the champions of Europe.
But not all Champions Cup Final matchups are created equal, and 2024 is a prime example, according to FloRugby analysis Philip Bendon.
“Any time you can match up the two most successful European clubs in history it always leads to fireworks,” Bendon said.
Those, of course, would be Leinster Rugby and Toulouse, or Stade Toulousain, who faceoff at 9:45 a.m. Eastern on May 25 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London for the 2024 Investec Champions Cup Final.
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That match, as well as the EPCR Challenge Cup Final at 3 p.m. EDT on May 24 between Gloucester Rugby and the HollywoodBets Sharks, is streaming live in the United States on FloRuby and the FloSports app.
How big is this match? Two teams with a total of nine Champions Cup titles will face off. Leinster, with four, has a chance to finally tie Toulouse's five titles.
“One thing is for certain though,” Bendon said, “these two sides are clearly the best two teams in the Champions Cup and whoever wins on Saturday will be considered the greatest club in the competition’s history.”
Here’s why rugby fans need to watch the 2024 Investec Champions Cup, according to FloRugby’s Philip Bendon.
Leinster Vs. Toulouse In The 2024 Investec Champions Cup Filled With Revenge Narratives
The last two seasons Toulouse’s Champions Cup year ended at the hands of Leinster. Both of those semifinal losses came in Dublin.
“Over the past two seasons, Leinster has quite comfortably knocked Toulouse out at the semifinal stage, and in both instances, scored more than 40 points,” Bendon said. “However, as the Toulouse’s talismanic captain Antoine Dupont said, ‘Leinster has lost in the final twice. It will be a particular context for which we must prepare.’”
As much as Toulouse is looking to rebound, Bendon said Leinster is trying to prove it has “broken the cycle” after losing to powerful French opposition the past two years.
“Whether this has broken the cycle of Leinster losing to powerful French opposition in a final remains to be seen," he said. "But under back-to-back Rugby World Cup winning coach Jacques Nienaber, there is a steely edge to the Dublin side that has previously be absent.”
Nienaber was hired before the season by Leinster after he helped South Africa to the World Cup win. He is the senior coach of Leinster working with head coach Leo Cullen.
Antoine Dupont Is An All-Time Rugby Great. He Might Even Be The Best In the World
Bendon doesn’t mince words here. Dupont, the 27-year-old scrumhalf for Toulouse, is among the game’s best players.
“Antoine Dupont is possibly the greatest player of the past decade and possibly will end his career as the best of the professional era,” Bendon said. “Based purely on individual talent, he is on a par with the great All Blacks duo of Dan Carter and Richie McCaw, in my personal opinion.”
Dupont is a former Investec Champions Cup Player of the Year and a former World Rugby Player of the Year. If you want to know how important he is, Bendon said to just look at the French Rugby team’s most recent Guinness Six Nations play. Without Dupont, who was focused on the Olympic Rugby sevens team, the French team had a hard time in the tournament.
“Without Dupont, France struggled mightily in the Guinness Six Nations, and Toulouse also sees a dropoff in performance when he is not around,” Bendon said. “At times, Dupont is simply unplayable and is quite possible the best trail runner in the game, meaning he is always close to the action to either make a key run, deliver a timely pass or finish off a move himself.”
All of Dupont’s professional games can be streamed on FloRugby and the FloSports app. Dupont will lead France’s Rugby sevens team in the Summer Olympics in Paris, likely skipping most of the French Rugby summer contests.
Three Of Philip Bendon’s Five Best Rugby Players In The World Will Play In The Investec Champions Cup Final
The discussion on Dupont led to a broader list of who are the best players in the world right now. For Bendon, three of his top 5 players will play significant roles in the Investec Champions Cup Final.
“Nailing down just five players is tough,” Bendon said. “But my list would be Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), Dan Sheehan (Ireland), Ardie Savea (New Zealand), Pieter-Steph Du Toit (South Africa) and Dupont (France).
Leinster features 19 members of the dominant Ireland Rugby national team, and that includes Gibson-Park and Sheehan.
All of Bendon’s top players can be seen on FloRugby.
Leinster plays in the United Rugby Championship, while Toulouse is in the Top 14. Both leagues are about to begin their knockout stages.
Meanwhile, Ardie Savea formerly played in the Super Ruby league for the Hurricanes in New Zealand before moving to Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan.
While Pieter-Steph Du Toit’s professional team in the Japan Rugby League One, the South African national team will play Ireland and New Zealand on FloRugby in the summer of 2024.
Leinster Rugby, Toulouse Are The Two Best Professional Rugby Teams In The World In 2024
For this season, Bendon said it’s clear that Leinster and Toulouse, the defending Top 14 champion, are the best professional teams right now. But that’s because the Crusaders of the Super Rugby league in the Southern Hemisphere are in 10th place in their table. The Crusaders, who can be streamed on FloRugby, have won seven straight league titles.
But for this year?
“In 2024 it is hard to argue that these two sides are not the best in the world given their placing both in the Champions Cup and their respective domestic leagues,” Bendon said.
“When you look at the hard facts, Leinster is pretty close to being the full Irish test team, while Toulouse is the bulk suppliers of the French team. In addition to their factory line of homegrown stars, both clubs have a sprinkling of foreign international stars meaning they both would likely defeat most international teams in the world let alone club sides.”
What’s The One Matchup To Watch? Antoine Dupont Vs. Jamison Gibson-Park
“The most glaring match up is the battles of the nines as JGP and Dupont renew their rivalry in a straight shootout for the best scrumhalf in the sport,” Bendon said. “In a weird way, JGP probably is the best scrumhalf in the world, but Dupont is the best player in the world.”
What are their differences?
“The Leinster No. 9 does all of his scrumhalf duties to an incredibly high standard, and like Dupont, is the heartbeat of his team. Dupont, on the other hand, is an all-action player who pops up all over the park, both in attack and defense, where he physically dominates much bigger players than himself.
“Should Leinster win the Champions Cup, and Ireland beat the Springboks in South Africa later this season, then JGP likely will be the World Player Of The Year for 2024.”
More Investec Champions Cup News, Updates
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Where Is The Investec Champions Cup Final, EPCR Challenge Cup Final in 2025?
Cardiff, Wales takes over hosting duties for the EPCR's biggest weekend in 2025. Principality Stadium will host the two finals on a date yet to be announced. It'll be the first time since 2014 that Wales' capital has hosted the finals.
Cardiff has hosted the Champions Cup Final seven times and in the five times Principality Stadium has hosted, the attendance has been above 68,000 fans.
Top 14 And URC Rugby Seasons Stream Live On FloRugby
The Top 14 and the United Rugby Championship seasons, as well as the Pacific region's professional league, Super Rugby, are all streaming on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States.
How To Watch The Investec Champions Cup In The United States
Every game in the Investec Champions Cup is available on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States, including the final in May. Match archives, highlights and breaking news will be available on both platforms.
Investec Champions Cup Semifinal Scores
Here are the scores from the semifinals:
- Leinster Rugby 20, Northampton Saints 17
- Toulouse Rugby 38, Harlequins F.C. 26
Investec Champions Cup Quarterfinals Scores
Here are the scores from the quarterfinals:
- Harlequins F.C. 42, Union Bordeaux-Bègles 41
- Leinster Rugby 40, La Rochelle 13
- Northampton Saints 59, Vodacom Bulls
- Toulouse 64, Exeter Chiefs 26
Investec Champions Cup Round Of 16 Rugby Scores
Here are the scores from the Round of 16:
- Vodacom Bulls 59, Lyon 19, Final
- La Rochelle 22, DHL Stormers 21, Final
- Exeter Chiefs 21, Bath Final
- Union Bordeaux-Bègles 45, Saracens 12, Final
- Leinster 36, Leicester Tigers 22
- Northampton Saints 24, Munster Rugby 14
- Toulouse 31, Racing 92 7
What To Know About Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
The host of the Champions Cup final moves from Aviva Stadium in Dublin to London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The venue is the third-largest stadium in England and home to Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Investec Champions Cup Scores In Round 1
Dec. 8
- Northampton Saints 28, Glasgow Warriors 19
- Union Bordeaux-Bègles 41, Connacht Rugby 5
Dec. 9
- Exeter Chiefs 19, RC Toulon 18
- Bath Rugby 37, vs. Ulster Rugby 14
- Toulouse 42, vs Cardiff Rugby 7
- Vodacom Bulls 27, Saracens 16
- Munster Rugby 17, Aviron Bayonnais 17
- Bristol Bears 36, Lyon 24
Dec. 10
- Sale Sharks 28, Stade Français 5
- Leinster Rugby 16, La Rochelle 9
- Leicester Tigers 35, DHL Stormers 26
- Harlequins 31, Racing 92 28
All these matches are streaming on FloRugby and the FloSports app.
Investec Champions Cup Scores In Round 2
Dec. 15
- Northampton Saints 22, RC Toulon 19
- Glasgow Warriors 12, Aviron Bayonnais 11
Dec. 16
- DHL Stormers 21, La Rochelle 20
- Saracens 55, Connacht Rugby 36
- Union Bordeaux-Bègles 36, Bristol Bears 17
- Vodacom Bulls 29, Lyon 28
- Leinster Rugby 37, Sale Sharks 27
- Bath Rugby 39, Cardiff Rugby 32
- Ulster Rugby 31, Racing 92 15
Dec. 17
- Exeter Chiefs 32, Munster Rugby 24
- Toulouse 47, Harlequins 19
- Leicester Tigers 27, Stade Français 24
All these matches are streaming on FloRugby and the FloSports app.
Investec Champions Cup Scores In Round 3
Jan. 12
- Northampton Saints 61, Aviron Bayonnais 14
Jan. 13
- Lyon 34, Connacht 20
- Exeter Chiefs 19, Glasgow Warriors 17
- Vodacom Bulls 31, Bristol Bears 17
- Munster Rugby 29, RC Toulon 18
- Leinster Rugby 43, Stade Français 7
- DHL Stormers 31, Sale Sharks 24
- Harlequins 54, Cardiff Rugby 15
- Toulouse 48, Ulster Rugby 24
Jan. 14
- Bath Rugby 29, Racing 92 25
- La Rochelle 45, Leicester Tigers 12
- Union Bordeaux-Bègles 55, Saracens 15
All these matches are streaming on FloRugby and the FloSports app.
Investec Champions Cup Scores In Round 4
Jan. 19
- Glasgow Warriors 29, RC Toulon 5
- Connacht Rugby 27, Bristol Bears 10
Jan. 20
- Harlequins 47, Ulster Rugby 19
- Vodacom Bulls 46, Union Bordeaux-Bègles 40
- Leinster Rugby 27, Leicester Tigers 10
- Racing 92 48, Cardiff Rugby 26
- Northampton Saints 26, Munster Rugby 23
- DHL Stormers 24, Stade Français 20
- Saracens 39, Lyon 24
Jan. 21
- La Rochelle 37, Sale Sharks 24
- Toulouse 31, Bath Rugby 19
- Aviron Bayonnais 40, Exeter Chiefs 17
All these matches are streaming on FloRugby and the FloSports app.
How To Watch Rugby Matches In the United States On FloRugby
The Investec Champions Cup will stream all its matches on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States. FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:
- Investec Champions Cup
- EPCR Challenge Cup
- United Rugby Championship
- Currie Cup
- Top 14
- Super Rugby
- And more
FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.