Antoine Dupont, Defending Champ Toulouse Crush Ulster Rugby In Round 1
Antoine Dupont, Defending Champ Toulouse Crush Ulster Rugby In Round 1
The No. 1 professional rugby club in the world, led by the best player in the world, Antoine Dupont, looked like the Champions Cup favorites vs. Ulster.
The No. 1 club team in the world was up 12-0 before the 10-minute mark and led 40-14 at halftime en route to a 61-21 win in Round 1 (Pool 1) of the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup, as Toulouse quickly dispatched Ulster Rugby back to Belfast in Stade Ernest Wallon on Dec. 8.
Led by the No. 1 player in the world, Antoine Dupont, who had a first-half try, and powered by more stars, including Roman Ntamack and Thomas Ramos, the defending Champions Cup titlists and six-time winners overall, started 1-0-0 in their quest for back-to-back titles.
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Dupont, the star of the Olympic gold medal-winning rugby sevens French team, has made Toulouse, 8-0-3 in Top 14, nearly unbeatable. The losses Toulouse has suffered this season came with Dupont out of the lineup.
Ulster came into the game missing Jacob Stockdale, the Irish Rugby national who suffered an injury during the Autumn Nations play. Without Stockdale in the lineup, Ulster couldn't match the Toulouse firepower.
Toulouse Jumps All Over Ulster Rugby
Toulouse wasted no time asserting its dominance, with Matthis Lebel crossing the line in the first minute, followed by Romain Ntamack’s try in the eighth minute. Thomas Ramos converted to give the hosts an early 12-0 lead.
Ulster responded with James McCormick scoring and Nathan Doak converting to narrow the gap to 12-7. However, Toulouse surged ahead with tries from Emmanuel Meafou, Ange Capuozzo and Antoine Dupont, all converted by Ramos, taking the score to 33-7.
Stewart Moore’s try for Ulster, converted by Doak, provided a glimmer of hope for the visitors, but Emmanuel Meafou’s second try, converted by Ramos, closed the half at 40-14 in favor of Toulouse.
Toulouse Coasts In Second Half To Win
Toulouse continued its clinical display, with Santiago Chocobares and Ange Capuozzo scoring tries, both converted by Ramos, extending the lead to 54-14.
Ulster’s Iain Henderson managed a late try, converted by Doak, but it was merely a consolation, as Toulouse comfortably closed out the match with a dominant 54-21 scoreline.
What's Next For Toulouse Rugby, Ulster Rugby?
Toulouse travels to Exeter Chiefs in Round 2, while Ulster hosts UBB Rugby.
UBB Vs. Leicester Tigers Scoring Summary
Toulouse: Tries: Lebel (1’), Ntamack (8’), Meafou (14’, 40’), Capuozzo (27’, 56’), Dupont (29’), Chocobares (50’), Penalty Try (80'); Conversions: Ramos (8’, 14’, 27’, 29’, 40’, 50’, 56’)
Ulster Rugby: Tries: McCormick (12’), Moore (36’), Henderson (67’); Conversions: Doak (12’, 36’, 67’)
Investec Champions Cup 2024-2025 Round 1
- La Rochelle 24, Bath Rugby 20
- ASM Clermont Auvergne 28, Benetton Rugby 0
- Hollywoodbets Sharks 39 Exeter Chiefs 21
- Northampton Saints 38, Castres Olympique 8
- RC Toulon 24, DHL Stormers 14
- Munster Rugby 33, Stade Francais Paris 7
- Saracens 27, Vodacom Bulls 5
- Glasgow Warriors 38, Sale Sharks 19, Sat, Dec 7
- Racing 92 23 Harlequins 12, Sat
- Union Bordeaux-Bègles 42, Leicester Tigers 28
- Stade Toulousain 54, Ulster Rugby 21
- Bristol Bears vs. Leinster Rugby, Sun, Dec 8, 2024, 12:30 PM, Ashton Gate
Investec Champions Cup 2024-2025 Round 2
- Sale Sharks vs. Racing 92, Fri, Dec 13, 2024, 3 PM, Salford Community Stadium
- Castres Olympique vs. Munster Rugby, Fri, Dec 13, 2024, 3 PM, Stade Pierre-Fabre
- Vodacom Bulls vs. Northampton Saints, Sat, Dec 14, 2024, 8 AM, Loftus Versfeld
- Ulster Rugby vs. Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Sat, Dec 14, 2024, 10:15 AM, Kingspan Stadium
- Leinster Rugby vs. ASM Clermont Auvergne, Sat, Dec 14, 2024, 12:30 PM, Aviva Stadium
- Leicester Tigers vs. Hollywoodbets Sharks, Sat, Dec 14, 2024, 12:30 PM, Mattioli Woods Welford Road
- Stade Rochelais vs. Bristol Bears, Sat, Dec 14, 2024, 3 PM, Stade Marcel Deflandre
- Harlequins vs. DHL Stormers, Sat, Dec 14, 2024, 3 PM, Twickenham Stoop
- RC Toulon vs. Glasgow Warriors, Sun, Dec 15, 2024, 8 AM, Stade Felix Mayol
- Benetton Rugby vs. Bath Rugby, Sun, Dec 15, 2024, 8 AM, Stadio Monigo
- Stade Francais Paris vs. Saracens, Sun, Dec 15, 2024, 10:15 AM, Stade Jean Bouin
- Exeter Chiefs vs. Stade Toulousain, Sun, Dec 15, 2024, 12:30 PM, Sandy Park
Investec Champions Cup 2024-2025 Round 3
- Glasgow Warriors vs. Racing 92, Fri, Jan 10, 2025, 3 PM, Scotstoun Stadium
- DHL Stormers vs. Sale Sharks, Sat, Jan 11, 2025, 8 AM, DHL Stadium
- Exeter Chiefs vs. Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Sat, Jan 11, 2025, 10:15 AM, Sandy Park
- Hollywoodbets Sharks vs. Stade Toulousain, Sat, Jan 11, 2025, 10:15 AM, Hollywoodbets Kings Park
- Munster Rugby vs. Saracens, Sat, Jan 11, 2025, 12:30 PM, Thomond Park
- Stade Francais Paris vs. Northampton Saints, Sat, Jan 11, 2025, 12:30 PM, Stade Jean Bouin
- Leicester Tigers vs. Ulster Rugby, Sat, Jan 11, 2025, 3 PM, Mattioli Woods Welford Road
- Castres Olympique vs. Vodacom Bulls, Sat, Jan 11, 2025, 3 PM, Stade Pierre-Fabre
- RC Toulon vs. Harlequins, Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 8 AM, Stade Felix Mayol
- Stade Rochelais vs. Leinster Rugby, Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 10:15 AM, Stade Marcel Deflandre
- Bristol Bears vs. Benetton Rugby, Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 10:15 AM, Ashton Gate
- Bath Rugby vs. ASM Clermont Auvergne, Sun, Jan 12, 2025, 12:30 PM, The Rec
Investec Champions Cup 2024-2025 Round 4
- Ulster Rugby vs. Exeter Chiefs, Fri, Jan 17, 2025, 3 PM, Kingspan Stadium
- Vodacom Bulls vs. Stade Francais Paris, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 8 AM, Loftus Versfeld
- Northampton Saints vs. Munster Rugby, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 10:15 AM, cinch Stadium @ Franklin's Gardens
- ASM Clermont Auvergne vs. Bristol Bears, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 10:15 AM, Stade Marcel-Michelin
- Benetton Rugby vs. Stade Rochelais, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 12:30 PM, Stadio Monigo
- Leinster Rugby vs. Bath Rugby, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 12:30 PM, Aviva Stadium
- Harlequins vs. Glasgow Warriors, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 3 PM, Twickenham Stoop
- Racing 92 vs. DHL Stormers, Sat, Jan 18, 2025, 3 PM, Paris La Defense Arena
- Union Bordeaux-Bègles vs. Hollywoodbets Sharks, Sun, Jan 19, 2025, 8 AM, Stade Chaban-Delmas
- Saracens vs. Castres Olympique, Sun, Jan 19, 2025, 10:15 AM, StoneX Stadium
- Stade Toulousain vs. Leicester Tigers, Sun, Jan 19, 2025, 10:15 AM, Stade Ernest Wallon
- Sale Sharks vs. RC Toulon, Sun, Jan 19, 2025, 12:30 PM, Salford Community Stadium
Investec Champions Cup Format
Key points of the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup:
- A multi-pool format, as launched in the 2023-2024 season
- 24 elite clubs - eight each from the Gallagher Premiership, URC and TOP 14 - in four pools of six
- Sporting jeopardy, with each club playing against four different opponents, home or away, in the pool stage
- Four highest-ranked clubs in each pool qualify for the Round of 16
- The Investec Champions Cup will be played over eight weekends, with four pool rounds and four knockout rounds culminating in the 2025 final, which will be staged at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday, May 24.
Investec Champions Cup Weekends
- Round 1 – 6/7/8 December 2024
- Round 2 – 13/14/15 December 2024
- Round 3 – 10/11/12 January 2025
- Round 4 – 17/18/19 January 2025
- Round of 16 – 4/5/6 April 2025
- Quarter-finals – 11/12/13 April 2025
- Semi-finals – 2/3/4 May 2025
- 2025 Investec Champions Cup final – Saturday, May 24, Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Champions Cup Qualifications
Twenty-four clubs have qualified for the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup as follows:
- United Rugby Championship (8): The eight highest-ranked clubs based on their final finishing positions.
- TOP 14 (8): The eight highest-ranked clubs based on their final finishing positions.
- Gallagher Premiership Rugby (8): The eight highest-ranked clubs based on their final finishing positions.
- If not already qualified, the winner of the 2024 Investec Champions Cup will take the place of the eighth-ranked club in its league.
Investec Champions Cup Qualifiers
- TOP 14 – Stade Toulousain, Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Stade Français Paris, RC Toulon, Stade Rochelais, Racing 92, Castres Olympique, ASM Clermont Auvergne
- GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP – Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby, Sale Sharks, Saracens, Bristol Bears, Harlequins, Exeter Chiefs, Leicester Tigers
- UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP – Glasgow Warriors, Vodacom Bulls, Munster Rugby, Leinster Rugby, DHL Stormers, Ulster Rugby, Benetton Rugby, Hollywoodbets Sharks
When Does The 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup Begin? When Is The Champions Cup Final?
The Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup begin Dec. 6, and the four-round pool-play action ends Jan. 19, 2025. The Round of 16 starts on April 4, while the quarterfinals are April 11-13. The semifinals are May 2-4.
The EPCR Championships weekend is in Cardiff, Wales at Principality Stadium. There are championship games on May 23 (EPCR Challenge Cup) and May 24 (Investec Champions Cup).
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