Ntamack brilliance snatches Top 14 title for Toulouse

Romain Ntamack scored a brilliant solo try three minutes from time as Toulouse snatched a dramatic 29-26 French Top 14 final victory over European champions La Rochelle in Paris in a game that had significance for Leinster.

Ntamack broke through several tackles as he raced 65 yards to score the winning try, a moment of excellence to cap off a high-quality final that see-sawed one way and then the other.

Had La Rochelle prevailed, it would have meant that the Irish province would have joined the European champions, Munster and Saracens as top seeds in this week's draw for the pool stages of the 2023/24 Heineken Champions Cup.

The dramatic finale means they will join the remaining sides as Tier 2 sides on Wednesday.

Toulouse extended their record number of Top 14 wins to 22 and denied La Rochelle their first. Centre Santiago Chocobares also crossed for a try in the opening half as the teams went to the break at 13-13.

Scrumhalf Tawera Kerr-Barlow and prop Uini Atonio scored tries for La Rochelle, who trailed by 10 points in the opening period, then rallied to lead going into the closing stages, but could not hold on for the win.

Fullback Thomas Ramos kicked 19 points for Toulouse as they matched La Rochelle’s physicality and had the guile to get them over the line and deny the latter a maiden domestic title to go with their recent European success.

"We almost did not believe we could do it at the end, and then there is a stroke of genius from Romain," Toulouse's Julien Marchand told France 2.

"We were undisciplined and almost paid for it. But congratulations again to them (La Rochelle) because they were very, very strong, and they had a very good season."

Toulouse scored their first try thanks to another excellent solo effort from