The word legendary is sometimes over-used. But Romain Ntamack's 78th-minute try in the Top 14 final between Toulouse and La Rochelle deserves the supreme adjective.
Historic. Unforgettable. Memorable.
Don't waste any more.
La Rochelle should have won the final ...
Let's be honest, Toulouse should not have won this match. La Rochelle logically led 26-22, dominating the scrum, the touchline, the ground and the scoreline. The Stade Rochelais had done everything they could to take the lead with just a few seconds remaining.
The fans believed in the miracle of a first title. Especially when the Toulouse opener, who was discovering the Stade de France as a first-team regular with Toulouse, kicked a dead ball on one of his team's rare highlights.
At that precise moment, Toulouse could no longer win. Ugo Mola even thought of sending off the French prodigy, groggy after his blunder.
But Romain Ntamack is not a normal player. He's not built like the others and, in his head, he's the strongest.
Ntamack decided otherwise
In a dazzling move on 78ᵉ minutes, the fly-half took an unlikely gap, tore through the black and yellow defence and finished off a furious 50-metre run into the Maritimes in-goal.
La Rochelle had the shield in their hands. Romain Ntamack decided otherwise.
An action like no other for a player like no other. A cruel outcome for the La Rochelle fans. Immense joy for the Toulouse fans.
Toulouse's 29-26 victory will remain in the memories of all those who witnessed the match. Romain Ntamack's tears at the final whistle put an end to one of the greatest seasons in the history of the Top 14.
Well done Toulouse. And thank you.
