Rugby-Stade Toulousain through to French Top 14 final
LYON, France (Reuters) -Stade Toulousain kept up their bid for a third successive French Top 14 rugby title as they ended the hopes of outsiders Aviron Bayonnais with a 32-25 victory in their semi-final on Friday.
Toulouse, despite missing injured talisman Antoine Dupont and fellow French international Peato Mauvaka, were always ahead in the contest with two tries scored in the first half by Romain Ntamack and Paul Graou while fullback Thomas Ramos put over six penalties and two conversions for a match-winning 22-point haul.
Joris Segonds struck six penalties for Bayonne, while substitute Lucas Martin scored a consolation try with the final move of the match at the Groupama Stadium and Camille Lopez added the conversion.
Ntamack finished off a sweeping move through the middle of the field for the first try in the 12th minute, with lock Thibaud Flament breaking through before popping the ball to wing Juan Cruz Mallia, whose blind behind-his-back pass put the flyhalf over.
Graou's 33rd-minute score came after the ball was fed down an advancing Toulouse backline and then whipped back inside for the scrumhalf to easily go over.
Basque club Bayonne were playing at this stage of the competition for the first time in 42 years and were only five points behind at halftime.
However, Ramos punished their mistakes in the second half with four penalties to put the game beyond them, with their late score offering some consolation.
The second semi-final is also at Lyon on Saturday when European champions Bordeaux-Begles take on Toulon. The final will be at the Stade de France in Paris on June 28.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cincinnati)
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