Top 14: the semi-finals and the final already sold out

The Six Nations Tournament has just ended, the Top 14 will resume its rights this weekend with the 19th day. Spotlight on the championship. This Wednesday, the National Rugby League officially launched the countdown, 100 days before the start of the final phase. This year, as has been the case since 2015, the two Top 14 semi-finals will take place in the same stadium. And this year, and for the third time, it will be at Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux. “It’s a city where there is great fervor around rugby,” recalls René Bouscatel, the president of the LNR. UBB is the club that attracts the most audiences with an average of 28,000 spectators, which is a record.” And the Bordeaux club will be full again, Sunday (9:05 p.m.) in Chaban-Delmas, for the clash at the top against Stade Toulousain.

On the occasion of this symbolic date, the League invited Matthieu Bastareaud, team manager of Toulon, and Yannick Nyanga, coaches of the Espoirs du Racing 92, to evoke their memories in the Gironde enclosure. And, for both, these memories are “painful” since in 2015, they lost with the RCT (against Stade Français) and Toulouse (against Clermont) respectively. “I like this stadium, where there is really a special atmosphere,” confides Nyanga who played his last match with the Rouge et Noir on this occasion.

Following these semi-finals in Bordeaux, the final will exceptionally be relocated to the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, the Stade de France being under construction to prepare for the Paris 2024 Olympics. This will be only the second time since the LNR been created, that the final will not take place in the Dyonisian enclosure. The only time until then was for the 2016 final at Camp Nou in Barcelona between Toulon and Racing. “Another bad memory,” smiled Bastareaud, who lost against Dan Carter. But it was a pretty crazy experience. We usually say that we are going to Paris for the final. There, going to Barcelona was unique.”

What Yannick Nyanga confirms: “It was something pretty crazy! The scenario, in addition, had been incredible since we had taken a red card (Maxime Machenaud) quickly but we had managed to turn this match around. The prospect of this first final at the Vélodrome, on June 28, “I love this stadium, it’s clearly the one I prefer,” says Yannick Nyanga. I only have good memories there. This city of Marseille breathes rugby and partying. This is going to be a great finals date!”

And success will be there. Three matches have already been sold out for several weeks, i.e. 150,000 people for these three matches. “The stadiums are already full for these matches,” announced René Bouscatel, who recalled that a survey recently highlighted the fact that rugby has become the second most publicized sport in France, behind football but now ahead tennis. Last year, the relocation of the Top 14 semi-finals to San Sebastian, in the Basque Country, was a great success. Rugby has become accustomed to leaving its comfort zone. And the supporters respond.