Ten minutes were left, Toulouse led by eight points at Ernest-Wallon, and it all looked done. That was to reckon without the composure of Stade Bordelais. In the Élite 1 féminine semi-final on Saturday, the three-time champions of France turned Stade Toulousain around 27-25, at the end of a breathless finish rounded off by a Morgane Bourgeois penalty on the hooter. Next stop Biarritz and the final on 28 June.

Toulouse in control, but they do not kill the game off

For 70 minutes, the script was a Toulouse one. Down to fourteen as early as the 3rd minute (yellow card for Nassira Konde), the Bordeaux side chased the game. Lina Queyroi got things going off the tee, then Léa Murie (30th) and Charlie Gauyat (43rd) touched down to give the hosts breathing room. Queyroi’s drop goal (58th) and then another penalty (70th) stretched the gap to 25-17. Toulouse had the game in hand.

Bordeaux’s money time

But Stade Bordelais are used to tense finishes. On 78 minutes, Elsa Peyras finished off an attack converted by Bourgeois: 25-24. Straight after, from the final play, the Gironde kicker did not flinch and landed the winning penalty (27-25). Before her, Berivan Mailagi (40th) and international Axelle Berthoumieu (67th) had already kept hope alive. The metronome of the night, Morgane Bourgeois, finished with 12 of Bordeaux’s 27 points.

Bordeaux on course for a fourth title

With this win, Stade Bordelais confirm their status as Toulouse’s bogey team, already the only side to have beaten Toulouse this season, and remain unbeaten against their rivals in knockout matches. The Gironde side will defend their crown on 28 June at the stade Aguiléra in Biarritz, with a fourth consecutive title in their sights. For Toulouse, runners-up in the regular season, it is once again the Bordeaux wall that stands one step from the final.