Antoine Dupont issues Top 14 ‘warning’ after ‘very difficult’ Champions Cup exit for Toulouse
Antoine Dupont was frustrated by Toulouse's loss to Bordeaux, a defeat that featured a 20-minute red card for Dorian Aldegheri, inset (INPHO/James Crombie)
Antoine Dupont has given his verdict on Toulouse’s Investec Champions Cup exit at the hands of French rivals Union Bordeaux Bègles.
The France star missed last year’s semi-final loss at Bordeaux due to a long-term injury, but Toulouse were able to regroup and go on to beat the 2025 European champions in the Top 14 final after extra time.
Bordeaux have now eliminated Toulouse for the second successive year in the Champions Cup, winning Sunday’s quarter-final 30-15, but Dupont believes performances must improve if the Top 14 is to have the same outcome as last year.
Toulouse currently lead the way on 71 points with 15 wins in their 20 matches. That consistency has them 16 points clear of Pau, Stade Francais and Bordeaux, who all have 59 points, with Montpellier (57) and Clermont (52) occupying the remaining play-off berths.
“We mustn’t think it’s going to be like other years…”
Despite this comfortable lead, which will likely secure Toulouse’s direct passage to the semi-finals, Dupont issued a warning in the aftermath of Sunday’s Cup loss at Stade Chaban-Delmas.
“We have to learn from this, no matter what,” he said after the club with the most European titles had been knocked out in the last eight. “When we experience a defeat or a setback, we either hang our heads and give up, or we get back to work, learn from it and find something positive.
“Above all, we try to be better, to improve for the upcoming challenges. The team has proven itself in the past in this kind of situation. But we mustn’t think it’s going to be like other years, that we’ll make up for it and win the Top 14.
“If we don’t do more, if we don’t change certain things, we won’t succeed. So, we must also take it as a warning and tell ourselves that we need to do more.”
Where Toulouse particularly came unstuck against Bordeaux was their discipline. They finished the match having lost out 11-5 on the penalty count while they also had to cope with two cards: the 20-minute red shown to Dorian Aldegheri for his collision with Damian Penaud and then the yellow given to Dupont, leaving them reduced to 13 players for a few minutes before the red card sanction expired.
“We did manage to take the lead early on, but when the penalties dragged on, it became very difficult,” Dupont admitted. “Towards the end of the game, we ran out of steam a bit. We weren’t able to close the gap to turn things around. So, playing 30 minutes with 14 men in games at this level is definitely very difficult.”
Toulouse have won the Champions Cup on six occasions, most recently in 2024 when defeating Leinster after extra time in London. However, their 2025/26 campaign will be remembered as one of their most frustrating efforts.
While they picked off the Sharks, Sale and Bristol at home, they were beaten on the road at Glasgow and Saracens before their latest away loss at Bordeaux ended their interest in this season’s tournament.
“It was a different scenario and context each time,” reckoned Dupont, reflecting on the three away losses. “Where we faltered in Glasgow and against Saracens, we stepped up in this quarter-final. Whether it was commitment or intensity, we were there.
“We can’t really fault ourselves for that. But beyond the indiscipline, we also made mistakes in certain details: lost lineouts in their half, too many turnovers in the breakdown. There are several areas, several technical points that were lacking, beyond the numerical disadvantages.
“We’ll have to work on that if we want to do better in the league, since this competition is the only one left for us this year. But it’s clear that our Champions Cup campaign, beyond this elimination, hasn’t been good this season.”
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