Top 14: “Toulouse and Bordeaux are one step ahead” of the rest of the Brennus contenders

The question is provocative. But having won three consecutive Brennus titles (2023, 2024, 2025) - to which should be added those won in 2019 and 2021 - Toulouse are in the running for a resounding quadruple. A historic feat achieved in the mid-1990s (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997) by France's most successful club. Ugo Mola's team, which will see Antoine Dupont and Peato Mauvaka return from injury in the coming months, appears to be one of the main contenders for its own succession.

Jonathan Wisniewski's opinion: "Who is capable of beating Toulouse given its depth of squad, its ability to control doubles, and to win important matches? There are outsiders, but like UBB, this team has a head start. I don't think it's threatened by wear and tear. It's built to devour everything. If there's one point of vigilance, it's that many players are approaching 30 years old - Baille, Cros, Ramos... - an age at which we no longer train in the same way, while the Toulouse game is very energy-intensive."

“UBB is Toulouse’s obvious competitor: I don’t know how to put one in front of the other.”

Reigning European champions, UBB have established themselves as Stade Toulousain's main rivals. This assertion is based as much on the two finals lost to the reigning French champions (59-3, in 2024; 39-33, in 2025) as on the quality of the squad and the play produced by the Bordeaux team. Yannick Bru's team has retained all its assets in its back lines while strengthening its forward pack with the arrivals of Barlot, Woki, Palu and Du Preez. Enough to fuel its dream of Brennus.

Jonathan Wisniewski's opinion: "The first final (in 2024) highlighted what UBB lacked: freshness and rotation. Bordeaux managed to correct this, the squad grew with the arrival of players such as (Gaëtan) Barlot who will bring depth and breath. Bordeaux has everything: an attractive game, the quality of the players and the fact of having broken its glass ceiling by winning its first title. This team is the obvious competitor for Toulouse: I don't know how to put one before the other."

Double European champions in 2022 and 2023, Stade Rochelais experienced a deep disappointment last June: for the first time since 2018, they did not play in the final stages of the Top 14. Their XXL squad, which allowed them to reign over the Champions Cup, is said to be aging. Will the arrivals of international scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec and Georgian full-back Davit Niniashvili be enough to reinvigorate them?

Jonathan Wisniewski's opinion: "Last year, La Rochelle suffered from a lack of pace and energy, with a squad that was a bit aging in terms of average age. They targeted young players driven by the desire to win. These two players could be the catalysts for something. Up front, La Rochelle remains very dense. Their presence could allow them to bring some pace back into the back and create danger on counterattacks."

4 Rowing, a sensation made to last?

Their first appearance in the Top 14 finals and their first semi-final: Aviron Bayonnais made a strong showing last season. Can they repeat the feat in the season that begins next Saturday? The Basques will have to come to terms with the departure of their fly-half Camille Lopez, who is now part of the team's staff. They will also have to come to terms with the situation created by the cohabitation between Laurent Travers, the sporting director, and Grégory Patat, the team manager.

Jonathan Wisniewski's opinion: "Rowing is not a sensation in my eyes. Look at the development of the facilities, the budget, the recruitment... The Bayonnais didn't just toss the coin in the air: everything that is done is thought out and planned. A whole bunch of little things mean that we don't want to worry about this team. Can the Travers - Patat cohabitation weaken Rowing? When an organization is destabilized, everyone always starts to worry. But when you have two people with strong characters, you have to find a way to organize yourself."

“Everything is fragile in the Top 14. There will be a spirit of revenge in several clubs.”

Section Paloise took the first step by qualifying for the Champions Cup last season. But it's the final stages that the Béarn club is aiming for. Can it finally break through that glass ceiling?

Jonathan Wisniewski's opinion: "The European Cup will be a revelation. While you can launch young players in the Challenge Cup, you can't afford to do so in the European Cup. The energy you draw from one side, you don't have from the other. Is the Section capable of reaching the top 6 the year it discovers this competition? They probably won't be far off. But it won't be easy."

While Stade Toulousain has dominated the Top 14 for several seasons, the championship is nonetheless increasingly competitive: the soft underbelly has disappeared. Which outsiders can claim the Brennus title besides the reigning French champions, UBB, and La Rochelle?

Jonathan Wisniewski's opinion: "Everything is fragile in this championship. But there will be a spirit of revenge in several clubs, whether it's Racing or Lyon. We can't talk about this feeling for Toulon, since they still played in a semi-final and finished third in the regular season, but they still want to get back into the fight with Toulouse. Christophe Urios' Clermont will also want to continue after their strong end to the season."

6 Montauban, a promoted person doomed in advance?

Will the Top 14 be played with 13 players next season? Surprise promotion to the top 14, Montauban, is advancing as the team that was already doomed. Will the team managed by Sébastien Tillous-Borde manage to defy this prediction?