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Toulouse are the French Top 14 champions for 2022-2023. Toulouse defeated European Champions Cup Champions La Rochelle 29-26. It was a final for the ages. The final featured two Argentine players: Santiago Chocobares, Juan Cruz Mallía and Joel Sclavi. Chocobares and Mallía were on the winning team.
Santiago Chocobares and Juan Cruz Mallía repeated their success from two years ago. Toulouse were 18-8 winners over La Rochelle in the final in 2021. The center from Rufino, Argentina and the utility back from Córdoba, Argentina are now two-time Top 14 champions.
The pair may be far from done. Both Chocobares and Mallía signed contract extensions with Toulouse just eleven days before today’s Top 14 Final. Mallía previously scored the match-winner for Toulouse in the 2021 Champions Cup Final.
Chocobares was a scorer in the 2023 Top 14 Final. The big, yet agile center regathered a fumble and ran over 50 meters to score. The 23rd minute try was the first of the match. It was one of two for Toulouse in the final. Romain Ntamack scored the second in the 77th minute to secure victory.
Both Chocobares and Mallía are certainties for Argentina’s Rugby World Cup 2023 roster. The UAR will announce the roster in the coming days. Sclavi, Chocobares and Mallía will all travel home to Argentina ahead of the 2023 Rugby Championship.
David Ainu’u watched on from the sidelines. The USA Eagle was not a part of the match-day 23. Ainu’u previously won the Top 14 title with Toulouse alongside the Argentine duo of Chocobares and Mallía.
