CHAMPIONS CUP: State Toulouse win by forceps against English of Sale, quickly reduced to 14

Movie of the game

12′: Acker van den Merwe tries to sell. At 5 m, the British penetrated in a group, well defended by Toulouse, which makes little progress. But the South African hooker, along with Manu Tuilaki, gets himself out and pushes Romain Ndamak in-goal to equalise. Unmodified test. 5-0.

19′: Red card against Jacobus Wies. Sale’s second line was dismissed following a shoulder charge on Dorian Aldekhery. The British finish the tournament outnumbered.

70′: Try by Emmanuel Meifou for Toulouse. The Australian second row recovers the ball after a breakthrough from Dimitri Teleps, and on the power he manages to get his arm out to score Toulouse’s first try of the game. Modified test. 5-22.

72′: Try by Guillaume Cramont for Toulouse. “Red and Black” sets the pace by retrieving 40 meters of skin from English. Antoine Dupont spills over Pierre-Louis Barassi who accelerates down the pavement before being hit 5m from the line. In the next ruck, Cramont was properly launched by his scrum half. Unmodified test. 5-27.

Romain Entamack, centenarian

The Toulouse starting half played his hundredth game in the “red and black” colors this Saturday afternoon. He started his professional career in 2017 after training at the Haut-Garonne club.

A very difficult first act for Toulouse

The English had warned that this return match would be different. They attached actions to the crowd’s words. With the wind at their backs, Tom Curry’s side put a lot of pressure on Toulouse, whether through their kicking game or their aggressive defence. Despite receiving a red card midway through the first half, the “Red and Black” couldn’t put their game in place.

Physics made the difference

Right in the game, England was weakened towards the end of the game. They were actually drastically reduced during the first act. Sale lost two of their starters in the first action of the game – shock to both – and then their second row Jacobus Wiese to a red card in the 19th minute. Against the wind in the second half, the Premiership residents almost did not have the ball and were not dangerous.

Toulouse took advantage of the opportunity to secure victory at the end of the match, thanks in particular to Melvin Jaminet’s almost perfect start. By the end of the match, they seemed motivated to get the offensive bonus.

Lessons from the game

After a big blow in Munster and an improved win against Sale, the State Toulouse Sharks managed three with a home win. Toulouse took a long time to get into winning form, but persevered and were reduced to 14 against the English midway through the first half, scoring two tries in the last ten minutes to win at the expense of them.

With three wins in as many matches in this group stage of the Champions Cup, the “red and black” have already qualified for the final stage of the competition. They also took the option to get during this final stage, but to be sure, they need to win next week against Munster, Sunday January 22, 4:15pm at the Ernst-Wallen Stadium.