Toulouse hold off Exeter, Northampton save English Champions Cup blushes
Record six-time winners Toulouse survived an early red card to edge Exeter 43-40 in the Champions Cup on Sunday before Northampton beat Cardiff 28-12 to end the English wait for a win on the opening weekend of the competition.
After Gloucester drew Friday's opening match against double-defending champions Bordeaux-Begles, Prem sides had tasted only defeat with Sale, Saracens, Bath and Bristol all losing on Saturday.
And things did not improve early on Sunday as Toulouse overcame prop Rodrigue Neti's dismissal after just 15 minutes for a high tackle to avoid a first home defeat in the competition since 2022, thanks to a double from youngster Matias Remue.
Henry Slade missed a late penalty, which would have secured a draw, as the 2020 champions were unable to claim England's first win of an emotional opening weekend to the competition, despite leading by two points at the break.
"When you see how the game panned out, at half-time we would have signed up for a victory," Toulouse captain Antoine Dupont told reporters.
"It's the tragic part of the sport, the role of a kicker, he missed the most important kick," Dupont added of Slade's error.
A minute's silence was held before kick-off at Le Stadium, and at all games over the weekend, in memory of the Lions' lock Hyron Andrews, who was found in cardiac arrest at the team hotel the day before his side's game at La Rochelle on Saturday.
Toulouse were without their first-choice locks Emmanuel Meafou and Thibaud Flament due to injury, while hooker Julien Marchand and full-back Thomas Ramos were also missing.
After a tight first half, the Chiefs deservedly led 26-24 after Neti was sent off for a shoulder hit on the visitors' back-rower Ross Vintcent.
The French side ended the opening 40 minutes down to 13 men after winger Teddy Thomas was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on.
Italy scrum-half Stephen Varney was on fire for Chiefs, scoring a try and setting up another for clinical winger Zack Wimbush.
With a quarter of an hour left, Chiefs still led and a first English win was in sight, with a 40-38 advantage thanks to efforts from centre Will Butt and Wimbush's third of the proceedings.
Top 14 leaders Toulouse regained the lead with 12 minutes to play as Belgium full-back Remue crossed a second time, before experienced centre Slade missed his 82nd-minute penalty.
- 'Just one weekend' -
Later, 2025 runners-up Northampton succeeded where seven English sides had failed by claiming a win as efforts from James Pater, Toby Thame, George Hendy and Fraser Dingwall were enough to overcome Cardiff.
Earlier, Top 14 high-flyers Pau beat Prem outfit Leicester 41-17 as Portugal centre Rodrigo Marta crossed twice for the hosts to continue his impressive start to the season.
The home side ran in five tries, courtesy of Marta, Jon Zabala, Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang and Fabien Brau-Boirie, while fly-half Axel Desperes racked up 16 points with the boot.
"The best English teams and French teams go toe-to-toe," Tigers head coach Geoff Parling told reporters.
"It's just one weekend, we'll see what it's like at the end of the competition," he added.
While England managed only one win out of eight and France finished with a mixed bag of four wins and three defeats, all three Irish provinces succeeded on Saturday.
S.Robinson--MC-UK
