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Exeter Chiefs player ratings vs Toulouse | 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup
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Exeter Chiefs player ratings: Rob Baxter’s Chiefs were tasked with arguably the toughest assignment in club rugby, winning away to French giants Toulouse at the Stadium de Toulouse. A red card for Rodrigue Neti turned what might have been a painful afternoon into a genuine contest and Exeter showed for long periods that they could live with the French Galacticos. In the end, though, Toulouse’s class told just enough, Henry Slade missing a last-gasp penalty that would have salvaged a remarkable draw in a breathless 43-40 defeat.
15. Sam Harris – 5.5
A difficult afternoon. Found himself in an impossible position when Gourgues spilled the ball over the line, ultimately leading to the penalty try and a yellow card for early contact. A little messy under the high ball and never quite imposed himself despite a handful of decent moments in broken play.
14. Zack Wimbush – 8
What a strange, brilliant and occasionally maddening afternoon from the giant 6ft 6in, 112kg midfielder moonlighting on the wing. Finished superbly in the corner after Tom Hooper’s early midfield punch set the platform and then crashed over again after Stephen Varney’s outstanding long pass. Defensively he was immense at times, smashing carriers and using that colossal frame to excellent effect. There were blemishes. He appeared to bite in for Capuozzo’s try, spilled a ball on 26 minutes and his lack of specialist wing pace was exposed when chasing back for Ntamack’s score. But the positives heavily outweighed the negatives. Completed his hat-trick despite appearing to struggle with a hamstring niggle. A huge threat all afternoon.
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13. Henry Slade – 4.5
Not one of his better days. A charge-down fumble invited pressure and Toulouse punished Exeter repeatedly thereafter. Defensively he was bumped off too easily by Remue for the decisive score and that late penalty miss will haunt him. There was some good. His distribution was intelligent and he repeatedly put runners into space with measured passes, while his touch-finder after Teddy Thomas’ probing chip was excellent. But overall, a game he’ll want to forget.
12. Will Butt – 8.5
Outstanding. The Exeter midfielder repeatedly carried Chiefs over the gainline and looked one of the few men on the field capable of troubling Toulouse physically. Produced a huge break after a Sam Harris pass in the first half, then another shortly after the interval. His try was richly deserved after reacting instantly when Ross Vintcent pounced on Dafydd Jenkins’ charge-down of a Dupont kick. Carried hard all afternoon and defended with similar intent.
11. Tommy Wyatt – 5.5
Worked tirelessly under relentless aerial pressure and generally handled Toulouse’s kicking game well. There was, however, a fortunate escape when an elbow appeared to catch an opponent in the face. Kept plugging away but made an injury exit early.
10. Harvey Skinner – 5
A mixed bag. Missed a one-on-one tackle on Chocobares which Toulouse ruthlessly exploited and had moments where the pressure told. At the same time, he attacked the line well when opportunities arose and linked effectively with his outside backs. Produced a nice half-break late on down the left edge.
9. Stephen Varney – 8.5
Magnificent. Cleared the lines brilliantly early on when Exeter needed relief and delivered the wonderful pass that sent Wimbush over for his second. His solo try before half-time was pure quality, breaking blind, dummied superbly and sprinting 50 metres to score. One of the standout performances on the field.
1. Will Goodrick-Clarke – 6.5
The Exeter scrum should have extracted far more punishment from a seven-man Toulouse pack after Neti’s dismissal. That has to be held against the front row collectively. Around the field he was industrious enough and never backed away from the fight.
2. Jack Yeandle – 7
The 36-year-old remains wonderfully effervescent. Typical Yeandle performance. Threw himself into everything, led from the front physically and inevitably emerged from a rolling maul with a try. A strong shift against elite opposition.
3. Josh Iosefa-Scott – 6.5
Leading the side out for his 100th club appearance, he held his own physically but will be disappointed Exeter couldn’t turn numerical superiority into scrum dominance. Solid rather than spectacular.
4. Tom Hooper – 8
Smashed Toulouse carriers all afternoon. His early midfield surge helped create Wimbush’s opener and he played like a man determined to remind everyone of his Test quality. Combined brilliantly with Ethan Roots to disrupt a Toulouse maul shortly after the break. Physical, abrasive and influential.
5. Dafydd Jenkins – 7.5
Worked tirelessly against one of Europe’s most powerful packs. Charged down Dupont’s kick to create Butt’s try and emptied the tank throughout.
6. Ethan Roots – 8
A proper workhorse performance. Carried relentlessly, tackled everything in sight and helped spoil one Toulouse maul through sheer effort. Chiefs desperately needed edge and aggression. He provided plenty.
7. Ross Vintcent – 7
Some excellent moments. Reacted quickest to the Jenkins charge-down and showed sharp handling skills to put Butt away. Took on a huge workload against a heavyweight Toulouse pack and generally emerged with credit.
8. Greg Fisilau – 5
A frustrating afternoon because there was plenty of good mixed with some costly moments. Produced several huge defensive hits early on and at times looked like a brick wall. But he also got isolated too often, drifted into no-man’s land defensively for one Toulouse try and lost too many physical collisions against Toulouse’s meaty carriers. A game of extremes.
Replacements – 6
A mixed contribution from the bench. Ben Hammersley added value after arriving earlier than expected but his yellow card proved costly, especially when combined with Varney’s high shot seconds earlier. Jimmy Roots brought energy, Kane James produced a magnificent counter-ruck on 75 minutes that looked to prevent a certain Toulouse score and the replacements generally kept Exeter alive. Louie Gulley’s crooked lineout on 79 minutes looked like it had ended the comeback, only for Chiefs to somehow win one final scrum penalty and give themselves a shot at glory. Ultimately the bench couldn’t help Exeter take full advantage of the extra man, particularly at scrum time, but they certainly played their part in a wildly entertaining contest that came within inches of a famous result.
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