Toulouse eliminate Connacht but Zach Holmes is making a habit of collecting European red cards
Connacht’s slim hopes of qualification for the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals were ended by a 21-7 defeat to Toulouse at the Sportsground.
The French champions sealed their passage through to the last eight as Pool Five winners, with converted scores from captain Jerome Kaino, Julien Marchand and Pita Ahki cancelling out an early Connacht penalty try.
Leading 14-7 at half-time, former Connacht back Ahki capitalised on Antoine Dupont’s charge-down of a Jack Carty kick to put Toulouse out of reach.
An increasingly-frustrated Connacht even failed to score late on when the visitors lost Yoann Huget to the sin-bin and Zach Holmes to a red card. Fly-half Holmes’ 73rd-minute dismissal for a high tackle on Tiernan O’Halloran came too late to influence the outcome.
Toulouse had started the brighter, with Connacht needing strong defence, particularly from Tom McCartney and Ultan Dillane, to keep them at bay.
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Having absorbed that pressure, Andy Friend’s men were able to land the first blow in the tenth minute. Three penalties were kicked to touch and a powerful rolling maul yielded a penalty try. Toulouse lock Joe Tekori was also yellow-carded by referee Luke Pearce.
The hosts’ numerical advantage was short-lived, though, as flanker Colby Fainga’a soon went to the bin for a high hit on Thomas Ramos. By the end of the first quarter, Toulouse were level, their hard carries setting up former All Black Kaino to burrow over and Ramos converted.
The pool leaders were now in the ascendancy in terms of possession and territory and their dominance eventually bore fruit just before the break. Impressive hooker Marchand profited from a well-executed lineout drive to score from the base. Ramos converted again to make it 14-7.
Four minutes after the restart, pressure on the Connacht half-backs saw Dupont block Carty’s clearance on his own try-line and centre Ahki successfully grounded the loose ball. Adding to Connacht’s woes, full-back Ramos sent over the difficult conversion to open up a 14-point gap.
Cheslin Kolbe doing Cheslin Kolbe things. https://t.co/fGFEbzIKHD
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 11, 2020
Buoyed by the impact of replacements Caolin Blade and Dave Heffernan, Connacht attacked with vigour but their execution let them down as they scrambled to maintain their proud record of 14 straight home pool wins across the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup since November 2015.
Toulouse’s stubborn and well-organised defence repelled the hosts until they lost their discipline during the closing quarter. Replacement Huget was binned for a dump tackle on heavily-involved full-back O’Halloran, setting up a 15-against-14 scenario for the final nine minutes.
Just moments later, O’Halloran once again bore the brunt of overzealous Toulouse defending when Holmes caught him high. However, Connacht were unable to exploit the extra space as Toulouse’s pack of heavyweights – including man-of-the-match prop Charlie Faumuina – had laid the platform for a fifth straight pool victory.
– Press Association
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Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to comments