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Toulouse player ratings: Stade Toulousain kept their title defence rolling with a crushing — victory over a plucky Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park.
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Spearheaded by Antoine Dupont, the Top 14 side overpowered their hosts in the physical exchanges and ran riot in open play.
Here is how the Toulouse players fared.
1. Rodrigue Neti – 7
New Caledonia’s own put in a workmanlike performance with a solid showing in all departments. His ability to get underneath tightheads at scrum time has been USP over the years and was on full display this evening.
2. Julien Marchand – 8
Reclaiming his role as starter from Peato Mauvaka, he laid set the standard with Toulouse’s second try from a textbook maul. Bringing punch to the close-quarter carries, the hooker kept the Chief’s ruck pillars honest.
3. Dorian Aldegheri – 6.5
Mixed from start to finish, the veteran was visibly frustrated in the early scrum exchanges.
4. Thibaud Flament – 8
Did you know he was once Loughborough University’s fifth-team flyhalf? Of course, you did! Everyone does! Whilst you might scoff at a 6’8″ and 118kg lock playing in the ten shirt, if any international secondrow was capable of doing so it is Flament. Pouncing for a nice first-half try will top his stat line, but the frequency with which he pulls the ball back as a distributor is remarkable.
5. Emmanuel Meafou – 7
Manhandling Chiefs, left, right, and centre, Toulon’s gargantuan lock was at times unplayable at Sandy Park. Bustling about for 51 minutes, by which time the job was firmly done,
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6. Francois Cros – 7.5
Tidy in every department, he led the charge on the rare occasions that the Chiefs were in the ascendancy. Playing the full eighty minutes with intensity in his first Champions Cup outing of the season, he didn’t miss a beat.
7. Jack Willis – 8.5
Back in his homeland for one night only, the former Wasp reminded Steve Borthwick of all the qualities at his disposal, none are at his level. Knowing exactly which breakdowns to target, putting on top-class footwork before contact and crunching ball carriers in the tackle, it was a do-it-all performance from the openside.
8. Alexandre Roumat – 8
Classy in every sense of the word, the do-it-all number eight ruled the skies as he directed a perfect line-out. Running with an upright style, the 6’6″ eighth man got his hands free for some timely offloads.
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9. Antoine Dupont – 8.5
Living up to the moniker of the best player in the world, as confirmed by RugbyPass. Dupont opened his account with a try in the 8th minute and continued on his merry way to yet another outrageously impressive showing. Departing in the 63rd minute as the top carrier with 11 to go with his 46 passes and 9 kicks.
10. Romain Ntamack – 7
Perhaps it was a desire to reclaim his best form, but the flyhalf looked like he was trying too hard in the first quarter of the fixture. Unfortunately for Exeter, these wobbles didn’t last for long. Once he settled into the contest, Ntamack distributed beautifully at the line. Defensively, he had an edge to his game as he targeted the ball, looking to hold up the Chiefs before his support arrived.
11. Matthis Lebel – 8.5
We employ you to focus on the magnificent winger who rarely gets the plaudits he deserves in this star-studded side. Whenever he makes a break, his ability to make the right move, whether it is looking for support or going it alone, is always bang on. When he does make a pass, he routinely runs the perfect support line to get a second and, at times, a third touch. This frequency of possession saw him beat 7 defenders in the first half alone as he raced away for 73 meters made.
12. Santiago Chocobares – 7
Confrontational and direct in his approach, the Argentine centre was once again Toulouse’s backline enforcer. Making hard yards into the guts of the Chief’s defensive line, his highlight reel doesn’t pop quite like those around him, but he gets through a mountain of work, as reflected by the stats.
13. Pierre-Louis Barassi – 9
Carved open the Exeter defence in the 19th minute to set up Lebel for a classic team try. Twenty minutes later he would be closing out the first half under the sticks as he slipped between two Chiefs defenders. These scores underpinned a first-half performance that yielded 76 meters gained, 2 line breaks and 3 defenders beaten.
14. Juan Cruz Mallia – 6.5
Growing into the role of facilitator, the Puma was marked relatively well by the Chiefs, only for him to find an offload that would set a teammate free. Overall, he might consider this a quiet showing but his work rate off the ball was noticeable.
15. Thomas Ramos – 8
Death by a thousand paper cuts is the tactic Ramos employs week-in, week-out. Setting the tone with a banana kick that led to a superb 50:22 before shredding the Chief’s defence with incisive carries, Ramos was impervious once again this evening.
Substitutes
16. Guillaume Cramont – N/A
Unfortunately, he had to depart less than ten minutes into his foray onto the pitch with a knock. Up to that point, he was eager to get involved and looked ferocious when clearing rucks.
17. David Ainu’u – 7
The USA international continues his rise as one of the very best looseheads in European Rugby. Impossible to shift when he gets over the ball at the breakdown, Ainu’u translates outrageous power into crucial interventions. At scrum time, his positioning is top-notch, whilst his impact on mauls is magnificent.
18. Joel Merkler – 7
Mirroring the above with Ainu’u, the Spanish international continues to round into a top-class operator. Still somehow only 23-years-old, the man mountain tighthead brings oomph to the close exchanges as an alternative to Emmanuel Meafou.
19. Joshua Brennan – 7
One of Irish Rugby’s ‘what ifs’, the now French international, brings a mongrel element to the Toulouse pack. Rag-dolling Chiefs all over the show, the 23-year-old’s potential is frightening.
20. Theo Ntamack – 7.5
Coming from a line of fine playmakers, it is unsurprising that the younger Ntamack is not simply a ruck hitter. Possessing top-notch pace, a world-class rugby intellect and exceptional physicality, he opened up the Chief’s defence. This pace saw him show a clean pair of heels en route to a try that took Toulouse over fifty points.
21. Mathis Castro-Ferreira – 6
Living up to his moniker as one of the brightest young talents in French Rugby, the former World U20 Championship winner looked right at home at this level.
22. Paul Graou – 7
Making the most of some valuable minutes in the Champions Cup, the backup nine looked good, albeit behind a pack that was rolling forward at a rate of knots. Claiming a loving support try as he took a pop-up offload from Kinghorn in the 77th minute was the highlight of his evening.
23. Blair Kinghorn – 8
Operating as a key distributor against a tiring Chiefs defence, the Scottish international had a field day in the wide channels when he replaced Mallia. Scored an easy run-in try and was denied what would’ve been a top-class finish for a second try with a marginal knock-on.
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Its early in the season to be hitting 60 pointers every game. La Roche and Leinster can do that too. The difference is they dont concede as much as Toulouse.
Leinster may not win this year, but I'd bet Toulouse need to avoid them if they are going to win. Leinster are conceding 10 points less per game than last year. Their attack will be a lot better with Barrett in play.
Leinster didn’t seem so great vs Clermont…