Toulouse survived a ferocious scare to beat Exeter Chiefs in a Champions Cup classic, fighting back to win a frenetic pool-stage contest despite playing with 14 men after Rodrigue Neti’s first-half red card.
Toulouse vs Exeter Chiefs, Champions Cup (Credits: BBC Sport)
Exeter had a golden chance to snatch a famous draw in France, but with the clock in the red, Henry Slade pulled a penalty from around 40 metres just wide of the posts. The Chiefs had to settle for a losing bonus point in a game that swung back and forth until the final whistle.
Wimbush’s Hat-Trick in a Bonkers First Half
The tone was set in the second minute when Zack Wimbush — starting on the wing in place of the injured England international Immanuel Feyi-Waboso — stunned the home crowd with an early score. Toulouse hit back through Italy’s Ange Capuozzo and a penalty try that also sent Exeter full-back Sam Harris to the sin-bin.
The chaos truly exploded in the 16th minute, when prop Neti was dismissed for shoulder-to-head contact in a tackle on Ross Vintcent. Toulouse were down to 14 men and trailing — yet somehow the try-fest only intensified. Eight tries were scored in the first half alone, four for each side, and the teams went into the break with Exeter leading 26-24.
After Neti’s exit, Wimbush struck again, only for Joshua Brennan and Teddy Thomas to push Toulouse 10 points clear. Exeter rallied once more while Thomas was yellow-carded for a deliberate knock-on — Jack Yeandle burrowed over and Stephen Varney touched down under the posts to reclaim the lead.
Drama to the Death
After the interval, Will Butt charged down an Antoine Dupont clearing kick to stretch Exeter’s advantage to nine points. Toulouse’s star-studded backline refused to fold, though: Matias Remue’s double and a Romain Ntamack try turned a nine-point deficit into a three-point lead for the hosts.
Wimbush completed his hat-trick to keep Exeter alive, but Slade’s five-from-five off the tee counted for nothing in the end. His final kick sailed wide, and Toulouse — the six-time champions — somehow escaped with the win.
It was a brutal way to lose for Exeter, who have now pushed one of Europe’s giants to the absolute limit with nothing to show for it but a bonus point.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
