Toulon lose 39-0 against Toulouse!
Last Sunday, December 30th, Toulon lost the away game against Stade Toulousain 39-0, on day 13 of the Top 14. Toulouse ended the year on a high note and remain in second spot in the Top 14 table.
Toulon had to perform well and made a good start to the game. They had possession of the ball and were even given a penalty, which Anthony Belleau missed.
Then, our men in red and black really struggled in the first half, as they did not have much possession and made too many mistakes. Thomas Ramos, the Toulouse fly-half, scored two penalties at the 10th and 16th minutes.
A few minutes before half-time, after Ntamack had passed through several Toulon players all by himself, Toulouse were harassing the visiting team. Antoine Dupont switched the game to the right-hand side with the help of the three-quarters and, eventually, Yoann Huget scored the game’s first try. At half-time, Toulouse held a comfortable 13-0 lead. The Toulon players struggled to cope with the pressure and were not a real threat to the home team.
The game unfolded in the same way during the second half: Toulon were sloppy when they had the ball and lacked precision. They conceded two tries in ten minutes, respectively scored by Antoine Dupont and Thomas Ramos, who gave Toulouse a bonus point. At the 67th minute, Rhys Webb picked up a yellow card for a high tackle. After the ball was kicked for a line-out, Toulon picked up the ball and were looking to clear it, but Toulouse snatched it and Fa’asalele only had to bring it into the in-goal area to make it 34-0.
A few minutes later, it was Daniel Ikpefan’s turn to pick up a yellow card for a late tackle. Toulon were down to thirteen men for most of the latter part of the game. Toulouse took advantage of their superiority as they made repeated moves, rewarded with a final try, scored by wing Chelsin Kolbe.
In the end, Toulouse won 39-0 and ended the year on a high note. Toulon will start the return leg of the Top 14 with an away game against Racing 92, on Saturday, January 5th, 2019.