Toulouse 31-7 Racing 92
TOULOUSE RAN IN five tries in a 31-7 demolition of fellow French club Racing 92 to book their place in the last eight of the Champions Cup.
Up next for the five-time champions is a home quarter-final against English side Exeter next weekend.
Toulouse, who were bolstered by the presence of France’s preferred half-back pairing of Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack, the latter making his first start after eight months out injured, were outstanding as they stretched Racing from the start at the Stade Ernest-Wallon.
The visitors lost South African World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi, also making a comeback after a month out with a finger injury, after just 22 minutes when the flanker hobbled off with what appeared to be an ankle injury.
France hooker Peato Mauvaka opened the scoring after just five minutes with wing Matthis Lebel adding the second try six minutes before the break.
With Blair Kinghorn, preferred as kicker to Ntamack, missing both conversions, Toulouse only led 10-0 at the break but quickly asserted themselves with a third try after 55 minutes when Dupont teed up centre Paul Costes, a first-half replacement for Pierre-Louis Barassi.
Pita Akhi added a fourth 10 minutes from time and, after Eddy Ben Arous touched down for the Parisians, Alexandre Roumat completed the scoring with the fifth Toulouse try in the last minute.
—- Updated 8.48pm: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Romain Ntamack made his first appearance following an injury lay-off; it was his first start.
