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No team has been more successful in the Heineken Cup than Toulouse and an away victory for Connacht would come as the biggest of surprises on Sunday. - 07/12/2013 18:35
No team has been more successful in the Heineken Cup than Toulouse and an away victory for Connacht would come as the biggest of surprises on Sunday.
The French giants have won Europe’s greatest prize on no fewer than four occasions, while Connacht are only in their third season of Heineken Cup rugby.
Toulouse have started this season’s continental quest in style, picking up an early bonus point against Zebre before edging out fellow heavyweights Saracens in a hugely physical encounter at Wembley.
Those opening successes have seen Toulouse take control of Pool 3 and back-to-back wins over their Irish opponents would leave them looking odds on for a place in the last eight having failed to reach the Heineken Cup quarter finals last term.
Guy Noves’ troops currently sit second in the Top14 table after a home win over Oyonnax last weekend but Connacht will take heart from their defeat at Brive the previous week.
Connacht travel more in hope than expectation, though, given that they are bottom of the RaboDirect PRO12 with just one win all season. That solitary domestic success came against Zebre in the opening round of action, meaning Pat Lam’s men have lost eight straight league games.
Their most-recent outing was a frustrating 43-10 defeat at Edinburgh, but they are still in the mix in the Heineken Cup. The Galway-based side were unfortunate to fall just short in the pool opener at home to Saracens and were then convincing winners at Zebre in Round 2.
Toulouse won both matches when the two sides met in the pool stages of this tournament two years ago.
Match facts
Toulouse have beaten Connacht by more than 20 points on the two occasions they have met.
Toulouse have won 12, drawn one and lost nine against Irish clubs in this tournament.
Connacht have won just two of seven away games in the Heineken Cup, both of these victories coming in Italy.
Connacht have the best lineout success rate in the competition after two rounds (96%).
Connacht made it a spectacular clean sweep for the four Irish provinces in the Heineken Cup in Round 3 as they stunned four-time champions Toulouse with their first win on French soil in the tournament. - 08/12/2013 18:17
Connacht made it a spectacular clean sweep for the four Irish provinces in the Heineken Cup in Round 3 as they stunned four-time champions Toulouse with their first win on French soil in the tournament.
Toulouse hadn’t been beaten at Stade Ernest Wallon in the Heineken Cup since 2009, yet only managed to lead for five minutes in a game that started at breakneck speed and never let up for a second.
Following on from the big Leinster win at Northampton Saints, Ulster’s huge home win over Benetton Treviso and Munster’s bonus point triumph at home against Perpignan, Pat Lam’s Connacht side had the whole of Ireland urging them on to make it a clean sweep. They didn’t disappoint.
Their line-speed and commitment in defence was amazing and their offensive ability made life difficult for Toulouse all through the game. They scored one try and had a second ruled out by the TMO for a slight knock-on some 80 metres back in the move.
Dan Parks gave Connacht the lead with a 13th minute penalty and then added a drop goal three minutes later to make it 6-0. It didn’t help the home cause that outside half Jean-Pascal Barraque missed with two penalty kicks, but he did make up for his first mistake with a brilliant individual try on the stroke of half-time.
He dummied past Craig Clarke, weaved past Robbie Henshaw and touched down at the posts for a try which he converted to make it 7-6 to the home side at the break.
That lead didn’t last for long, however, as Parks hammered over a penalty five minutes into the second half and then scrum half Kieran Marmion rounded off a brilliant right touchline move involving Henshaw and Fionn Carr by burrowing over for a try which was finally confirmed by the TMO.
Parks converted superbly off the touchline and that gave Connacht a 16-7 lead with just over half-an-hour to play. Barraque’s second penalty miss was the cue for Toulouse coach Guy Noves to introduce Lionel Beauxis into the game for the final quarter.
Henshaw thought he had extended the Connacht lead after 58 minutes when he raced half-the-length of the field to cross at the posts. The visitors’ had turned desperate defence into thrilling attack after Toulouse had lost the ball in the visitors’ 22.
Gavin Duffy and Marmion combined to send the full back racing clear, but Romanian referee Marius Mitrea asked the TMO to check the origin of the move. Unfortunately for Connacht the TMO discovered a slight knock-on some 70 metres back in the play by a Connacht player and they missed out on seven points.
Seven minutes later Toulouse kicked to the left corner and rumbled skipper Thierry Dusautoir over for a try from a driving line-out. Beauxis converted off the touchline and the gap was suddenly only two points.
That score set-up a thrilling final 15 minutes in which Connacht never stopped taking the game to their illustrious opponents and defended like tigers. Dan Parks missed with a drop goal and a 50 metre penalty in those closing minute to add to the drama, but there was no denying the Irishmen one of the biggest upsets in Heineken Cup history.
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