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Toulouse winger Yoann Huget goes over
Toulouse will qualify for another Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final if they can see off Connacht Rugby at The Sportsground on Saturday afternoon.
The French side have won their opening four matches and have a lead of nine points at the top of Pool 5, while Connacht sit third with eight points. You can watch this match live on BT Sport and beIN SPORTS from 15:15 GMT.
Key facts
- Toulouse have won five of their previous seven meetings with Connacht in the Heineken Champions Cup, including their Round 2 clash this season, however, they did lose the last time they faced the Irish province in Galway in 2016/17.
- Since losing to Connacht in Round 1 in 2016/17, Toulouse have lost just twice in 15 pool games (W12, D1), winning each of their last five in a row.
- If the TOP 14 champions win on Saturday, they will book a place in the quarter-finals as Pool 5 winners.
- Connacht have won each of their last six home games in the Heineken Champions Cup, although four of those victories were by three points or fewer.
- Toulouse have won five of their last six away games in the Heineken Champions Cup, including their last three in a row. No side has won as many away matches as Toulouse in the competition’s history (42).
- Toulouse have lost on each of their last six trips to Ireland, those defeats coming by an average margin of 21 points. Their last victory away to an Irish province was against Saturday’s opponents in 2013/14.
- Toulouse are the only side yet to concede a try in the final 20 minutes of a match this season, while Connacht have conceded seven in the final quarter, more than any other club.
A weekend of crucial #HeinekenChampionsCup Round 5️⃣ clashes is just around the corner 😎
Find out where you can watch all the European rugby action ⤵️https://t.co/hpmSN8HKSw
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 8, 2020
Toulouse centre Pita Ahki (left) celebrates scoring a try with scrum-half Antoine Dupont at the Sportsground on Saturday
Four-time winners Toulouse qualified for the Heineken Champions Cup quarter-finals on Saturday, when they hit back from conceding an early try to score three of their own at a packed Sportsground.
Nine points clear at the top of Pool 5 before kick-off, the French club made it five wins from five rounds, scoring five-pointers through skipper Jerome Kaino, hooker Julien Marchand and centre Pita Ahki, all of which Thomas Ramos converted.
Connacht Rugby could not have wished for a better start when they were awarded a penalty try after a maul was brought down and Toulouse flanker Joe Tekori was yellow-carded after 10 minutes.
However, a yellow card for Connacht flanker Colby Fainga’a on 15 minutes evened things up and Toulouse capitalised when Kaino was adjudged to have touched down following a line-out four minutes later.
7 – 5 19ème minute : Essai toulousain de @jeromekaino #CONNST pic.twitter.com/uoDdDHLQ4A
— Stade Toulousain (@StadeToulousain) January 11, 2020
Ramos converted and the TOP 14 club then took control, but had to wait until three minutes before the break for their second try from Marchand following a driving maul. Ramos again added the extras.
Toulouse’s third try was not long delayed, though, Ahki diving on a loose ball in the in-goal area on 44 minutes after Antoine Dupont had charged down Jack Carty’s kick.
However, the French club achieved victory the hard way in the end, after finishing the game with 13 men following a 71st minute yellow card for replacement back Yoann Huget and a red for fly-half Zack Holmes two minutes later.
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