Connacht endured a heartbreaking exit from the Champions Cup as Toulouse claimed a quarter-final spot with a tense 19-10 win at Stade Ernest Wallon.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: TOULOUSE 19 CONNACHT 10
A losing bonus point would have been enough for the province to reach the quarter-finals for the first time, but they could not work a scoring opportunity in a frantic finish.
The result was enough for Toulouse to pip Pat Lam’s men to the runners-up spot in Pool 2, with both teams finishing with 18 points, while Wasps’ 41-27 bonus point success away to Zebre saw them advance as table toppers.
Three-try Toulouse were the better side for much of this fascinating round 6 fixture, their free-flowing start creating converted tries for man-of-the-match Gael Fickou (5 minutes) and Arthur Bonneval (17) on the way to a 14-3 half-time lead.
Craig Ronaldson had kicked Connacht’s opening points from a penalty, but Quinn Roux’s 36th-minute sin-binning left the visitors shorthanded and influential flanker Joe Tekori’s try from close range gave Toulouse a serious shot at a bonus point.
However, the big French outfit came under more pressure in defence as the second half wore on and captain John Muldoon’s 53rd-minute try had Connacht right back in the hunt.
The westerners’ endeavour could not be questioned but their game management was lacking when it mattered most, and their decision not to work lineout ball infield for a potential drop goal opportunity, with five minutes remaining, will haunt them.
It was an ominous start from Toulouse who established complete control of possession early on, a Fickou break and a powerful first scrum the highlights before the ball was moved out to the left for the centre to cross and Jean-Marc Doussain neatly converted.
Despite Connacht gaining a slight foothold in the game with Jack Carty and Tiernan O’Halloran probing with the boot, Yoann Huget blazed a trail through midfield and his well-timed pass allowed Bonneval to beat Matt Healy for the right corner.
Doussain, who converted again, threatened with a chip into the 22 that Muldoon managed to cover, and a couple of knock-ons prevented Lam’s side from making any real progress in attack.
Fast-breaking scrum half Sebastien Bezy was a pass away from putting Fickou through for a probable second try, with very good defending from Healy and then a maul infringement from Toulouse relieving the pressure on the westerners.
Denis Buckley’s hard work at the breakdown was finally rewarded in the 33rd minute, Ronaldson knocking over a surefooted penalty strike to open Connacht’s account, before Doussain had a howler of a miss from straight in front of the posts.
That penalty was awarded after a silly yellow picked up by second row Roux for a deliberate knock-on at a Toulouse ruck. But his fellow forwards won a scrum penalty just before the interval for a much-needed boost for confidence.
Into the second half, Ronaldson missed an early long-range penalty and the Toulouse pack quickly seized the initiative again, pressure from successive lineout mauls leading to Tekori barging over near the left corner.
Doussain was unable to convert and Connacht suddenly sprung into life, a raking touchfinder from Ronaldson getting them into scoring range. From a five-metre scrum, Peter Robb powered over the gain-line and skipper Muldoon finished off from Kieran Marmion’s short pass. Ronaldson converted for 19-10.
The momentum shift continued with Connacht’s share of possession and territory increasing into the final quarter, aided by lineout steals from James Cannon and Roux along with a Muldoon penalty win at the breakdown.
The hard-running Robb and full-back O’Halloran, who brilliantly fielded a Bezy box-kick and took off over halfway, kept Connacht on the move, however Healy fumbled a difficult pass from Carty out wide and a Toulouse scrum penalty dug them out of a hole.
It was the hosts who eventually prevailed to set up a quarter-final trip to old rivals Munster, with Connacht unable to build from deep as they leaked two frustrating ruck penalties in the dying minutes.
Giving his post-match reaction afterwards, Connacht head coach Lam said: “We’re frustrated. When you miss out (on a losing bonus point) by two points, it’s a killer blow. We had our chances to get over the line.
“The last thing you want to do when you come over here is give them a lead of 14 points, particularly off a couple of system errors. A lot teams down by 14 points could easily fold, but the boys came back really well, and we knew the situation. We just needed a penalty or try to get within seven. We had chances and couldn’t take them.”
He added: “To take Toulouse, with their history and European record, to the last play just shows how far we have come, but it still doesn’t take away the disappointment, and there are learnings there for a lot of the young guys in the team.
“The boys knew what they had to do. Ultimately there were chances to score, but we didn’t, and at the end of the day we’ll look at the last bit of play and there were so many things we could have taken, so we only have ourselves to blame for that, and we’ll put it away as a learning.”
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