Toulouse beat a second-string Sharks team eight tries to three, in John Plumtree's last game in charge of the Durban outfit.
French giants Stade Toulousain (Toulouse) thrashed a second-string Sharks side 56-19 in their first Champions Cup pool match at Stade Ernest Wallon on Sunday.
The Sharks fielded fringe players to rest their best ahead of next week’s Saracens clash at Kings Park, where JP Pietersen will take over as interim coach.
The Durban side were fortunate that Toulouse were victims of their own mistakes or the scoreline would have been greater. But four tries in the first 24 minutes put the result beyond any doubt. An Ange Capuozzo hat-trick only compounded the hurt.
A week before, Sharks head coach John Plumtree told media he had committed to seeing the season through. But he announced two days before the contest that he had decided it would be his last.
Toulouse now have a 3-0 record against the Sharks after winning their 2022/23 quarter-final and last year’s Champions Cup pool match as well.
Toulouse too good for Sharks
The French side wasted no time putting points on the board. Wing Ange Capuozzo received a Thomas Ramos cross-kick to dot down in the third minute. Ten minutes later, hooker Juilien Marchand crashed over from a maul to double the lead. He then scored his second in the 21st minute, before Kalvin Gourgues threaded a gap to score Toulouse’s bonus-point try within 24 minutes.
Nick Hatton, captain of the Sharks in the absence of Siya Kolisi and Vincent Tshituka, finally powered over for his team’s first points in the 26th minute. Toulouse entered the Sharks 22 regularly afterwards, but failed to score again before the break. They went into half-time 28-5 ahead.
Toulouse made more errors in the third quarter, and Sharks scrumhalf Ross Braude scored from a pick-and-go following a scrum in the 29th minute. The Durban side continued to dominate possession until the final quarter, but failed to make the most of their attacking lineouts.
It was only a matter of time before Toulouse extended their lead. They did when Capuozzo broke through defenders to score his second try in the 64th minute. Three minutes later and replacement flanker Mathis Castro-Ferreira scored Toulouse’s sixth try, from a rolling maul. Capuozzo scored his hat-trick with a beautiful kick-and-chase in the 72nd minute.
The Sharks were rewarded for their never-say-die attitude when Le Roux Malan finished a good team move in the 76th minute, Phikolomzi Sobahle breaking through the line in the build-up. But Toulouse centre Teddy Thomas scored his team’s eighth try right afterwards, Ramos slotting as many conversions to hammer the Sharks.
Scorers
Sharks: Tries – Nick Hatton, Ross Braude. Conversions – Jordan Hendrikse 1/2, Jean Smith 1/1.
Toulouse: Tries – Ange Capuozzo (3), Juilien Marchand (2), Kalvin Gourgues, Mathis Castro-Ferreira,
Teddy Thomas. Conversions – Thomas Ramos 8/8.
