Toulouse added a surprising sixth star to their European squad after beating Leinster 31-22 in extra time in the Investec Champions Cup on Saturday afternoon.
The final was gripping from start to finish and the 61,531 fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and those watching at home enjoyed some epic arm-wrestling action.
Blair Kinghorn and Thomas Ramos each converted four penalty kicks, Mathis Lebel scored in extra time and Ramos scored the goal to seal the famous victory.
Leinster responded with an extra-time try from Josh van der Flier, with Ross Byrne and Ciaran Frawley also adding goals, but they suffered another final defeat.
Scorers click here
Despite perfect conditions, neither team managed to score a try, but a goal from Toulouse’s Lebel early in extra time turned the tide.
The French champions were helped by James Lowe receiving a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on, but their advantage was quickly erased when lock Richie Arnold was sent off.
Despite being down a man, Toulouse pressed strongly and Ramos kept the opposition at bay with three penalties before scoring the winning goal.
It must have been excruciating for the Leinster fans in the stands, whose side lost three consecutive Champions Cup finals to French teams before last lifting the trophy in the 2021 United Rugby Championship.
Toulouse struggled for long periods but started strongly, coming close to touching down and then gradually extending their lead with two Kinghorn penalties.
Toulouse player ratings: Antoine Dupont and Jack Willis put in top performances to lead the French powerhouse to its sixth title
A Byrne penalty rewarded Leinster’s promising play and they attacked with precision from the scrum, but Toulouse showed their breakdown expertise with the second of Robbie Henshaw’s two breaks.
That skill proved to be a savior for the Redshirts just over the 30-minute mark when Dan Sheehan, in a pre-planned move, stripped the ball from Antoine Dupont and nearly won a goal-line contest, but Kinghorn made the crucial tackle that forced Dupont to turn it over.
Kinghorn and Byrne traded penalties and Leinster, despite dominating in territory, possession and every other attacking metric, found themselves 9-6 behind by half-time.
Despite pushing into the opposition’s 22-metre line they often failed to score, so Byrne’s penalty kick just after the start of the second half was a positive development.
Toulouse showed remarkable resilience by holding their line in a one-sided third quarter but their failure to capitalise on periods of superiority also highlighted Leinster’s inability to add to the scoreline.
Kinghorn and Byrne again exchanged kicks before substitute Ramos put Toulouse in the lead with three goals, Lebel almost scoring in the left corner after the French side had attacked accurately from a turnover.
Leinster senior coach Jack Nienaber assumed the role of waterboy, barking instructions from the sideline and watching as Frawley scored a penalty to send the game into extra time at 15-15.
Toulouse were first to take the lead with a simple but effective try from Lebell that showcased the French winger’s lightning quickness and they benefited from Low’s sin-bin, with Ramos scoring the conversion.
Arnold was sent off for a dangerous clearance out by Cian Healy and his dismissal gave Leinster the momentum they needed to surge up the field and Van der Vliet crossed from close range for Frawley to add to their lead.
But it was Ramos who next scored from a penalty, the France fly-half calmly outplaying Toulouse to earn 16 more points in extra time than they had in the 80 minutes.
team
Leinster: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Jordan Larmour, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Jamie Osborne, 11 James Rowe, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Keiran Doris (captain), 7 Will Connors, 6 Ryan Baird, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
replacement: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Michael Alaalatoa, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Ciaran Florey, 23 Josh van der Flier
Toulouse: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Juan Cruz Maria, 13 Paul Costes, 12 Pita Aki, 11 Matisse Lebel, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont (c), 8 Alexandre Lema, 7 Jack Willis, 6 François Cros, 5 Emmanuel Meahou, 4 Thibaut Flamand, 3 Dorian Aldeguelli, 2 Pete Mauvaka, 1 Cyril Baille
replacement: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Rodrigue Netty, 18 Joel Markler, 19 Richie Arnold, 20 Joshua Brennan, 21 Paul Grau, 22 Santiago Chocobares, 23 Thomas Ramos
Referee: Matthew Curley (England)
Assistant Referee: Karl Dixon (England), Andrea Piardi (Italy)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)
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