The key facts

  • Toulouse — Exeter 43:40: the hosts played with 14 men from the 15th minute after Rodrigue Neti's red card; young fullback Mathis Rémue scored a brace
  • Henry Slade missed an 82nd-minute penalty that would have given Exeter a draw
  • Northampton beat Cardiff 28:12 — the only English win of the round (1 win out of 8 matches); France recorded 4 wins and 3 losses, all three Irish provinces won

Toulouse held on to win with 14 men

Six-time record Champions Cup winners Toulouse held off Exeter on Sunday and won 43:40, despite losing prop Rodrigue Neti as early as the 15th minute, sent off for a high tackle — a shoulder hit on the visitors' flanker Ross Vintcent. The French side's win was secured by a brace from young Welsh (of Belgian origin) fullback Mathis Rémue. Toulouse avoided their first home defeat in the competition since 2022. According to AFP, captain Antoine Dupont said after the match: 'When you see how the game unfolded, at half-time we would have signed up for a win,' and on Slade's miss he added: 'That is the tragic side of sport, the role of the kicker — he missed the most important kick.'

Course of the match

Toulouse went into the match without injured first-choice locks Emmanuel Meafou and Thibaud Flament, as well as hooker Julien Marchand and fullback Thomas Ramos. After a tense first half the Chiefs deservedly led 26:24. The French club finished the first half with nine men against thirteen: winger Teddy Thomas received a yellow card — according to one AFP version, for an accidental, according to another, for a deliberate knock-on (a non-special infringement when receiving the ball). Italy scrum-half Stephen Varney was in excellent form for the Chiefs, scoring a try and assisting winger Zack Wimbush. A quarter of an hour from the end Exeter led 40:38 thanks to tries from centre Will Butt and Wimbush's third try, and the first English win of the round was close. The Top 14 leaders regained the advantage 12 minutes from the end when Rémue scored his second try, after which experienced centre Henry Slade missed an 82nd-minute penalty that would have earned a draw. Exeter — the 2020 champions — scored six tries.

Northampton save England's honour

After Gloucester's draw with two-time defending champions Bordeaux-Bègles in Friday's opening match, the English clubs suffered only defeats on Saturday: Sale, Saracens, Bath and Bristol all lost. 2025 finalists Northampton on Sunday evening achieved what seven English teams could not, beating Cardiff 28:12 thanks to tries from James Ramm... no — from James Pater, Toby Thame, George Hendy and Fraser Dingwall. In the end England recorded only one win in eight matches, France four wins with three losses, while all three Irish provinces won on Saturday.

Pau thrash Leicester

Earlier on Sunday Pau, one of the Top 14 leaders, beat Leicester 41:17: Portuguese centre Rodrigo Marta scored two tries, continuing an impressive start to the season. The hosts scored five tries — through Marta, Yann Soubal, Aaron Grandidier-Nkanang and Fabien Brau-Boireau, while fly-half Axel Desper kicked 16 points. Leicester led after Ollie Chessum's try in the tenth minute, and Archie van der Flier scored in the second half, but could not hold the advantage — Pau secured a bonus-point win. Tigers head coach Geoff Parling told reporters: 'The best English teams and French teams are evenly matched. It is only one weekend — we will see how it goes at the end of the competition.' On Sunday English Premiership champions Northampton were to try to restore English pride in their match against Cardiff.

A minute's silence in memory of Hyron Andrews

Before the match at Le Stadium, as at all games of the weekend, a minute's silence was observed in memory of Lions lock Hyron Andrews, who, according to AFP, was found in cardiac arrest in the team hotel on the eve of his club's match against La Rochelle on Saturday.