TOPS
Cheslin Kolbe… who else but him?
Centerpiece of the XV of Toulouse, the reigning world champion winger Cheslin Kolbe again made the powder speak this Sunday at Ernest-Wallon.
Author of a try after less than three minutes of play, the player from the Stormers (South Africa) reoffended at the end of the first half, when he came to erase, with a devastating hook of which he alone has the secret, his vis-à-vis Jacob Stockdale (39th).
A double which notably earned him the honorary title of man of the match.
Kolbe's fiery legs put Toulouse away just before the break.
The winger mystifies his opposite and signs a superb double.
Ramos transforms, widening the gap a little more in this quarter-final #TOUULS
▶ Follow the match live: https://t.co/zH4sPEAnX3pic.twitter.com/0MdqJ0YR2N
- France tv sport (@francetvsport) September 20, 2020
The Toulouse start
Start the meeting well.
It was certainly Ugo Mola's watchword for this meeting against Ulster.
And the message was received 5/5 by his players, sharp entry.
It was also on their first test opportunity, their first attacking ball, that the men in red scored their first points.
Points scored by the unstoppable Cheslin Kolbe, at the end of the day.
And with an 8-0 in their favor after a quarter of an hour of play, the 2019 champions of France have greatly facilitated their task in this third quarter-final of the Champions Cup.
Red furia
Faithful to its playing principles, full of desire, movement and speed, Stade Toulousain once again delivered an XXL performance.
Without even forcing his talent, the 2019 French champion accelerated at key moments (start of the match, end of the first period and around the hour mark) to register 5 tries and open a royal path to the semi-finals .
Much too precise, much faster and elusive - like Sofiane Guitoune on two of the three tries registered in the second period -, Ugo Mola's men once again paid tribute to their precept: "hand play, play from Toulouse ”.
A collective victory
Impossible to get out of a disappointing element of this Toulouse quarter-final.
Having started on a very large basis this season in the Top 14, Stade Toulousain did not disappoint on Sunday against Ulster.
Evidenced by the solid match between Mauvaka and Tekori, the cutter François Cros (14 tackles, best), the trickster Antoine Dupont (110 meters won, best total), or even an XXL back line, symbolized in particular by the excellent performances by Yoann Huget and Pita Ahki.
Easy, the men of Ugo Mola again burst the screen during this quarter-final, 245 days after their last European match.
FLOPS
A disappointing Ulster
One could imagine a trap match for Toulouse… That will not have been the case.
If the Stadistes necessarily made it easy by performing an excellent performance, we can still regret the lack of reaction from the Ulstermen, much less to their advantage than a few months ago, when they had come to the end. de Clermont en poules (18-13), or against Munster in early January (38-17).
The unfortunate finalists of Pro14 will never have been able to find the key to endanger the Toulouse, so sovereign defensively, like the precious scratching of Tekori at the start of the second act (15-3, 48th).
A turning point in a match that seemed already acquired for the locals, too little worried about the North Irish offensives.
Powerless Stockdale
Symbol of an Ulster unable to find the fault, Jacob Stockdale was never in a position to score.
Perfectly blocked by the Toulouse defense, the young Irish prodigy (24 years old, 28 caps) will not have crossed the opposing goal line once during this European campaign 2019/20 ... Unlike his teammate John Cooney , author of Ulster's only test on Sunday (6 tries in 7 European matches this season).
Read also
The Stade Toulousain demonstration against Ulster
Champions Cup: Fixtures and results
