Toulouse Stade Français dealt a crushing blow to their Investec Champions Cup hopes with an 11-tried romp past Sale Sharks, handing over a staggering 70-point margin in the process. The Top 14 leaders now face a daunting last-16 showdown after comfortably surpassing Sale's previous record defeat of Wasps by 58 points back in 2000.
Meafou, Marchand and Antoine Dupont all crossed the whitewash within the opening half hour, with bonus-point try Kalvin Gourgues sealing the win before halftime. Dimitri Delibes, Matthis Lebel and Thomas Ramos all contributed to a second-half scoring spree that saw Toulouse outscore Sale 31-7.
Dupont's second try was kicked off from his own 22-meter line, while two late scores from Lebel secured the bonus point. Sale were handed a harsh reality check by the clinical Toulouse machine, their frontline stars George Ford and Tom Curry absent from the fray due to injury.
Toulouse now finish as second-placed in Pool 1, guaranteed home advantage for next week's last-16 tie if Saracens are beaten by Glasgow Warriors on Sunday. Conversely, Sale must hope for a positive outcome against Glasgow in order to increase their chances of receiving higher seeding.
Meafou, Marchand and Antoine Dupont all crossed the whitewash within the opening half hour, with bonus-point try Kalvin Gourgues sealing the win before halftime. Dimitri Delibes, Matthis Lebel and Thomas Ramos all contributed to a second-half scoring spree that saw Toulouse outscore Sale 31-7.
Dupont's second try was kicked off from his own 22-meter line, while two late scores from Lebel secured the bonus point. Sale were handed a harsh reality check by the clinical Toulouse machine, their frontline stars George Ford and Tom Curry absent from the fray due to injury.
Toulouse now finish as second-placed in Pool 1, guaranteed home advantage for next week's last-16 tie if Saracens are beaten by Glasgow Warriors on Sunday. Conversely, Sale must hope for a positive outcome against Glasgow in order to increase their chances of receiving higher seeding.
they just got smashed 70 points difference lol like they didn't see it coming 
. Toulouse is looking super solid right now, can't deny it. Top 14 leaders and all that 
but seriously though, 58 point gap in 2000 is insane... this is a wake-up call for Sale, gotta step up their game 
. hope sale gets some positives out of the Glasgow Warriors match next week, def need to boost their morale 
toulouse is like a well-oiled machine when they're playing at home 
and sale just got destroyed 70 point margin whoa 
meafou, marchand, dupont are on fire 
need to see them keep it up in the next round tho 
can't wait to see what they do in the next round, gotta support these guys all the way 
. Toulouse is looking so solid right now and I think they'll take it to the final... 
The way they dominated the game was so satisfying to watch, especially with all those star players like Dupont and Meafou on form 
. They really showcased their skills and I'm loving their Top 14 lead 
! Sale Sharks gotta regroup and come back stronger 
️. Bring on the Champions Cup quarterfinals! 
and omg george ford and tom curry can't even make it to the game due to injury lol... seems like saracens are gonna have a cakewalk against glasgow 
#ToulouseOnFire #SaleSharksCrushed
. I mean, 70-point margin? That's just a fluke! Sale played without two of their best players and still managed to put up a decent fight 
. Toulouse is all about luck and fancy try-scoring 
. They don't deserve it. The Champions Cup is more than just a bunch of flashy tries 
. It's about strategy, teamwork, and real grit 
.
. But hey, that's rugby for you, right? All or nothing 
.
Meafou and Dupont are on fire