Champions Cup: Sale Sharks eliminated after defeat by holders La Rochelle as last 16 draw confirmed
Champions Cup holders La Rochelle score tries through Dillyn Leyds, Antoine Hastoy, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, UJ Seuteni in bonus-point win at Sale; victory dumps hosts out and assures Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle of place in last 16; Bath beaten 31-19 by Toulouse, Bayonne crush Exeter 40-17
Last Updated: 21/01/24 8:50pm
Sale dropped into the Challenge Cup after being brushed aside by La Rochelle as the French giants kept alive their bid for a hat-trick of Champions Cup titles.
La Rochelle fly-half Antoine Hastoy scored 20 points as the reigning champions, who looked at risk of an early elimination this season after losing their first two matches, sealed their spot in the last 16 with a 37-24 win at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Hastoy was surprisingly omitted from France's squad for the upcoming Six Nations but he was back on top of his game as Sale were convincingly beaten, the 26-year-old finishing with a try, three penalties and three conversions.
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Dillyn Leyds, Tawera Kerr-Barlow and UJ Seuteni also crossed for the visitors, with Hugo Reus adding a conversion.
Sale, who trailed 30-0 after 50 minutes, salvaged some pride as they staged a second-half fightback through tries from Tom Roebuck, Sam Dugdale, Telusa Veainu and Agustin Creevy.
But it was still a miserable afternoon for the Sharks, who had rested a number of leading players for last week's trip to Stormers in anticipation of this shoot-out for the final qualification spot in Pool 4.
They were given a salutary lesson by the holders to finish the group in fifth place with just one win and six points, meaning their European participation will now continue in the Challenge Cup.
Toulouse 31-19 Bath
Bath were beaten by Toulouse in their Champions Cup match at Stade Ernest-Wallon as the hosts finished top of Group B.
Both sides had already qualified for the last 16 but were aiming to keep their respective unbeaten runs going in the competition.
Toulouse led 12-0 and then 19-12, with Bath hitting back on both occasions to go in level at the break, but the home side proved too strong and scored two tries deep into the second half to earn a fourth win from four.
Bath's failure to gain one point from the fixture - through either a losing bonus point or four-try bonus - meant they finished third in the pool, and so missed out on a home last-16 tie to Harlequins.
Bayonne 40-17 Exeter Chiefs
Exeter crashed to a 40-17 defeat to Bayonne in their Champions Cup clash in France.
The Chiefs, already assured of a home tie in the last 16, were punished for their indiscipline as the hosts, who sit fifth in Pool C, ran in six tries.
The defeat means Exeter will take on Gallagher Premiership rivals Bath in the next round.
Champions Cup last-16 ties confirmed
Toulouse vs Racing 92
Leinster vs Leicester Tigers
Northampton Saints vs Munster
Bordeaux-Begles vs Saracens
Harlequins vs Glasgow
Bulls vs Lyon
Stormers vs La Rochelle
Exeter Chiefs vs Bath
