Toulouse back on top
European champions Toulouse brought Top 14 sensations Bayonne down to earth on Friday with a 29-20 victory.
Last Updated: 17/09/10 10:57pm
European champions Toulouse brought Top 14 sensations Bayonne down to earth on Friday with a 29-20 victory.
The win also lifted Toulouse into top spot with Bayonne slipping back to second on points difference.
Toulouse led 23-10 at the break after two lighting strikes broke through an otherwise resolute Bayonne defence.
David Skrela put Toulouse ahead with a fifth-minute penalty, but Bayonne grabbed the first try of the night two minutes later.
South African wing Joe Pietersen gave Bayonne an early lead when he used his pace to chase down a chip ahead from flank Jean-Joseph Marmouyet and touch down.
Toulouse were back in front on the half-hour mark however when skipper Thiery Dussautoir broke from a line-out and offloaded to Samoan prop Census Johnston, who broke three tackles to score to touch down under the posts.
Just before the break, centre Clement Poitrenaud scored a classic Toulouse try after a flurry of cross-field passes instigated by quick hands from former All Black scrum-half Byron Kelleher before Yannick Jazion made a brilliant off-load in the tackle.
Skrela converted as the European champions went in at the break with a healthy 23-10 lead.
Controversial
But Bayonne cut the deficit back to 23-20 with a Julien Audy penalty followed by a converted try scored in controversial circumstances by Yoann Huget.
The Bayonne winger had kicked ahead but appeared to push covering defender Cedric Heymans out of the way before he crashed over the line.
But Bayonne's fightback was undone when prop David Roumieu was yellow-carded for preventing Kelleher from releasing the ball.
While he was off the field, Toulouse extended their lead thanks to another Skrela penalty and a successful long-distance kick from replacement Nicolas Bezy.
