Toulouse 38 Sale 15
It took a wonderful, weaving solo try from Ange Capuozzo with five minutes remaining for Toulouse to shake off Sale Sharks on a madcap afternoon, sweeping their defence of the Investec Champions Cup to the quarter-final stage.
Capuozzo fielded a Sale clearance and darted diagonally 40 metres through blue shirts, diving underneath the posts. He injured his right leg in the act, which followed the theme of a brutal contest.
Tom Curry had left the action midway through the first half, clutching his wrist and wincing. An initial prognosis was hopeful of no break. The breakdown battle was predictably savage, with Ben Curry outstanding for Sale and Jack Willis emerging victorious as official player of the match.
"Wow! Wow! Wow!" 🤯
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) April 6, 2025
Ange Capuozzo with a piece of individual brilliance that looks set to seal a Quarter-Final spot for Toulouse 🔥#InvestecChampionsCuppic.twitter.com/nuNzjPkIz3
Andy Farrell, the British and Irish Lions head coach, will have been captivated. Goodness knows how he filters his back-row options before announcing a squad on May 8. Alex Sanderson endorsed Willis as well the Curry twins.
“Why wouldn’t you pick him?” the Sale director of rugby said of Willis. “I’ve been analysing him the last couple of weeks and he is a rare talent. I remember him being a presence over the ball who gets turnovers, but he pops up everywhere on the back of those offloads and his ball-carrying is so strong.
“He’s an exceptional player. I’m just sorry we didn’t have both Curry brothers out there for 80 minutes to deal with him.”
Ben Curry, the Sharks captain, certainly landed plenty of his own punches, consolidating a fine Six Nations for England. “Ben led from the front, like he always does,” added Sanderson. “He was charging kicks down, and probably should have won a couple of turnovers that he didn’t get. That’s why he’s our leader.”
Battered from a full-blooded tie, Ben Curry said Sale could have ousted their illustrious hosts. However, he admitted Toulouse executed basic skills better under pressure, as well as benefitting from their imposing squad depth. They had Willis as well.
“I probably would have penalised him a bit more if I were the referee, but I’ve got a lot of respect for Jack,” said Curry, smiling. “What fires me up is the prospect of beating Toulouse, though. Maybe [the one-on-one battles] used to get me. Winning fires me up.”
Kick-off had been delayed by 40 minutes because of a dangerous malfunction. Parachutists swooped into Stadium de Toulouse as part of an organised display but the third of them, Yannick Trouille, was caught in the awning. Hanging helplessly for close to half an hour, he had to be rescued by the fire ...
