Toulouse hold off Harlequins comeback in entertaining semi-final

Harlequins pushed Toulouse in the second half but ultimately the five-time Investec Champions Cup winners proved too strong and reached the final against Leinster.

For a stage around the hour mark, the momentum seemed with Quins having reduced the half-time deficit from 19 to 5, but Jack Walker’s yellow card was immediately punished with Juan Cruz Mallia’s try creating a lead the visitors never looked like breaching.

The match began in exhilarating fashion with the sides matching each other try for try as Marcus Smith equalised Matthis Lebel’s try and then Peato Mauvaka and Will Evans both scored after drives from a line out.

The game was broken open as a Chandler Cunningham-Southerror allowed Thiabud Flament to run in and score before, predictably, Antoine Dupont put his mark on the match with two tries following up his team-mates close to the line, giving his side a big advatntage.

This Quins side has shown throughout their history-making Champions Cup campaign they will not give in, but tries from Cadan Murley and Tyrone Green brought them within touching distance.

Toulouse were the better side, but there was a moment where they will feel the match could have swung.

Andre Esterhuizen was tackled by Romain Ntamack and there seemed head on head contact which could have resulted in the French side being without a key man for 10 minutes.

A few minutes later, Jack Walker flew into a ruck and clashed heads with Dupont and saw yellow. While this decision could have been accepted on its own, the non-award of even a penalty the other way will cause plenty of debate.

Insult was then turned to injury as Toulouse, as they tend to do, took full advantage and scored the last try of the game through Mallia.

While Toulouse ultimately proved the better side, a few Quins were particularly unlucky to be on the losing side, Tyrone Green was certainly in this category. But no one beat as many opposing players nor created as many turnovers as the South African which is a feather in his cap.

Toulouse: Kinghorn 7, Mallia 7, Costes 7, Ahki 7, Lebel 6, Ntamack 7, Dupont 8*; Baille 6, Mauvaka 7, Aldegheri 6, Flament 7, Meafou 6, Cros 7, Willis 6, Roumat 6.

Subs: Marchand 6, Neti 6, Merkler 6, Arnold 6, Ramos 6.

Harlequins: Green 8, Lynagh 6, Northmore 6, Esterhuizen 8*, Murley 7, Smith 7, Care 6; Baxter 7, Walker 6, Collier 6, Herbst 6, Lewies 6, Cunningham-South 6, Evans 7, Dombrandt 7.

Subs: Riley 6, Marler 5, Kerrod 6, Porter 6, Evans 6, Beard 6.

5′ TRY! TOULOUSE (LEBEL) 5-0 HARLEQUINS! Quins lose their line out and the ball is flipped out to the left wing where Lebel dives in for a try.

15′ TRY! TOULOUSE 5-5 HARLEQUINS (SMITH) Dombrandt was inches from the line then recycled the ball and Care threw right to Smith who shrugged off a tackle to touch down.

19′ TRY! TOULOUSE 10-7 HARLEQUINS Not even slightly nefarious methods could stop Toulouse from driving over the line and Mauvaka touches down. The referee checked with the TMO who could clearly see the a try.

25′ TRY! HARLEQUINS (EVANS) 12-12 TOULOUSE Toulouse thought the line out should have been theirs but a 50:22 was awarded and Harlequins just relentlessly drove over the line. Evans the man touching down.

27′ TRY! TOULOUSE (FLAMENT) 17-12 HARLEQUINS A gift. Care’s pass was slightly wide of Cunningham-South who lost the ball and Flament grabbed the ball and ran in to touch down.

33′ TRY! TOULOUSE (DUPONT) 22-12 HARLEQUINS An overthrown line out saw Toulouse turn the ball over and then Toulouse pressed their super turbo button and in moments Costes broke free over the halfway line and kicked forward, Kinghorn gathered the ball just short of the line and Dupont dived over.

37′ TRY! TOULOUSE (DUPONT) 29-12 HARLEQUINS Exhilarating rugby from Toulouse, after a number of phases from side to side. Mauvaka raced towards the line and although he was stopped just short, as always, Dupont was thee to support and dived over the line from a metre out once more.

46′ TRY! TOULOUSE 31-17 HARLEQUINS (MURLEY) They gain a line out five metres from the line and with the French side giving away a penalty in the maul, with the advantage Esterhuizen drives close to the line and then the ball is flung wide to Murley who just touches in by the touchline.

54′ TRY! TOULOUSE 31-24 HARLEQUINS (GREEN) Green created the attacking momentum running through the middle, before offloading to Lynagh. Then Murley raced ten metres from the Toulouse line and as the ball came out again Green was there to break the line and run under the posts.

69′ TRY! TOULOUSE (MALLIA) 36-26 HARLEQUINS Straight away Toulouse make Harlequins pay. It was maybe spread wide a bit early but the winger dived between two challenges which left him a metre short, but he was quick to jump up and over the line.

• 1 – Despite Toulouse and Leinster being the two most successful sides in the 38-year history of the competition, this is the first time they met in the final.