Toulon defeat Top 14 leader Toulouse to increase their chances to make the French League Play Offs
Toulon has provided themselves with an outright chance to make to the play offs of the French Top 14 as they defeated the Toulouse at Marseille on April 16, 2011.
Both teams were playing their 24th match of the French Top 14 as Toulon denied the Top 14 leaders their 16th win of the season. Toulon with this win has 65 points in the 24 matches they have played in the season so far. Toulon currently
at the seventh position in the Top 14 however their point different with the second place Racing Metro is of just four points.
Both teams were coming from the Heineken Cup knockout stages in which Toulon booked the place in semifinals while Toulon losing their game against the Perpignan. Toulouse entered the match by trying with a new half back pair. Toulouse entered the match without
their first choice Fly Half David Skrela and Scrum Half Nicolas Bezy. Bezy sustained injuries to his right ankle and left thigh during their match against the Biarritz and did not recover for the match against the Toulon.
Both teams build up the momentum in the slowly and played the first half fighting for the ball possession. During the first half nine points were only scored which depicted the mindset of the both sides. Toulouse were first to score with their Centre Florian
Fritz’s third minute penalty. Toulouse retained the lead for next 11 minutes as Toulon levelled the score with their Fly Half’s drop goal. Jonny Wilkinson scored on drop goal during the 15th minute of the game.
Florian Fritz, Toulouse Centre’s scored his second penalty of the game during the 29th minute of the game to take the scorecard reading 3 – 6 in favour of Toulouse. Toulon were a man down as their Fly Half Jonny Wilkinson was sin binned in the
30th minute of the game. Toulon however deprived Toulouse from capitalising and denied them any scoring opportunity.
The second half was all Toulon showed as they enjoyed both the ball possession and enjoyed the territory possession. Toulon scored 18 points during the second half and conceded only three points. Toulon levelled the score 6 – all during the 51st minute
through Wilkinson’s first penalty of the match.
A minute later, Toulon Winger Paul Sackey’s scored a try followed by their Fly Half’s conversion to give Toulon 7 points lead. Paul Sackey delivered another try just after a lapse of minute to firmly place the Toulon in the game. Toulouse Fly Half Marc Doussain’s
60th minute penalty reduced the lead to 9 points. Toulon later denied the Top 14 leaders any scoring opportunity during the remaining 20 minutes of the game. Only scoring in the remaining time came during the 68th minute of the game as Toulon’s
Fly Half kicked his second penalty of the game to take the scorecard reading 21 – 9.
Paul Sackey’s two tries in succession enabled Toulon to defeat the Toulouse. Toulon still has two more games in the season and need at least a win game along with a bonus point to secure their place in the French Top 14 play offs.
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