Exeter and Bath, two rival teams from the West Country, will face off in the last 16 of the Champions Cup after both teams were defeated in France on Sunday.

In a match at Stade Ernest-Wallon, Bath lost 31-19 to Toulouse, causing the home team to finish first in Pool 2. Despite both teams already securing a spot in the last 16, Bath had hoped to secure a home game in the first round of knockouts by winning and overtaking Harlequins in the group standings.

Toulouse initially had a 12-0 lead and then a 19-12 lead, but Bath responded each time and the two teams were tied at halftime. However, Toulouse ultimately prevailed as they scored two tries late in the second half, securing their fourth consecutive victory.

Unfortunately, Exeter suffered a 40-17 loss while playing against Bayonne. Despite already securing a home game in the last 16, the Chiefs paid the price for their lack of discipline as the opposing team, currently ranked fifth in Pool 3, scored six tries.

In the city of Toulouse, the home team scored the first goal in the sixth minute when Emmanuel Meafou pushed his way through. Just three minutes later, the home team extended their lead to 12 points after Thomas Ramos scored and successfully converted.

Bath made their own attempt five minutes later. They were awarded a penalty and successfully executed a five-meter lineout, allowing Beno Obano to score a try. Ben Spencer then kicked the extra points. Bath tied the score at 23 minutes when Thomas du Toit scored from a short distance.

Toulouse regained their advantage with a successful penalty try. They advanced toward the goal line from a 10-meter lineout and were just one meter away when Charlie Ewels committed a foul by dropping the maul, resulting in a yellow card.

Ramos struck the post with a penalty, but Bath took advantage just before halftime as Ollie Lawrence scored a try to tie the game at 19-19. However, Toulouse managed to secure the win by scoring two tries in the last 12 minutes. Juan Cruz Mallía connected with Ramos’ kick and Antoine Dupont’s kick behind the defense allowed Ramos to score, sealing a 31-19 victory for Toulouse.

Bayonne took the lead in the match against Exeter when Tom Spring made a quick run to score a try. However, Exeter quickly responded with a try from Dan Frost and a successful conversion by Henry Slade, tying the score at 7-7. Despite this, Bayonne regained their advantage after Exeter’s Josh Hodge made an error, allowing Kote Mikautadze to score a try.

Following a yellow card given to Exeter’s Ollie Devoto, Bayonne seized the opportunity with a try from Aurélien Callandret, bringing the score to 19-7.

Bayonne earned a bonus point thanks to Victor Hannoun, however, the opposing team quickly scored two tries in the second half by Dafydd ­Jenkins and Rus Tuima, reducing the gap to 26-17.

Even though Callandret received a yellow card, Bayonne’s strong defense held off Exeter’s attacks and they were able to score their own try thanks to Federico Mori in the 65th minute, resulting in a score of 33-17.

Jenkins and Jack Yeandle received yellow cards, while Mori scored his second try of the game. These events dashed Exeter’s chances of winning, and they also lost another player near the end when Joe Hawkins was given a straight red for a head-on-head collision.

Source: theguardian.com