Pau
Toulouse
F. Isa (7', 58'), T. Manu (12'), B. Gorgadze (79')
Tries
T. Lacombre (40'), L. Amati (48')
J. Simmonds (7', 12', 58', 79')
Conversions
B. Kinghorn (40', 48')
J. Simmonds (23', 73')
Penalties
This wasn’t about flair; it was about a squeeze. Pau took a young, patched-up Toulouse by the throat early, built the kind of lead that changes decision-making, and then locked the doors at the Hameau. The league leaders arrived conceding heaps of points in recent weeks, and the defensive slippage finally met a side happy to keep them on the back foot rather than trade. Result: another big total against them and a night that said as much about Pau’s nerve as Toulouse’s inexperience.
It told us Pau are legitimate top-two material in this international window. Once they had a double-digit cushion by the break, they didn’t indulge the game; they managed it. Kick long, win the collision on the chase, trap the visitors in their half, take points through Joe Simmonds whenever they were on offer. And when Toulouse, buoyed by youthful energy, flashed back into range, Pau answered with cold-eyed clarity rather than panic.
The turn wasn’t a single moment so much as a pattern set inside the first quarter. The early yellow for Alexandre Roumat cracked a door and Pau barged through it, going 14 points clear while the visitors scrambled. From 17–5 at half-time, Toulouse were in chase mode away from home with a novice spine. That’s where their decision-making frayed: a couple of ill-judged exits, overplaying near halfway, and tackles that didn’t stick when Pau ran straight and hard.
Pau’s pack set the tone. Facundo Isa scored twice and was a constant gain-line problem, and Beka Gorgadze – yellow card aside – carried with venom and finished the game with a maul-borne dagger. Julian Montoya spent ten minutes off but Pau’s lineout never blinked, 12 from 12, which meant they could keep kicking corners and squeeze. Behind them, Thibault Daubagna dripped kicks into edges, and Simmonds’ control off the tee (six from six) kept the scoreboard leaning their way. Tumua Manu gave them punch in the 12 channel, while Rodrigo Marta repeatedly bent the line and bought field position with a big metre haul.
Look at the numbers and you see why Toulouse felt this so keenly: they actually had more ball and a perfect set piece, but Pau dictated where that ball was played. Toulouse’s 54 per cent possession was mostly in unhelpful areas, and even when they nicked a turnover, Pau’s scramble and connected spacing forced them back into traffic. Meanwhile the hosts were more selective and more damaging with what they had.
Match Stats
CARRIES
CLEAN BREAKS
TACKLE
TACKLES MISSED
TURNOVERS WON
PENALTIES CONCEDED
YELLOW CARDS
POSSESSION
SCRUMS
LINEOUTS
The champions’ situation matters. Without Dupont, Ntamack, Cros and Mauvaka in France camp – plus the injured Flament, Ramos, Marchand and Meafou – this was a side learning on the job. Anthony Jelonch grafted through the traffic and didn’t stop, Blair Kinghorn was tidy with his two conversions and tackled manfully, and Lukas Amati showed a nose for a gap with a classy finish after the interval. Thomas Lacombre got them on the board just before the break and Matias Remue countered with purpose from the back. But the broader issue is system, not names: Toulouse have now leaked 34, 40, 33 and 34 in their last four. You don’t win many away with that trend, no matter how crisp your lineout looks on the sheet.
Defensively, too many first contacts lost. Paul Graou had a tough time folding around the corner and missed five; edges were late to connect on Pau’s midfield carries; and the penalty count flipped any pressure they built. Yes, they won more turnovers and tackled more, but that’s the profile of a side defending too many phases in the wrong areas. When they hauled it back to within three after the break, Pau’s answer was immediate: Isa hammering over on a short field after a territorial gain. That was the key exchange, and it broke a young group’s belief.
Pau weren’t flawless. Two yellows and 13 penalties is more rope than they’ll want to offer better-oiled attacks, and they allowed an inconvenient score right on half-time. But the Hameau steel is real. They absorbed long passages without bending their spacing, trusted exits, and finished with a late Gorgadze try to add polish. That last score does stretch the margin; on balance this felt more like a 10–13-point control job than a hiding. Still, Toulouse can’t argue the better side didn’t win by a distance.
What now? For Pau, this is another tick in a growing list: game management under pressure, set-piece surety, and a back row with bite. Perpignan at home next is a chance to bank momentum and keep their top-two push alive while the internationals are away. For Toulouse, Clermont at Ernest-Wallon is less about personnel returns and more about tightening the system. Fix the tackle height and width, lower the red-zone concessions, and their young stand-ins will look a lot older very quickly. Leave it as is, and a good season risks being dragged into arm-wrestles they don’t need to be in.