Top 14: La Rochelle stun Toulouse with last-gasp comeback

La Rochelle pulled off a dramatic opening-day upset, overturning a 14-point halftime deficit to beat Toulouse 30-27 at Marcel-Deflandre.

The home side started quickly, with second-row forward Kante Samba scoring after 15 minutes. Toulouse soon found its rhythm. Tommaso Menoncello broke through for a try in the 17th minute, Meafou crossed six minutes later, and Romain Ntamack added another try after half an hour. Thomas Ramos supplied the accurate kicking that helped Toulouse lead 24-10 at the break.

La Rochelle returned for the second half with a different intensity, driven by scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec. He scored in the 52nd minute, then added a long-range penalty as the hosts began to unsettle the four-time French champions. La Rochelle dominated the final 45 minutes and eventually drew level.

Toulouse briefly survived when the referee disallowed another La Rochelle try. Antoine Hastoy then kicked a penalty in the 65th minute to bring the sides even. La Rochelle finished without hooker Latu, who received a red card for dangerous play in the 72nd minute.

Ramos missed a late penalty from the left touchline that could have won the match for Toulouse. That gave Le Garrec the final opportunity, and the former Racing player made no mistake with his last kick to complete La Rochelle’s comeback against the tournament favorite.