Fast start, then control
Section Paloise did not wait for the Top 14 leaders to settle. Pau scored twice inside the first 12 minutes at the Hameau, through Isa after seven minutes and Manu soon after, and Simmonds’ boot added the rest. A penalty on 23 minutes made it 17-0.
Toulouse got something before the break, just. Their lineout drive ran out of room on the Pau line, then Graou released the ball and Kinghorn threw a superb offload for Lacombre to score in the corner. Pau’s Gorgadze was shown yellow for a deliberate infringement on the scrum-half in the build-up, and the try stood. The home side led 17-7 at the interval.
The cards were not one-way traffic. Toulouse’s Roumat had gone to the bin in the 12th minute, and the Pau captain Montoya followed him on 32 for a high tackle on Graou, though the replay showed Graou changing direction into him.
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Toulouse close, Pau answer
Amati’s try on 48 minutes cut the gap to three, 17-14, and for a moment the visitors had the game where they wanted it. Their scrum, with Baille a handful, was the one area where they dominated, but Toulouse never found their rhythm. Handling errors piled up and Kinghorn’s kicking was off all night.
Isa’s second try on 58 minutes, driven in from a close-range lineout, put Pau back out to 24-14. Simmonds kicked a penalty on 72 minutes and Gorgadze finished the scoring from a counter-attack on 79. The final tally was four tries to two, and 34-14 on the scoreboard.
What it means for the table
Pau had won 18 straight league games at home, and they make it 19 against the best side in the division. Toulouse stay top of the Top 14 with a game in hand, though they were missing a lot of regulars. Pau climb onto the podium after their defeat at Toulon a week earlier.
Toulouse captain Jelonch came off for a head check on the hour and joins the France squad at Marcoussis on Monday.
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