Connacht Rugby suffered their first Champions Cup defeat of the season earlier this afternoon against Toulouse at Stade Ernest-Wallon.
Andy Friend's side lost 32-17 in the 'Pool E' clash with conditions hampering sustained periods of flowing play in France’s southern Occitanie region.
Numerous moments of ill-discipline cost the Galway-based side throughout the duration of the 80 mins, conceding 11 penalties in total as they walked away with zero points from today's clash.
Friend's side took the lead in the opening as Tom Farrell broke the line to touch down under the posts on 10 minutes.
The French side showed their bounce back ability just two minutes later as Sebastien Bezy carved the line to tie up the score.
All over and Toulouse seal the win with a late try.
Disappointing not to get the losing bonus point, but plenty to build on after a really spirited performance.
Safe travels home to all our supporters 👏💚 pic.twitter.com/2I7KFQZcDD
— Connacht Rugby (@connachtrugby) November 23, 2019
Caolin Blade put Friend's side back in the lead scoring on his 100th appearance for the province on the 24th minute but the four-time European Cup winners wouldn't lie down.
They re-established a lead just before the interval when Joann Huget eventually went over on the corner to gain a point advantage for the French going into the break.
In all honesty, Connacht probably deserved a losing bonus point but their high penalty count ultimately cost them.
Connacht's skipper Quinn Roux dominated the physical battles for his side but it wasn't enough as the game ebbed and flowed until the 61st minute when Jerome Kaino drove over the visitors' line.
The deterioration in conditions led to a largely disjointed game with the stand-in skipper the stand out player for the province.
New Zealander Pita Ahki finished off the scoring on 80 minutes as the French Champions completed a bonus point victory in the poor conditions.
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