Bath were left wondering what could have been on Sunday as they missed out on a victory that was in the bag right up until the last ten seconds. But it was not to be as Toulouse flyhalf David Skrela slotted a winning penalty that had the 35 000 strong home crowd on their feet, and the Bath players and fans stunned.
In a game that was as much absorbing and tense as it was exciting at the end, Bath could have and should have come out on top after getting themselves in a winning position with very little time left.
Nick Abendanon was named man of the match, three minutes too early though as his try had looked to break French hearts. With two minutes to go, Bath were ahead by one and even with the missed conversion attempt by Butch James, looked as if they were in stall for a famous victory.
But, it went horribly wrong as their attempts to wind down the clock failed and they somehow coughed up the ball, handing Toulouse one last chance at cracking the line.
Toulouse attacked down the right wing, and a last gasp tackle by Butch James saved the try, but gave away a vital penalty with time up.
David Skrela stepped forward with the clock showing 80 minutes.
He judged the wind perfectly, and while the groans from the crowd had you thinking it was going wide, it cut back at the last possible moment, snatching a last gasp win that shattered Bath hearts.
Incidentally, Byron Kelleher was cited for the stamp on Butch James legs at that last ruck. He has since been cleared though, as the commission found him not guilty.
Final Score:
18-16 to Toulouse
Time:
05:53
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