The China Mail - Capuozzo grabs hat-trick as Toulouse win Champions Cup opener

In a mixed day's action for French clubs, Pau lost to last season's beaten finalists Northampton 35-27, while Gloucester beat Castres 34-14.

In Toulouse, Capuozzo opened the scoring for the home side against the Durban-based Sharks, who had rested the majority of their Springbok players.

Hooker Julien Marchand then crossed for a quick-fire double, firstly driving over off the back of a maul set up by an attacking line-out before showing all his strength for another close-range foray following a Makazole Mapimpi knock-on.

When Mapimpi was caught in possession in his own 22m area, Paul Graou played a quick tap penalty and centre Kalvin Gourgues fired through midfield for a fine try, handing Toulouse a bonus point by the 24th minute.

Nick Hatton claimed one back for the Sharks after Ross Braude broke clean through the line-out to leave it 28-5 at the break.

Braude added a try of his own early in the second-half as a raft of replacements, including Antoine Dupont on for Graou, disrupted Toulouse's rhythm.

Home concerns were buried when Capuozzo grabbed his second after a slick move straight off the training ground, the Italian doing well to ground in a clustered defence.

Replacement back-rower Mathis Castro-Ferreira was then driven over before Capuozzo sealed his hat-trick, latching on to his own grubber ahead.

Sharks' Namibian international Le Roux Malan got the South Africans' third try of the evening, but Toulouse had the last word when Teddy Thomas crossed for his team's eighth try.

Thomas Ramos, the France full-back playing at fly-half, kicked all eight conversions for a personal tally of 16 points.

- Saints march on -

Northampton, beaten in last year's final by Bordeaux-Begles, left it late for their bonus-point 35-27 victory over Pau, in Champions Cup action after a 25-year absence.

The two sides were level on 27 points apiece with four minutes to play.

George Hendy crossed for the vital try for the Saints, Fin Smith kicking an injury-time penalty to deprive Pau even of a defensive bonus point.

Argentina No.8 Facundo Isa and Gregoire Arfeuil crossed for first-half tries for Pau, nullified by efforts from James Ramm and Fraser Dingwall.

Ramm nabbed a second three minutes into the second period before being shown a red card for hauling down Pau lock Thomas Jolmes in the air.

Arfeuil also went over for a brace before England scrum-half Alex Mitchell's five-pointer, Smith then feeding Hendy for his last-gasp game winner.

Gloucester also nabbed a bonus point in their win over Castres, Freddie Thomas, Will Trenholm and Charlie Atkinson (2) all scoring tries.

Irish fly-half Ross Byrne kicked all four conversions and two penalties to snuff out Castres, who were all level at 14-14 at half-time following tries by Vuate Karawalevu and Loris Zarantonello.

Z.Ma--ThChM