The China Mail - Dupont scores twice to send Toulouse to Top 14 summit

In a repeat of the 2026 final, which Toulouse won 28-20 in June, the champions ran in six tries, with former France wing also Teddy Thomas dotting down twice, to ensure a bonus-point win.

The home side, with a welter of injuries including influential No.8 Jack Willis, struggled in the opening minutes as Montpellier threw everything at them.

Yellow cards to wing Thomas and flanker Alexandre Roumat meant they had to play 20 of the first 25 minutes with just 14 men.

Toulouse, however, trailed just 3-0, an Adam Hastings penalty, and were still down to 14 when they began to flex their muscles, No.8 Theo Ntamack bursting through off the back of a scrum, and Thomas Ramos adding the conversion.

"We have to commend the quality of our defence and a sort of intelligence -- we were able to dig in, get our hands on the ball and put our rugby in place," said Toulouse backs coach Clement Poitrenaud.

Montpellier manager Joan Caudullo said this defeat brought back "bad memories".

"When you dominate and you don't score, it's difficult," he added.

Just after the half-hour, and back at full strength, Toulouse stretched their lead when Thomas, now 33, showed he still has a turn of pace by outrunning the defence to reach a cross-kick into the corner and touch down for the second try.

Montpellier full-back Jon Echegaray dragged his side back into the game, rounding off a fine team try but it was only temporary respite.

With the half-time hooter already sounding, Toulouse launched one final attack starting from their own line and ending with Romain Ntamack going over for the try.

Leading 19-8 going into the second half, Toulouse tore into Montpellier.

Dupont was held up inches from the line, which cost Montpellier prop Wilfrid Hounkpatin a yellow card, but the France scrum-half was not to be denied and from a penalty scrum scuttled through for Toulouse's fourth try.

Two minutes later he burst through for his second of the night and just after the hour Thomas chalked up his own double.

Late Montpellier tries from hooker Lyam Akrab and centre Arthur Vincent threatened Toulouse's bonus point but the champions held on.

Toulouse take over top spot from Lyon who slipped to their first defeat of the season on Saturday, going down 31-10 at Stade Francais.

Lyon dropped to second, one point behind Toulouse and level on points with Pau who beat Ronan O'Gara's La Rochelle 39-17, with Portugal winger Rodrigo Marta, a summer signing from second-division Colomiers, scoring his sixth try of the season.

T.Wu--ThChM