As in the sky of Belfast, uniformly gray since their arrival, the clouds had gathered since the start of the continental campaign above Toulouse, beaten 26-20 in the round of 16 first leg, in the Pink City.

But in the city where the Titanic left, the figurehead of French rugby refused to sink, the weather having curiously become clement again for this match.

As a symbol, it is the inevitable Antoine Dupont, not necessarily in a great evening until then, who registered at the end of the suspense, in the 75th minute, the qualifying test.

For only a small point in the aggregate of the two rounds.

In a jam-packed Kingspan Stadium, Ugo Mola's men had a tricky start, conceding the first try of the match, scored by winger Ethan McIlroy, absent in the first leg, and losing their winger to injury. international Matthis Lebel, visibly hit in one hand.

Two flashes from Romain Ntamack put them back in place in less than five minutes.

A great breakthrough from the opening half of the Blues, relayed by Dupont, first resulted in a try from Thomas Ramos, before he himself went to flatten on an interception.

The opening half Romain Ntamack scores the 2nd try for Toulouse against Ulster, during the round of 16 second leg of the European Cup, on April 16, 2022 in Belfast Paul Faith AFP

The Toulouse were then virtually qualified.

But after Irish winger Robert Baloucoune scored a hat-trick last week, this time they saw McIlroy score a brace just before half-time when he received a kick from his opener.

Deprived of balls, cornered in their camp, the European champions in title were, for a long time, not sufficiently sharp in the second act on their rare ammunition, wasted by too much haste and clumsiness.

But the exclusion of pillar Tom O'Toole a quarter of an hour from the end, for a dangerous tackle on Anthony Jelonch, gave them the necessary momentum to proudly go and snatch their ticket for the quarters.

old acquaintance

It was far from won after the first leg at the Stadium, lost last weekend having played outnumbered for most of the game following the early dismissal of Argentine winger Juan Cruz Mallia.

Bitter and intense, the confrontation had left traces on the organizations of Toulouse, deprived for this return to Northern Ireland of several freshly crowned Grand Slam executives with the Blues in the Six Nations Tournament: the left pillar Cyril Baille, the third line François Cros and the usual hooker and captain Julien Marchand, all the same boarded the plane for Belfast in order to support his teammates.

"Given the context, it will be a feat to win by more than six points in Ulster," head coach Ugo Mola said in the week, not really reassured by the accumulation of blows. fate this season on the continental scene.

Because the outgoing winner had already suffered the cancellation this winter, due to the Covid, of two of his four group matches, including one at home against Cardiff given lost on green carpet when he considered himself able and entitled to dispute it.

Toulouse opening half Romain Ntamack, congratulated by Samoan center Tim Nanai-Williams, after his scored try against Ulster, in the round of 16 second leg of the European Cup, April 16, 2022 in Belfast Paul Faith AFP

Almost miraculously, the Rouge et Noir will find in the next round an old acquaintance, Munster, whom they had dismissed in the round of 16 last season by winning for the first time in their rich European history at Thomond Park (40-33).

Happy omen?

© 2022 AFP