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Bastareaud's red for lashing out overshadows Toulon's win over Castres
By Jack Davies
Toulon overcame a red card shown to Mathieu Bastareaud to edge Castres 28-27 for their first Top 14 win of the season.
The three-time European champions sat bottom of the pile following defeats to Pau and Racing 92 in their opening two matches, with Castres boasting a pair of wins coming into this fixture.
And it looked like being another disappointing outing for the hosts when, at 27-20 down, Toulon captain Bastareaud was dismissed.
The France centre could have few complaints after his reckless forearm made contact with the head of a prone Castres player.
But Louis Carbonel reduced the deficit with a penalty five minutes from time before Filipo Nikosi touched down to salvage the win for a Toulon side who have looked a long way from their former glory in the early part of the season.
The result lifts Toulon to 11th, while Castres sit fifth after three matches.
In the day's early kick-off, Pau won 24-21 to leave struggling Grenoble without a victory so far this season.
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Latest Comments
Liverpool? OK, whatever you say 🤷♂️ You spelt Syringeboks wrong, need to calm down a bit and wipe the tears from your eyes.
Go to commentsThat absolute BS, when did you come up with this idea?
All three were well on track to being All Blacks. They simply decided it was smarter to take the money right now rather than slog on for another 3 or 4 years waiting for their opportunity to line up.
Many AB quality players have not even got the chance to earn a cap for heavens sake, it is simply as you suggest elsewhere, better utilization of global talent to have them qualify for another nation.
The only problem is that the ABs get all the best players, mostly because they pay more, and the island nations, even the home nations, just get those that can't make it or want a bit more limelight.
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