Antoine Dupont orchestrates Toulouse’s Champions Cup thrashing of Exeter | Champions Cup

This is another lopsided game of billiards, a further reminder of life's fluctuating fortunes. Five years ago, Exeter sealed one of British team sport's great Cinderella stories by defeating Toulouse en route to winning the Champions Cup. The gap between the two teams has widened in recent days, with the visiting French side taking just 35 minutes to earn a bonus point.

To be fair to Exeter, the defending champions have been in plenty of form in this competition and it hardly matters who they play. Toulouse, who topped 60 points at home against Ulster, were once again in an irresistible mood after a 10-try masterclass expertly pulled by the incomparable Antoine Dupont.

Just watching DuPont play live is now a privilege, sometimes turning Chiefs players into virtual spectators. France's strongest team led 35-7 by half-time, and their dexterity and coordination were impressive. This was at least a few levels above the tempo of the average team in the Premiership and underlined why Toulouse are the team to beat in this season's tournament.

Exeter's director of rugby Rob Baxter admitted: “There were some things they did that were indefensible.” But from the struggling Chiefs' point of view, the record tournament defeat was the most somber result before Christmas. On this evidence, the sacking of their defense coach did not solve all their problems, and without a spirited try from left winger Tommy Wyatt, they would have been buried without a trace. No one expected them to win this match, but this was the highest score ever scored against them at Sandy Park, and one or two of Toulouse's scores were painfully sweet.

A decent crowd had gathered, at least before Christmas, with optimistic hopes that Exeter could end their lackluster run in major competitions this season against the team they beat in the 2020 semi-finals. There were eight survivors from the Toulouse team, compared to just two from Chiefs, but among the returning players, Dupont, along with his half-back partner Romain Ntamak, are the best in the world in recent times. His teammates are also about to board another plane.

In addition to Dupont, they also have Jack Willis, an injury threat, whose absence for England was even more frustrating in some games. Furthermore, when they have the ball, as in the one-sided first 40 minutes, when Muse is with them, their lines of running, offloading and space awareness combine to make them almost unplayable. Possibly.

Dupont got his try on the board just nine minutes later, already thinking and moving faster than anyone around him. That proved to be an illusion, even as Francois Cross' all-too-easy morse score quickly made it 14-0 and Exeter briefly put Toulouse on the back foot. Out of nowhere, Pierre-Louis Barassy burst through the middle of the field, followed by a stunning run from the energetic Matisse Lebel to score his third try under the post.

It was a bit of a surprise when Exeter grabbed a try, with the tenacious Wyatt sprinting clear following Stu Townsend's scoring pass. However, Toulouse continued on to the opposite goal and scored two more tries before the interval. The first try went to Thibault Flamand. After some good play from Dupont on the wing, Barassi exposed Townsend's absence in the sin bin and touched his team's goal. Fifth.

It wasn't until the third quarter that the momentum of the game momentarily changed, with Wyatt firing his second try from the left and Josh Hodge converting his third try despite hints of a forward pass in the build-up. Added. The return of Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins for the first time this season was a small plus, but Manny Fay-Waboso, who was named by Dupont as his favorite English player earlier this year, lives up to expectations. There were few chances.

Another promising member of the great Toulouse dynasty, 22-year-old Theo Ntamak, distinguished himself with a galloping score on the day, while Scotland's Blair Kinghorn added a try and a contribution. It wasn't a day that will be remembered fondly for many other Chiefs either. He lost control diving into the corner and his second attempt was disallowed.

Good luck to the team who have top stars and are trying to beat Toulouse. They could be as complete a team as Sandy Park has ever hosted. And will the Chiefs be next? A 6-day turnaround and journey to improve the sale this Saturday night. All Devonians want for Christmas now is a victory to ease the mid-winter blues.