Toulouse 20-17 Bath: Hosts' win not enough to earn home quarter-final

Toulouse flanker Louis-Benoit Madaule attacks during their win over Bath

Toulouse earned themselves a quarter-final trip to Racing 92 but they had to work hard for their 20-17 win over Champions Cup Pool One rivals Bath at Stade Ernest Wallon.

With a place in the last eight assured before kick off, the only question was who Toulouse would face.

Two first-half tries to cap a dominant early period looked to have the game in the bag but the hosts let the game drift in the second half, and nearly paid the price.

The Toulouse tries came from Joe Tekori and Antoine Dupont, with Zack Holmes kicking two conversions and a penalty and Thomas Ramos also landing a late penalty. Bath's points came from tries by Semesa Rokoduguni and Zach Mercer and a penalty and two conversions from Rhys Priestland.

Veteran Toulouse lock Tekori opened the scoring, flopping over from the back of an innovative driving maul set up in the loose after 13 minutes.

The visitors got on the scoreboard in the 24th minute, with a penalty that Priestland could not miss from right in front of the posts.

Toulouse had already rejected more easy points - notably after Maxime Medard was taken out in the air - in favour of a kick to touch.

It was a decision that looked to have paid dividends. The forwards sucked in Bath defenders, before the ball was spun wide to Yoann Huget. But a scrambling defence forced the France winger's foot into touch.

Dave Attwood attacks for Bath during their narrow defeat

The hosts would not be denied again. As the clock ticked past the half hour, scrum-half Dupont finished a move his break round the fringes of the breakdown had started.

It was more of the same in the early exchanges of the second half. Bath struggled to get out of their half, as Toulouse ramped up the pressure in search of a third try. The first 15 minutes took place almost exclusively in the visitors' half.

When a try eventually came, just after the hour, it was at the other end of the field, as Dupont made a mess of a rather hopeful hoof up field just in front of his line.

Rokoduguni had the simple job of picking up the ball and falling over the tryline.

Bath refused to go quietly and scored again after Toulouse had extended their lead to 20-10 with a Ramos penalty.

Mercer's industry all game was finally rewarded with a converted try five minutes from time to set up a nervy finish.