The Champions Cup continues to dish up entertainment of the highest order and in the latest round of 16, three Top 14 teams were at the very heart of the action.

La Rochelle managed to avoid a shock defeat with a last-minute winner, keeping alive hopes of retaining their title.

After a cagey first half, Toulouse wound down the windows and let rip, pulling apart the Bulls to set up a mouth-watering clash with another South African opponent in the quarter-finals.  

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But perhaps the match of the round was the clash between Montpellier and Exeter Chiefs, which saw the French side drop out of the tournament in the last play, after they pushed the game into extra time.

That means two French sides remain in the tournament, both dead-set on getting their hands on another piece of European silverware.

La Rochelle leave it late to avoid shock Gloucester defeat

For a time it looked as though La Rochelle were staring down a shock early exit from the Champions Cup at the hands of Gloucester. The English side travelled to the Stade Marcel Deflandre as firm outsiders but battled their way to within inches of victory, only to be denied by a 78th-minute try from Teddy Thomas in the corner.

Few gave Gloucester any hope of causing an upset, but despite the naysayers they brought steel to match La Rochelle’s power and narrowly lost 29-26.

Gloucester took the early initiative, scoring the opening try of the game when Chris Harris sliced a brilliant line through the La Rochelle defence.

The hosts didn’t take kindly to the form of their opponents and quickly hit back with two of their own, the first scored by hooker Pierre Bourgarit. The second was a sublime solo effort by Thomas, who collected his own kick to put La Rochelle on top.

That moment was soon outshone by Gloucester’s Freddie Clarke, who soared over a tackle to dot down in spectacular fashion by the corner flag.

The contest continued to ebb and flow into the second half and La Rochelle initially made the most of a brief man advantage, scoring through scrum-half Tawera Kerr-Barlow.

But Gloucester hit back despite still having their captain Lewis Ludlow in the bin, as fly-half Billy Twelvetrees delivered a fine cross-field kick to Louis Rees-Zammit who dived over the whitewash.

Tensions began to bubble as two Twelvetrees penalties and a yellow for Georges-Henri Colombe meant La Rochelle trailed with a man disadvantage.

And just as the odds looked stacked against them, the reigning champions turned the tide and grabbed the crucial winner, keeping alive their European dream as they face Saracens in the quarter-finals.

14-man Montpellier lose in final minute of extra time against Exeter Chiefs

Montpellier put in a colossal performance and went toe to toe with Exeter Chiefs, forcing extra time despite being a man down for much of the second half, and eventually came up just short in an enthralling contest.

The French side arrived in the south west of England with clear intent and were ruthless in the opening ten minutes, claiming two tries in quick succession. The first was scored by replacement hooker Curtis Langdon followed by Vincent Rattez’s finish in the corner.

It took time for Exeter to emerge from their stupor but eventually hit back when Scott Sio bundled over from close range. Sam Simmonds soon after charged over the line to score against the team he will be joining in the summer, putting Exeter ahead for the first time, only for Paolo Garbisi to land another penalty, giving Montpellier a one point lead at the break.

It appeared Montpellier had the wind in their sails when they re-emerged from the changing rooms, only for the rug to be pulled from beneath their feet as Zach Mercer saw a try get disallowed and then minutes later was red carded for an illegal tackle.

Exeter made the most of the turn in fortunes, adding two tries to their tally as a silky solo effort from Tom Wyatt was backed up by a physical finish from Josh Iosefa-Scott.

Montpellier refused to back down and swung back with a try from Lenni Nouchi and later drew level in the final play when Garbisi landed a 45-metre penalty, making the score 26-26 after regular time.

Following a cagey first half of extra time, the visitors took a surprise lead when Louis Carbonel danced his way over, only for Exeter to break French hearts as club captain Jack Yeandle scored with the clock in the red. Joe Simmonds converted the try, making the score 33-33, and Exeter took home the win for having scored more tries.

Toulouse blow away the Bulls with a scintillating second half performance

Toulouse laid down a marker of intent with a scintillating second half performance against the Bulls which meant they ran out eventual 33-9 winners at the Stade Toulousain.

The Top 14 leaders took time to warm up as they entered the break with a slender 12-6 lead, with all the points coming from Thomas Ramos off the tee.

However, the cogs began to align in the second half and on the 50-minute mark Emmanuel Meafou powered over to give Toulouse the first try of the game.

From then on, Toulouse were in cruise control. Their second score came three minutes later off the back of a strike move which penetrated the short side from a scrum. Quick hands unleashed   Matthis Lebel down the flank and the winger managed to ride tackles, and gravity, to reach over and score in the corner.

The tie was wrapped up a few minutes later when Thibaud Flament retrieved an Antoine Dupont dink to dot down under the sticks. This came a few phases after the second row had cut through the Bulls defence with a superbly timed line, bringing Toulouse within their opponent’s 22.

Following the win, Toulouse will host the Sharks in the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup.

Written by Stefan Frost