Toulouse's dreams of scooping two major titles this season by winning both the Heineken Cup and French Championship came to an end at Stade de la Mosson in Montpellier last night when they were beaten 21-13 by Perpignan.
Reigning French champions Perpignan recovered from conceding a ninth minute try to Toulouse scrum half Nicolas Bezy to punish the Heineken Cup finalists with seven penalties to take their place in the French Championship final in Paris on May 29.
Toulouse will, of course, be at the Stade de France a week earlier to face Biarritz Olympique in the 15th Heineken Cup final, but their double dreams are now over.
The chief architect of their downfall was Perpignan full back Jerome Porical, who scored all his sides points to keep them on course for back-to-back titles after a three week lay off following their success in topping the Top 14.
Veteran Toulouse coach Guy Noves mixed and matched his team by keeping a number of key players back for next weekend's Heineken Cup final - his club's sixth - as they seek to conquer Europe for the first time since 2005.
Skipper Thierry Dusautoir, hooker William Servat, wing Vincent Clerc and scrum half Byron Kelleher were all left out of the starting line-up, while Jean-Baptiste Elissalde was missing through injury.
Toulouse got off to a good start as they conjured up a magnificent team try after nine minutes that was started on their own 22 by No 8 Shaun Sowerby when he turned over a Perpignan attack. Yannick Jauzion and Florian Fritz eagerly turned defence into attack and then David Skrela carried into the 22 before firing an inside pass to half-back partner Bezy for a try which he then converted.
Porical stroked over two penalties to cut the gap to a single point midway through the first-half, but by the break Toulouse were still ahead 13-9 after Skrela hit the mark with two penalties of his own to on more from the Perpignan full back.
The power of the Perpignan scrum had been causing Toulouse some problems and Noves sent on jean-Baptiste Poux and Benoit Lecouls at the start of the second half to sure things up.
But, two minutes after the re-start, Porical landed a monster penalty from a metre inside his own half to cut the gap to a single point again and further goals after 52, 63 and 79 minutes made the game same to set up a final against either Amlin Challlenge Cup finalists Toulon or ASM Clermont Auvergne.
Toulouse (v Perpignan): C Poitrenaud; V Delesau, F Fritz, Y Jauzion, C Heymans ; D Skrela, N Bezy ; D Human, V Lacombe, C Johnston, Y Maestri, P Albacete, J Bouilhou, F Maka, S Sowerby. Replacements Used: W Servat (49), B Lecouls (41), R Millo-Chluski (49), T Dusautoir (60), L Picamoles (64), J-B Poux (41), M Médard (75).
