Pacific duo rescue champions Toulouse in opener

Defending champions Toulouse were indebted to Fijian winger Timoci Matanavou and giant Tongan forward Edwin Maka for sealing their French Top 14 season-opening 23-22 win over Castres Friday. The 19-time champions were trailing 22-18 with nine minutes left when they snatched victory at their Ernest Wallon home in a bad-tempered match played in sweltering conditions. Maka released fellow replacement Matanavou with a sharp pass and the winger dived in for his side's only try of the night, the score allowed to stand despite a hint of a forward pass. Castres, beaten 24-15 by Toulouse in the semi-finals last season, had trailed 15-9 at the interval with Lionel Beauxis and Castres's South African scrum-half Ryan Kockott kicking all of their sides' points. But having reduced the deficit to 15-12 with another penalty early in the second half, Kockott then put Castres in front with a clever individual try after 52 minutes. Picking up from the back of a ruck, Kockott sprinted 30 metres and through three tackles to score for a 17-15 lead which then became 19-15 with a successful conversion. Both sides were reduced to 14 men when Toulouse flanker Jean Bouilhou and Castres replacement fly-half Pierre Bernard were both sin-binned for dangerous tackles. With Beauxis off the field, former All Black Luke McAlister took over the kicking duties for the champions and he cut the deficit to 18-19 with a penalty. Kockott, who scored all of Castres' 22 points, replied with his fifth penalty of the evening to restore his side's four-point lead. But that was the cue for Matanavou's late try for a 23-22 advantage. McAlister missed the conversion while Toulouse then had to hang on grimly when lock forward Gregory Lamboly was yellow-carded five minutes from time for another dangerous tackle.