Harlequins saw their Investec Champions Cup campaign hit a speed bump of sorts over the weekend as a fully locked and loaded Toulouse side came to the Stoop.
In the end the Top 14 champions would see of their hosts 47 – 19 to remain undefeated through the opening two rounds.
Whilst Quins will be disappointed to have dropped a game at home, they did show glimpses of the magic that saw them defeat Racing 92 in round one.
One such moment came early in the first half and immediately after Toulouse had scored the opening try of the fixture.
Utilising one of their marquee players in Rugby World Cup winning Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen, the Londoners launched what looked like a standard crash ball move from a scrum.
The 6’4″ and 115kg Esterhuizen did the rest as he clattered over the top of French international Thomas Ramos to get the home side back on a level footing.
The score was a reminder of just how effective Esterhuizen is as a go forward centre and why he is the perfect foil to Marcus Smith’s flair.
Steam train coming through 🚂
ADVERTISEMENTThe @Harlequins hit back immediately through a hard running Andre Esterhuizen!#InvestecChampionsCup | #HARvTLS pic.twitter.com/wIzCsRhOxw
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 17, 2023
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