Exeter Secures Victory Over Benetton with Slade's Winning Penalty

A dramatic late penalty kick by Henry Slade allowed Exeter to narrowly defeat Benetton 44-41, setting the stage for a semi-final matchup against Ulster in Belfast. Benetton had taken the lead 41-38 with 15 minutes remaining, courtesy of a try by Jacob Umaga. However, Slade equalized with a penalty four minutes later and then sealed the win with another penalty in the 78th minute, much to the dismay of the home crowd. The first half was marked by a frenetic pace, with Exeter initially leading 14-7 thanks to an early try by Olly Woodburn and a penalty try. They further extended their lead to 24-14 after Immanuel Feyi-Waboso scored and Slade added a conversion and a penalty. The hosts managed to level the score by halftime, following an impressive try by Onisi Ratave, a conversion, and a penalty by Umaga. Nevertheless, Exeter regained the lead two minutes into the second half with a converted try by Harvey Skinner. Although Bautista Bernasconi helped Benetton draw level, Exeter took a 38-31 lead when Andrea Zambonin scored from short range in the 48th minute. Umaga narrowed the gap with his second penalty in the 63rd minute and then scored a try, which he converted, to give Benetton their first lead since the eighth minute. Ultimately, Slade's kicking decided the outcome. In another matchup, Investec Champions Cup titleholders Bordeaux defeated Toulouse 30-15 to advance to a semi-final against Bath. Toulouse started strong at Stade Chaban-Delmas but Bordeaux's defense held firm until Maxime Lamothe scored off a maul in the 23rd minute. Toulouse responded immediately from the restart, with Yoram Moefana failing to catch the kick-off and Romain Ntamack eventually scoring on the right. A late first-half incident saw Toulouse prop Dorian Aldegheri receive a 20-minute red card for a high-danger challenge on Damian Penaud, who required a head injury assessment. Despite this, Toulouse took the lead into the break following a sweeping passing move that sent Teddy Thomas clear down the right, resulting in a 12-5 advantage. After Thomas Ramos extended Toulouse's lead with an early second-half penalty, Bordeaux fought back. Matthieu Jalibert collected his own kick through and dove over, and Toulouse were briefly down another player when Antoine Dupont received a yellow card for a trip in the 56th minute. Bordeaux took control of the tie when Ben Tameifuna barged over and Maxime Lucu landed a long-range penalty just after the hour. Any hopes of a late Toulouse comeback were dashed when Arthur Retiere touched down Bordeaux's fourth try in the corner, followed by another Lucu penalty.