Paratrooper incident delays Champions Cup kick off between Toulouse and Sale

Three paratroopers were to land on the pitch as part of the pre-match entertainment only for the third to get stuck dangling off the roof

The Investec Champions Cup last-16 clash between Toulouse and Sale Sharks was delayed after an incident involving paratroopers ahead of kick off.

The game was initially scheduled to begin at 3pm on Sunday 6 April and series of military personnel were parachuted into the Stadium de Toulouse during the warm-ups as part of the pre-game entertainment.

The first two paratroopers landed on the pitch but the third got tangled up on the overhead lights and was suspended from the roof.

Post protectors and tackle bags were quickly assembled underneath the trooper in case he were to fall while other solutions were made for his rescue.

Fans positioned underneath him were cleared away and a bouncy castle from outside the stadium was repositioned as an emergency landing pad in case the parachute broke.

The paratrooper was hanging for at least 20 minutes as firefighters and paramedics were called on to resolve the issue. The firefighters drove into the stadium and raised the cherry picker ladder from the back of their vehicle to reach the trooper and detatch the parachute from the roof.

His rescue was met by thunderous applause from the assembled crowd.

Kick off was initially delayed until 3.30pm, though that was pushed further back with the match eventually getting underway 40 minutes after the schedule start time.

Sale faced off against defending champions Toulouse in the Champions Cup last-16, coming into the match on the back of consecutive wins in the Premiership having defeated Newcastle away before beating Northampton nine days ago leaving them in fifth in the Premiership.

During the pool stages, Alex Sanderson’s side beat two French sides, Racing 92 and Toulon at home, to finish third in pool four.

They started well and tries from Luke James and Jonny Hill gave them a 15-10 lead at half-time. But, the defending champions rallied in the second half and eventually swept to a 38-15 victory.