Stuck on the roof in possession of the ball, a paratrooper delays the eighth final of Toulouse in Champions Cup – Liberation

There are days when it doesn’t want. This Sunday afternoon, the kick-off of the round of 16 champions Cup of rugby, between Toulouse and the English club of Sale, was delayed by forty minutes because of an Air Force paratrooper. The soldier had to bring the ball of the match since the air but was deviated from his trajectory by a burst of wind and remained suspended from the structure of the roof of the Toulouse stadium, as shown in a video of the newspaper South West posted on bluesky.

The kick -off, scheduled at 4 p.m., was therefore delayed to involve help. A fire truck equipped with a nacelle was dispatched on the spot about twenty minutes later, to hoist two men at the height of the paratrooper, about twenty meters in height, in order to win and put it in safety. The latter is unscathed, the firefighters said, who mobilized sixteen people in the operation.

The spectators seated in the gallery below the paratrooper were evacuated from the stadium, before regaining their place for the start, finally given at 4:40 pm, after a new warm -up of the players.

The Toulouse stadium, holding the title of the Champions Cup, finally dominated the English (38-15) and will challenge Toulon in quarters the weekend of April 12 and 13.

Update at 6:41 p.m. With the result of the match.