English rugby clubs faced a challenging start to their Champions Cup campaigns, with both Exeter Chiefs and Leicester Tigers suffering defeats on Saturday, 18 October 2026. Exeter Chiefs were narrowly beaten 43-40 by Toulouse, despite the French side playing with 14 men for a significant period.
Toulouse prop Rodrigue Neti received a red card for a high tackle during a frenetic seven-minute spell. Exeter's Zack Wimbush scored a hat-trick of tries, helping his team to a 26-24 lead at half-time and extending it after the restart. However, Toulouse rallied, with Matias Remue and Romain Ntamack scoring in quick succession to regain the lead. A late penalty kick from Exeter's Henry Slade went wide, allowing Toulouse to secure the victory.
Meanwhile, Leicester Tigers fell to a 41-17 bonus-point defeat against Pau in the south of France. Ollie Chessum made a try-scoring return from injury in his first appearance of the season, and Archie van der Flier also crossed for the Tigers. Despite these efforts, Pau established a half-time lead and pulled away in the second half to seal an emphatic win.