A “gravely dangerous” incident was narrowly avoided after a pre-match malfunction resulted in a parachutist crashing into the awning of the Stadium de Toulouse prior to the Champions Cup tie against Sale Sharks. Kick-off was delayed by 40 minutes after the parachutist, Captain Yannick Trouillet, was left hanging helplessly around 30 metres above the ground. He had been supposed to deliver the match ball before the accident. The fire brigade rescued the situation more than 25 minutes after the scheduled kick-off time, averting what could have been a horrific incident in front of thousands of watching fans. In a somewhat comical scene the Toulouse mascot, dressed in a lion costume, sprinted to strip off post protectors in an effort to soften Trouillet’s potential landing. Both teams also contributed tackle shields in a make-shift safety effort.