SA teams have turned Champions Cup 'upside down' - Toulouse coach

Toulouse head coach Ugo Mola said on Sunday that South African sides "have turned things upside down" in the Champions Cup after his French club secured a last 16 home tie against the Bulls with a 20-16 win over Munster.

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The Sharks, Stormers and Pretoria-based Bulls have reached the knockout stage in their first participation in the competition previously contested only by European teams.

Record five-time winners Toulouse needed just a bonus point in the re-run of the 2008 final to make sure of home ground advantage with the next round being played at the start of April, when they will play the Bulls.

"South Africans teams have turned things upside down," Mola told reporters.

"You may as well play them as they're here. I can't wait," he added.

Munster could have claimed a home tie for themselves with a bonus-point victory against the Top 14 leaders.

Nine of the 11 Toulouse's players named in France's squad for the Six Nations were part of Sunday's matchday 23.

Flyhalf Joey Carbery started for the away side days after being omitted from Ireland's Six Nations set-up, while Jack Crowley, picked for the national squad, was at inside centre.

The home side led 11-8 at half-time as flanker John Hodnett responded for the visitors after Argentina's Juan Cruz Mallia dived over early on for Toulouse.

Ireland lock Tadhg Beirne silenced the sold-out home crowd eight minutes after the break as he found a way through the defence although Carbery missed a second conversion.

Munster led 13-11 with half an hour left but still needed to collect a bonus point to claim a home last-16 tie.

Toulouse camped inside Munster's 22m and Melvyn Jaminet added a fifth