A paratrooper was left suspended from the roof of a stadium after crashing into the venue during a pre-match show.
Two parachutists successfully flew in and landed on the pitch shortly before Sale Sharks’ Champions Cup clash against Toulouse at Stadium de Toulouse on Sunday.
The third, however, was caught by their parachute on the top of the stadium after they misjudged their landing.
The moment caused gasps inside the stadium from shocked fans, who watched on for around half an hour as the paratrooper was rescued.
Stewards and the Toulouse mascot rushed to gather tackle shields and other objects to use as an emergency crash mat should the parachutist fall.
An inflatable mat that had been used in a children’s zone outside the stadium was then positioned beneath the parachute as fans in that area of the stadium were cleared.
After a tense wait, a fire engine entered one corner of the ground and a cherry-picker was used to retrieve the parachutist and free the parachute.
The fans, relieved not to have witnessed a life-threatening disaster, cheered loudly as the paratrooper was saved. He appeared unhurt albeit a little sheepish as he made his way out of the venue.
A similar incident occurred prior to Ipswich Town’s 3-0 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor in 2008.
The match had to be delayed by an hour after a parachutist inadvertently landed on a stand and the fire brigade were called.
Following the drama and lengthy delay over in Toulouse, southern France, the players re-emerged for a second warm-up before the game eventually started.
Toulouse found themselves 10-15 behind at half-time but overturned a first-half deficit to beat Sale and advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions Cup.
Toulouse will now face Toulon for a place in the semi-finals after they thumped Saracens by 30 points earlier in the weekend.
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