A rugby match in France has been delayed for more than half an hour after a parachutist who was part of the pre-match display had to be rescued from the roof of the stadium.

Footage circulating on social media shows the parachutist gliding into Stadium de Toulouse to deliver the ball for the European Rugby Champions Cup game on Sunday (local time), only to get stuck on the roof edge.

The parachutist was left dangling in his safety harness about 15 metres in the air as fans were cleared from the area. Stadium staff, including Toulouse’s lion mascot, rushed to put inflatable post protectors and even a giant bouncy castle beneath him.

Firefighters then brought in an appliance with a mechanised ladder that was raised to collect the stricken parachutist.

“Loudest cheer of the weekend as the fire service arrive to get him down after almost half an hour. One of the nuttiest things to ever happen at a rugby match,” one fan wrote on X.

The parachutist appeared unharmed and even helped his rescuers untangle his shredded chute as the 30,000-plus crowd began cheering when they saw he was safe. He was eventually brought safety back to the ground after a nerve-wrangling 25 minutes – to more big cheers.

Dominic McKay, chairman of tournament organisers European Professional Club Rugby, thanked all those involved in the knife-edge rescue.

“We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all involved at the stadium, both clubs and the emergency services for safely returning the parachutist to the ground,” he said.

“The safety of the individual and of spectators in the stadium is of the utmost priority.”

Meanwhile, the players for Toulouse and its opponent Sale, who had returned to their dressing rooms throughout the rescue operation, were called back out.

The match finally kicked off about 40 minutes late. Toulouse went on to win 38-15.