Why Toulon Have the Best Chance to Win the European Rugby Champions Cup

They may have lost Jonny Wilkinson, but Toulon are still the team to beat in the European Rugby Champions Cup this season. As the statistics show, the French outfit is currently performing at the highest level.

While the World Cup-winning former England fly-half was the public face of Toulon's Top 14 and Heineken Cup wins last season, it was the strength across the pitch that saw the French side lift two trophies.

And while it is virtually impossible to replace the metronomical kicking ability of Wilkinson, Toulon may be stronger without the trusty left-footer.

That sounds an almost outrageous statement—if Wilkinson had not hung up his boots at the end of last season his name would still be the first one on the team-sheet—but his departure has seen Toulon add depth in a number of other areas that are already bulging with talent.

In comes full-back Leigh Halfpenny, whose shoulder and groin injuries almost prompted Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal to rip up his two-year contract. 

But the Welsh kicker returns to the fray just in time for the kick-off of Toulon's European defence and offers Toulon an upgrade at No. 15 over the sometimes electric but often error-prone Delon Armitage.

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At fly-half, Boudjellal wasted no time in replacing Wilkinson with Australian James O'Connor, once again the flavour of the month in rugby circles following a rehabilitation stint at London Irish that came after he had his Australia rugby contract cancelled. 

But O'Connor is returning to Australia in the new year, at which point star Argentinean fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez will join Toulon and could slot straight in at No. 10, especially with Frederic Michalak's shoulder injury likely to keep him out for at least three months. 

The rest of the back line reads like a who's who of international rugby over the past decade, with Bryan Habana and Drew Mitchell possessing 166 international caps between them on the wings, and the experienced Aussie Matt Giteau is a regular in the centres.

But it's not just at the back where Toulon will shine. Their forwards will again be the key to winning the European Rugby Championship.

In the front row, Carl Hayman, regarded by many as the best tighthead prop in the business, is interchangeable with the hairy beast that is Martin Castrogiovanni, while Ali Williams and Bakkies Botha often pack down in the second row.

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In Steffon Armitage, Toulon have a flanker described as one of the best in the world by teammate Juan Smith, and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe is comfortable anywhere at the back of the pack.

It's all well and good throwing all these names at you, because as teams in all sports have discovered before, simply signing star players is not enough to guarantee silverware.

This is where I will sprinkle in some statistics from this year's Top 14, where Toulon sit second behind Clermont Auvergne after eight games this season.

Their numbers in both attack and defence are pretty impressive. With 29 tries in eight games, Toulon certainly know how to cross the whitewash, racking up 255 points at an average of nearly 32 per game.

Defensively, they have only allowed their opponents over the try-line 11 times, they have only had 21 penalties converted against them, and they have only received three yellow cards while conceding the fewest points (140) in the league.

Top 14 defeats to Racing Metro and Stade Francais this season have shown they are beatable, but Toulon often save their best for the big European occasions.

There is an enviable depth to their squad, with international star replacing international star, which will serve them well when they kick off their European Champions Cup campaign against the Scarlets on October 19.