Clermont vs. Toulon: Score, Reaction from European Rugby Champions Cup Final
Toulon claimed the inaugural European Rugby Champions Cup on Saturday following their 24-18 victory over Clermont Auvergne at Twickenham, winning their third successive continental title.
BBC Wales Sport confirmed Toulon's triumph, which required a real show of character from Bernard Laporte's side, which ended the six-point win by showing some of the best defence any team is likely to produce:
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In a re-enactment of the 2013 Heineken Cup final, the two teams understandably opened under tetchy circumstances, but the sheer wealth of superstar talents present made for high entertainment from the start.
For Clermont, the likes of Napolioni Nalaga—Toulon-bound himself this summer—and Nick Abendanon enjoyed space in the opening minutes, while Juan Martin Hernandez and Drew Mitchell were active for Toulon.
Despite that sea of quality, however, it was kickers Camille Lopez and Leigh Halfpenny who did the bulk of the early damage from the tee, coping well with the pressures of a raucous Twickenham crowd.
Even then, though, it was Toulon full-back Halfpenny who was forced to do the replying after Lopez took advantage of a few penalties, per the competition's official Twitter account:
Having been forced to settle with their chances from long range in the early stages, Clermont pounced on the opportunity to open some daylight in the 25th minute. Wesley Fofana rose to play the role of hero for his side.
Morgan Parra applied some pivotal pressure to block a Sebastien Tillous-Borde box-kick attempt around the halfway line, spilling the ball favourably into the arms of Fofana, who rampaged down the left flank to glide over for the first try of the afternoon.
The yellow half of Twickenham erupted following the centre's sprint from distance, with Rugby World editor Owain Jones agreeing Franck Azema's side had enjoyed more control of the first half:
Halfpenny responded with his third penalty of the match to cut Clermont's lead to 11-9 and had the opportunity to put his side in front but missed a 35th-minute kick attempt many may have thought routine for one of his ability.
It seemed as though Clermont were ready to take that two-point lead into the break too, but Toulon gambled, opting to keep the ball in play past the 40-minute mark, and it paid dividends.
Grinding away at the doors of their enemy, Mathieu Bastareaud eventually provided the battering ram to knock down Clermont's borders and send Laporte's side into the lead.
Halfpenny made up for his earlier miss by converting Toulon's first try, leading ex-England international Brian Moore to hint it may be the defending champions with more patience, a critical factor in these matches:
It was more of the same as the second half kicked off, and Toulon's speed of transition put fear into their foes. Matt Giteau came close to creating the team's second score within minutes of the restart.
Steffon Armitage, having been quieter than usual up until this point, started to come alive and put a thunderous hit on England compatriot Abendanon in particular, catching his countryman woefully out of defensive shape.
To their credit, however, Azema's men stood firm, but it gradually became clear the power balance was well and truly in Toulon's favour, summed up by a show of indiscipline from France winger Noa Nakaitaci.
Referee Nigel Owens was forced to give Toulon a penalty after Nakaitaci threw an out-of-play ball away from Bryan Habana, Halfpenny happily converting and the Clermont man earning the ire of ESPN Scrum's Tom Hamilton:
Many among this Toulon squad will have been present for the European victories of 2013 and 2014, but for Clermont, this was the first time competing under European club rugby's most intense spotlight.
With 20 minutes remaining, that difference in pedigree had begun to tell, and it was Clermont making the majority of mistakes, both little and large.
For Laporte, being able to replace a back-row icon like Juan Smith with the similarly gifted Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe showed just what a unique depth Toulon possessed, another key difference in the result.
Just like that, though, the game was turned on its head when an exquisite chip-and-chase from Abendanon saw the full-back cut in under the posts to score and earn widespread attention for his moment of inspiration:
Some Toulon players seemed up in arms, apparently under the impression advantage was still in their favour, but referee Owens had the only say that mattered.
As World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper attested, Abendanon's try had a rejuvenating effect not just on Clermont's players but on their fans too as a more even contest rose back to the fore:
Back and forth the momentum shifted, and just when it looked Clermont were back within range of their fierce French rivals, Mitchell crashed off a set piece to glide in for a one-man-army effort of his own.
The Australian scythed through Clermont's defences, and despite the backing of his peers, chose to go it alone and touch down in the right corner, leaving Welsh figures Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies in awe:
A moment of confusion followed when it looked as though Halfpenny had added the extras, but the scoreboard told otherwise, and Clermont could at least rest easier knowing the deficit was six points instead of eight.
Both teams are a delight to watch at their offensive best, but it was Toulon's structure and discipline without the ball that impressed most in their bid to stop the opposition clinching the converted try they needed.
It was slow, agonising and far less fancy than the pieces of play that created the scores, but former fly-half Jonny Wilkinson could look on as Toulon eked their way to a third European crown in as many years.
With more star names to come this summer and prospects only getting brighter, the question must be asked as to whether anyone can stop Toulon's runaway train.
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