European Rugby Champions Cup
Relentless Toulon reap their rewards with historic European triumph
Tom Hamilton at Twickenham
May 2, 2015
Toulon celebrate
Toulon celebrate© Stu Forster/Getty Images

When you have a team consisting of four World Cup-winners and six who had already won two European cups, you take some stopping. This year's inaugural staging of the Champions Cup was a match forged in France. Twickenham was bathed in yellow and blue, red and black - and unfortunately swathes of green seats - but it will be etched in Toulon's history as the place where they scaled the previously unreachable peak of three European titles on the bounce.

The final two minutes showed Toulon in their finest light. For all their attacking endeavour - Drew Mitchell's try was one of the finest to grace a European final - it was their relentless scrambling defence that secured their place in rugby history. They may be a team of Galacticos and not to everyone's taste, but that means nothing. They are the first team to win three European titles on the bounce. The millions of euros Mourad Boudjellal has pumped into this club could not have bought their attitude at the death.

It was a performance which drew players from far corners of the world but was anchored in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur. It took 29 minutes for the first Pilou-Pilou to ring out and while the Toulon faithful were outnumbered at a conservative estimate of three to one, it will be tears of joy that see red and black paint lacing the streets of Twickenham rather than the striking yellow and blue that travelled en masse from the Clermont-Montferrand.

Boudjellal's pet name for Clermont is the 'Trolls of Massif Central' but his team are no shrinking violets. Ali Williams and Bakkies Botha would not look out of place in the Flintstones and while their type of natural enforcer is a dying breed in this ever-watchful, scrutinising eye of citing officers, they both put in shifts which belied their creaking frames. They will head into retirement at the end of the season to different ends of the world - Botha to South Africa and Williams to New Zealand - but they will be etched into Toulon folklore.

While Toulon's pilou-pilou self-anoints them the 'Ruthless Warriors' it was a combination of the beauty and the beast that saw them home. First the beast; Mathieu Bastareaud had a quiet half only to then pop up for their first try as he bulldozed over from close range. Give him an inch, he takes a try. Then the beauty as Leigh Halfpenny's deadeye kicking gave Toulon the foundations and Mitchell's moment of individual splendour the killer blow. Williams' assessment that he "has never been that happy for an Aussie" typifies this band of fiercely talented nomads.

It was just a shame that more did not witness the spectacle. Though the can-can girls received rapturous acclaim from the stands and the periodic chanting of "ASM, Toulonais" it was the rendition of "Swing, Low" in the 62nd minute that was the outlier. It was Twickenham invading the Top 14's big day.

But those that did make the schlep from Clermont did their team proud. On Friday evening the only indication at Twickenham station of the Challenge Cup final taking place was a lone bagpipe player (for Edinburgh) standing on the platform while the odd cherry and white shirt (of Gloucester, the eventual winners) filed off the eerily-empty trains. But on Saturday, Twickenham was covered in yellow and blue as the Vulcans attempted to make a home miles from their beloved Stade Marcel-Michelin.

It was a match they could have won with Nick Abendanon's solo effort remarkable enough to win any match but in the end their kicking was too wayward with errors letting them down at the key moments. Ludovic Radoslavjevic's missed kick for touch with two minutes left was so far short of what was required while Julien Bardy was also guilty of sloppy errors.

Their cause was not helped by the late withdrawal of Brock James, such a key figure in their semi-final win over Saracens, but when it came down to it, sheer experience in European finals and bloody-mindedness was the difference.

Boudjellal will now be targeting four on the bounce. It is the relentless drive for perfection which anchors this club - Bernard Laporte's half-time volley showed that - but they will still be wanting more this season. The Top 14 is still on offer but Clermont will want to gatecrash that party.

This is now a rivalry that will simmer nicely. At full-time Boudjellal consoled the Clermont fans but he has already poached one of their own - Napolioni Nalaga - for next season. He now has to find replacements for Williams, Botha and Carl Hayman. Their departure should destabilise a club, but it just isn't like that with Toulon. Full of superstars they may be but as their club chant says, they are ruthless warriors. And now history-makers.

© Tom Hamilton at Twickenham

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