Match action
THIS was a Saracens masterclass as they drove their marker as defending champions deep into the turf at the Stade Felix Mayol after an enthralling encounter which ended with them taking Toulon’s unbeaten home record in the European Cup.
It was also a victory that demanded deep reserves of character. Having almost blown the team from the French naval port out of the water with a hat-trick of brilliant first-half tries which saw them lead 25-6 at the interval, they faced a fierce second-half revival.
Toulon are the only side to win three consecutive titles in the tournament, and they showed why with a series of steaming assaults to capitalise on Maro Itoje’s sin-binning with tries by Levan Chilachava and Bryan Habana clipping the Saracens lead to 28-23 with only 18 minutes remaining.
However, this Saracens side have already demonstrated that they have character to spare, and no one more than Owen Farrell. There is no question that this was a tremendous all-round team effort, but for Farrell to make such an impression in his first game back since suffering a back injury steering England to a series victory in Australia in June was remarkable.
It was as if he had never been away as he kicked five from six attempts at goal from all angles and distances, as well as steering Saracens into the parts of the pitch that hurt Toulon most. It made him a clear man-of-the-match in an encounter in which virtually all his teammates had a worthy claim, and is also a tonic for England and Eddie Jones after a cruel run of recent injuries.
Saracens threw down the gauntlet from the outset, pegging Toulon in their own 22 during a two-minute assault in which they showed an all-court game with backs and forwards handling seamlessly. It earned them a 3-0 lead from a Farrell penalty, but was only the opening salvo of a first-half in which they totally dominated the home side.
Toulon have assembled another all-international squad, but before the break they looked like novices against a Saracens side producing one of the best performances by an English club in Europe’s elite tournament. At times, the linking between their forwards and backs was reminiscent of the precision and timing that only the All Blacks are supposed to be able to produce.
Although a Leigh Halfpenny penalty put Toulon level, the first Saracens try set the tone as they attacked fluidly up the middle from a line-out through Billy Vunipola, Itoje and Chris Wyles. With the Toulon defence scrambling, Saracens exploited the disorder with crisp passing from Farrell, Brad Barritt and Alex Goode before Jamie George gave Shaun Maitland a tilt at the corner.
With Ma’a Nonu and Sebastien Tillous-Borde corner-flagging, Maitland had his work cut out, but he squeezed in at the corner, touching down in mid-air as he was smashed into touch.
With the TMO confirming that he had defied gravity for long enough to get downward pressure, the try was given, and, although Farrell could not add the extras from the touchline, his side had an 8-3 lead with less than ten minutes played.
There was no respite for
Toulon. If Billy Vunipola was the hub around which many of the Saracens attacks revolved, Farrell and George are players with that uncanny ability to rise to the occasion – and they did so when the fly-half’s pass found George as he picked a line which took him straight through the Toulon defence. The hooker’s beautifully weighted inside-pass to Richard Wigglesworth saw the scrum-half score between the posts, Farrell converting to make it 15-3.
The shellshocked hosts fell further behind to another Farrell penalty, and although Halfpenny kicked one in response to leave them trailing 18-6, Saracens were not done. A short pass by Schalk Burger to Mako Vunipola unleashed a sweeping attack culminating in a try for Wyles.
What made it special was not only the loose-head’s nifty footwork and backhand offload to Farrell, but the quality of the handling and movement as the ball went through five pairs of hands before a cut-back by Marcelo Bosch saw George Kruis find Itoje with a 15 metre cut-out pass, allowing his fellow lock to put Wyles over untouched.
If Farrell’s touchline conversion gave Saracens what looked like an unassailable lead, Toulon had other ideas. A Halfpenny penalty early in the second-half was cancelled out by one from Farrell after Nonu was sinbinned for upending Barritt but Toulon were cranking it up.
Itoje’s yellow card after cumulative Saracens offences defending their line saw Toulon sniff a way back, and they were rewarded when Chilachava plunged over from a series of pick-and-gos. Encouraged, they scored through Habana after a sustained assault involving Mathieu Bastareaud, Mamuka Gorgodze and Nonu, whose pass put the Springbok wing clear of the depleted cover.
However, even though Saracens lost Burger to the sin-bin with nine minutes left, they not only held out, but also deprived Toulon of a losing bonus point when Farrell kicked his last penalty two minutes from time after Habana’s ruck infringement.
This ensured that, at the final whistle, it was the Saracens standard flying proudly in the Mediterranean breeze at the Mayol.