Cardiff Blues 28
(6)
Toulon 21 (13)
Two tries in four
second-half minutes did for Toulon as Cardiff Blues rallied
from a 6-13 half-time deficit to eventually beat the French
side 28-21 in Marseille.
It was a second
successive weekend of heartbreak for Philippe Saint-André's
side - following their extra-time defeat to Clermont in the
Top 14 play-offs - and means that Jonny Wilkinson and
company will end the season empty-handed.
Indeed, the England
fly-half didn't even get to play out the match after being
forced off with a back injury in th 47th minute after
failing with a penalty attempt.
His side were 13-6 up
at the time, but his replacement Tom May - who was moved
from the centres - was immediately under pressure as he
failed to clear his lines. Welsh centre Jamie Roberts
touched down minutes later as Cardiff capitalized on
Toulon's uncertainty, with Ben Blair levelling the scores
with his simple conversion.
Amlin Challenge Cup - Pool results
and tables
It marked a sea-change
in the momentum of the game, with Cardiff going on to add
further tries in the 65th and 69th minutes through Leigh
Halfpenny and lock Bradley Davies. Blair added a
conversion and a penalty, with Toulon's sole response being
May's corner penalty on 55 minutes.
With time running out
the Cote d'Azur side threw everything they had into attack -
including All Black veteran Tana Umaga, 37, in his last game
for the club - and they eventually broke through when
flanker Tom Sourice piled over after forcing a huge overlap
on the right with just three minutes to go.
May's missed conversion
meant they were still seven points short as time ran down
and the Blues held firm enough in defence to become the
first Welsh side to win a European trophy.
Earlier, it had been
Toulon who made the initial running as they enjoyed huge
support in front of a largely partizan crowd at the sold-out
Stade Vélodrome. The record ACC final attendance was
rewarded with a gloriously sunny afternoon and an equally
bright start to the match as both sides showed initial
intent.
Toulon went close to
scoring from the very first move of the match after
Fernandez Lobbe successfully knocked back Wilkinson's kick
off, but it was the kickers who claimed all the points in
the first half an hour. Halfpenny opened up with a 50m kick
on six minutes, with Wilkinson replying with a more simple
effort just five minutes later.
Blair's 40m effort saw
Cardiff reclaim the lead on 22 minutes, but Wilkinson's
second success - from 50m and out wide - left the teams
level on the half hour.
Toulon then made what
appeared a decisive break when Sonny Bill Williams
underlined just why the NZRU has made him an offer with a
fantastic step off his left foot to score under the posts at
the end of a flowing counter-attack. Wilkinson's conversion
made it 13-6 at the break, and seemingly set the scene for a
victorious second half, only for Cardiff to ignore the
script and prove the perfect party poopers.
