Glasgow Warriors 19-22 RC Toulon

Tries from Stafford McDowall, Ollie Smith and Gregor Hiddleston ultimately proved in vain for Franco Smith’s men, in front of a sold-out Scotstoun for the fourth consecutive match in European competition.

With the weather in stark contrast to the downpour that greeted the Round of 16 victory, it was the Warriors who made the early breakthrough. Successive penalties inside the Toulon 22 allowed Hiddleston and Ben Afshar to combine to send McDowall charging over the whitewash from five metres out, Dan Lancaster adding the extras for a 7-0 lead after just 10 minutes.

The three-time champions swiftly responded with an opening score of their own, taking advantage of their first foray into the Glasgow 22. Despite Patrick Schickerling thinking he had turned the ball over, the officials disagreed, allowing the visitors to work the ball wide and send Gael Drean over in the corner. Melvyn Jaminet’s conversion was off target however, preserving the Glasgow lead.

Undeterred, the Warriors continued to apply the pressure to their French visitors, time and again forcing a Toulon transgression inside their own territory. When referee Karl Dickson’s patience eventually ran out, Joel Kpoku was the man sent to the sin bin, and Glasgow wasted no time taking full advantage. Clean lineout ball 10 metres from the Toulon try-line allowed McDowall to float a sublime pass fully 20 metres out to the touchline, giving Smith the easiest of run-ins for the score. Lancaster’s conversion drifted wide, but the hosts had a 12-7 lead with 22 minutes on the clock.

Once more the visitors set about hunting a response, and a response would arrive moments before Kpoku returned from his spell on the sidelines. Jean-Baptiste Gros was the man to make the crucial final carry and touch down, Jaminet converting from in front of the posts to level the scores.

Toulon were now enjoying the majority of possession, and with three minutes left in the opening stanza, the French outfit took the lead for the first time. Slick handling gave Jaminet the two-on-one on the outside, the full-back drawing the last defender before sending Drean over for his second of the afternoon. The conversion was well off-target however, leaving it as a five-point advantage to the visitors as the half-time interval approached.

Smith’s men knew they needed an early riposte as the second half got underway, one which duly arrived five minutes after the restart. Adam Hastings – on at the break for Lancaster – dispatched a penalty to the corner, and the Glasgow pack went to work. Hiddleston’s pinpoint through found Jare Oguntibeju, before the hooker secured himself at the back of the maul to drive his team – and crucially the ball – over the line for the score. Hastings converted superbly from the touchline, and the Warriors had a 19-17 lead.

Back came Toulon once more, yet this time the Warriors defence stood tall. Wave upon wave of French pressure came crashing down upon the Glasgow goal-line stand, to be met time and again by blue and black jerseys knocking back their opponents. It was almost impossible to see which Warrior grabbed the crucial turnover on their own goal-line, but the Scotstoun faithful were in no mood to argue, the volume levels cranked up to the maximum.

The visitors would silence the noise as the match approached the hour mark, however, regaining the lead with a first-phase score of their own. Juan Ignacio Brex was the man to break through the Glasgow defence from halfway, showing enough pace to round the last defender and touch down in the corner. Once more Jaminet’s conversion was off-target, but the visitors led 22-19 going into the final quarter.

It would be a lead that the visitors would hold in a titanic closing salvo, with both sides throwing the proverbial kitchen sink at the other in search for a crucial score. The final word belonged to Jaminet, the Toulon full-back booting the ball into the stands to seal his side’s progress, and break the hearts of the Warrior Nation.

A European journey full of memories comes to an end for the Warriors – now the battle shifts to the BKT United Rugby Championship, as a South African double-header awaits Smith’s men in the race for the playoffs.