Glasgow Warriors outclassed and left with regrets in Challenge Cup final as Toulon finally scratch itch

Toulon proved a step too far for Glasgow Warriors as their bid to make rugby history foundered in Dublin.

No Scottish club has ever won a major European trophy and the wait goes on after the French side justified their pre-match favourites' tag by winning the Challenge Cup final 43-19. Franco Smith’s side worked hard to get here but they were well short of their best at the Aviva Stadium. They lacked accuracy and composure and were guilty of gifting Toulon two of their three tries in a first half best forgotten for the Scots. They came out looking sturdier in the second 40 and scored three tries of their own, two from captain Kyle Steyn and one from Sebastian Cancelliere, but also conceded another three, and there was no way back.

Steyn was at a loss to explain Glasgow's poor start. “It’s pretty tough to process,” said the winger. “We were a long way off where we needed to be in the first 20. Credit to Toulon but we were soft. They capitalised. To come this far and to come unstuck here and in the [URC] play-off games, it will take some time to get over it.”

Smith has raised eyebrows by leaving Richie Gray, Rory Darge and George Turner out of his starting line-up and they were missed. Gray's lineout nous and Turner’s arrows would have been useful as Glasgow handed Toulon two tries from overthrows, but there were other errors too as the French side scored almost at will at times.

Toulon were too strong for Glasgow Warriors in Dublin as they landed the Challenge Cup at the fifth time of asking.

Toulon had too much quality and in Sergio Parisse they had a cause. The 39-year-old Italy No 8 is bowing out at the end of this season and there was a determination to ensure he wouldn't be leaving empty-handed. He plundered Toulon's second try, sandwiched between scores from the outstanding scrum-half Baptiste Serin. Jiuta Wainiqolo, Waisea Vuidravuwalu, and Ihaia West added second-half tries to ensure that Toulon, at the fifth attempt, finally have their hands on the Challenge Cup, their four previous finals forgotten amid a flurry of ticker tape inside the Aviva.

Glasgow go home empty-handed and will rue a performance that was miles off what they are capable of but the disappointment shouldn’t be allowed to negate the strides they have made under Smith. Few saw a European final and a top-four league finish on the horizon when the South African coach rocked up at Scotstoun last August. Fewer still when they lost four of their opening seven league games and couldn’t buy an away win. Smith reinvigorated a talented squad and imbued them with a steely determination. Unfortunately, this final was beyond them and they conceded the first try after only four minutes.

Toulon had already lost Dan Biggar by this point, the Toulon fly-half coming off second best in a collision with Jamie Bhatti. The French side moved into the lead within seconds of West replacing the Welshman. Serin created and scored it himself, chipping through and collecting. Ollie Smith made a valiant effort to stop him touching the ball down but Wayne Barnes, the referee, awarded the try and Serin converted. The scrum-half was off target with a 30-metre penalty five minutes later after Glasgow had strayed offside but the warning signs were there for the Scots who were struggling to get out of their own half.

Unfortunately, they went unheeded and Toulon were able to double their lead through their great Italian warrior. Parisse may turn 40 in September but he looked sprightly enough as he collected from Serin to plunge over. From a Warriors point of view it was self-inflicted, the try coming from a Glasgow lineout. Fraser Brown’s throw to the back was marginally too long and Jack Dempsey could only palm it backwards. Toulon gathered, recycled and scored.

Kyle Steyn scores Glasgow Warriors' first try of the night after they drew a blank in the first half.

Incredibly, Smith’s side conceded a third try in the 24th minute from another overthrown lineout. This time the ball sailed over everyone and Toulon capitalised, their outside centre Vuidravuwalu barging his way between Sione Tuipulotu and Steyn before being held up short. Serin, outstanding for the French side, was there to finish, selling a cute dummy before touching down, and then making it three conversions from three to extend Toulon’s lead to 21-0.

Glasgow desperately needed a score before the interval and they managed to shunt their opponents back into their own 22. They tried to get their lineout maul working but Toulon held firm and although the Warriors finished the half strongly – with George Horne and Domingo Miotti probing for an opening – they couldn’t find a way through.

It was the same story at the start of the second 40. Glasgow bossed the opening 10 minutes but couldn’t turn their dominance into points. Nothing was coming off for them, despite an injection of fresh blood which saw Smith change his entire front row, and bring on Darge for Sione Vailanu and Stafford McDowall for Miotti. Toulon rubbed salt in the wounds with a penalty from replacement scrum-half, Benoit Paillaugue, and things almost got even worse when yet another overthrown lineout was pilfered by Charles Ollivon who looked to have scored. Fortunately for Johnny Matthews – on for Brown – the France flanker was offside.

Glasgow made the most of the let-off and scored a fine try through Steyn. Darge and Ali Price did well but it was Steyn’s sidestep which flummoxed the Toulon defence. Horne slotted the conversion.

Toulon's South African full-back Cheslin Kolbe got under the skin of a number of Glasgow Warriors players.

Hopes that this would spark a Warriors comeback were soon quashed by two Toulon tries inside six minutes midway through the second half. The first was scored by Wainiqolo, cutting back in from the right wing and leaving four Glasgow players in his wake. Vuidravuwalu then burst through for the French side’s fifth try of the night and Paillaugue’s conversion made it 36-7. The game was gone but Glasgow at least reduced the margin of victory with a couple of late tries. Cancelliere got the first, profiting from a lineout, and Steyn then got his second of the evening, finishing well after a floated pass from Horne, who converted. But the last word went to Toulon, replacement fly-half West running in the final score, converted by Paillaugue, to make it 43-19.

Glasgow Warriors scorers: Tries: Steyn 2, Cancelliere. Cons: Horne 2. RC Toulon scorers: Tries: Serin 2, Parisse, Wainiqolo, Vuidravuwalu, West. Cons: Serin 3, Paillaugue 2. Pens: Paillaugue.

Glasgow Warriors: O Smith (S Cancelliere 66-76); S Cancelliere (A Price 53), H Jones, S Tuipulotu, K Steyn (c); D Miotti (S McDowell 45), G Horne; J Bhatti (N McBeth 45), F Brown (J Matthews 45), Z Fagerson (S Berghan 45), JP du Preez (R Gray 65), S Cummings (L Bean 65), M Fagerson, S Vailanu (R Darge 45), J Dempsey.

RC Toulon: C Kolbe; J Wainiqolo, W Vuidravuwalu, D Paia'aua (J Sinzelle 32), G Villière (M Bastareaud 40); D Biggar (I West 4), B Serin (B Paillaugue 40); D Priso (J Baptiste Gros 51), T Baubigny (C Tolofua 45), B Gigashvili (K Brookes 51), M Tanguy (F Isa 58), B Alainu'uese, C du Preez, C Ollivon, S Parisse (M Tanguy 69).

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England).

Attendance: 31,514