Toulon 21 - 28 Cardiff Blues: Blues fight back to clinch Euro first for Welsh club

• Jamie Roberts (R) and Casey Laulala of Cardiff celebrates after their teams victory in the Amlin Challenge Cup Final

Toulon had edged 13-6 ahead with a try from Sonny Bill Williams and eight points from Jonny Wilkinson when the Blues mounted their second-half comeback.

Jamie Roberts, Leigh Halfpenny and Bradley Davies scored the tries as the Blues silenced the vast majority of the record 49,996 crowd inside Marseille's Stade Velodrome.

The key moment came after 49 minutes, when Wilkinson hobbled out of the action. Suddenly, the Blues roared into life and their more cohesive approach won the day.

Toulon made an explosive start – with Juan Fernandez Lobbe, Williams and Joe van Niekerk in irrepressible form – but it was all too frenzied and chaotic.

Two golden try-scoring opportunities had already gone begging when Williams finally skipped his way through the Blues defence in added time at the end of the first half.

The Blues took the lead with a 50-metre penalty from Halfpenny but Wilkinson drew Toulon level after the Frenchmen had done a good job of isolating Martyn Williams at the breakdown.

Cardiff were struggling to impose themselves on the game but Ben Blair nudged them back into the lead after Toulon's former England centre Tom May was penalised at the breakdown, but once again Wilkinson was on target to level the scores.

Toulon were playing extravagantly and finally their approach paid off after Van Niekerk launched a counter-attack from inside his own 22. Blair did well to haul down full-back Clement Marienval and it seemed as if Toulon would botch another chance when number eight Fotunuupule Auelua ignored Gabi Lovobalavu on the outside.

But Cardiff were in disarray and Williams was able to breeze past three defenders to score the opening try, which Wilkinson converted.

The Blues lost captain Gethin Jenkins at half-time and Toulon were soon shorn of their own talisman after Wilkinson hobbled off. It proved a decisive moment. May stepped in at fly-half and he was immediately put under pressure by the Blues and forced to touch down behind his own goal-line.

Cardiff won a quick free-kick at the scrum. Maama Molitika and Filise were both stopped short of the line but Roberts picked a perfect line to carve through and score under the posts.

May and Blair exchanged penalties but the Blues had their tails up with Xavier Rush and Roberts growing increasingly influential. The two key men combined to create Cardiff's second try with Roberts making a trademark midfield burst before Rush's pass over the top sent Halfpenny over in the corner.

Rush was in the thick of it again just four minutes later, thundering forward before Casey Laulala created the opening for Davies to score Cardiff's third.

Toulon threw the kitchen sink at Cardiff and replacement Thomas Sourice scored a late consolation try, but the Blues held on for victory.