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Reigning champions Toulon will need a bonus point victory to ensure they qualify as winners from pool five and secure a home quarter-final. - 22/01/2016 10:11
Reigning champions Toulon will need a bonus point victory to ensure they qualify as winners from pool five and secure a home quarter-final.
Toulon’s defeat to Wasps earlier in the campaign puts them just one point ahead of the Aviva Premiership side in pool five and in danger of not topping the group at the end of round six.
Wasps’ Premiership rivals Bath could do them a huge favour if they could restrict Toulon to four points or fewer when the two sides clash at the Recreation Ground on Saturday afternoon.
Bath’s European campaign has been one to forget for Mike Ford’s side with two wins and three defeats meaning they are out of contention going into this weekend.
But the star-studded Bath squad will be eager to restore some pride in their final group game and will fancy their chances against a Toulon side who have yet to hit their straps in Europe this season.
Bath pushed Toulon all the way when the two sides met on the Cote d’Azur two weeks ago, going down by just three points thanks to a late penalty from Freddie Michalak.
A similar result this week would see Toulon finish the pool on 20 points, which would put them level on points with Wasps if they can get a maximum points win at home to Leinster.
Leinster are likely to field a youthful side for their clash with Wasps so a maximum points win for the English side would put them through ahead of Toulon if they are both tied on 20 points.
Wasps have the better head-to-head record in this season’s tournament thanks to their stunning 32-6 win over the French giants in round two.
Match Facts
- Bath Rugby have won three of their last four home matches in the Champions Cup.
- However Toulon have won five of their last seven away from home in the competition; four of those wins came by 10 points or fewer.
- Five of the last six matches in which Bath Rugby have hosted a French side in the Champions Cup have been decided by a margin of three points or fewer, including one draw.
- RC Toulon are currently undefeated in the penultimate pool stage fixture of the Champions Cup (W4) although all those games were home fixtures for the French side.
- Toulon have conceded just 39 penalties this season so far, no other side has conceded fewer than 45.
- However, Toulon have conceded the most turnovers in the Champions Cup this season, averaging 20 per game.
- Bath have the worst scrum success in the competition (74%) having lost 11 of 43 scrums on their own feed so far this season.
- Only Bordeaux-Bégles (161) have gained more metres through their maul than Toulon (150) in the Champions Cup this season.
- Bath have conceded just one first half try this season, only Racing 92 have conceded fewer.
- George Ford has slotted three drop goals for his side this season, more than any other player in the competition.
Le triple champion d'Europe défendra bien son titre au printemps. Comme lors des deux précédents matchs
RC Toulon are through to the April quarter-finals – but they will be on the road as they try to make it four European Rugby Champions Cup triumphs on the trot.
And the reigning champions had to grind it out for a 19-14 Pool 5 win over a battling Bath side at a packed and vibrant Recreation Ground.
Bath had only pride to play for and they certainly made the triple champions sweat before they could bank the four match points and book their place in the last eight as group runners-up to Wasps.
It was nip and tuck all the way but in the end it all added up to Toulon’s sixth away win from their last eight tournament contests on the road with Steffon Armitage taking the individual honours with a try and numerous trade mark turnovers.
George Ford missed the chance to open the scoring for the home side and a brace of penalties from James O’Connor put the champions six points clear.
Those kicks sandwiched some superb defensive work by Bath prop Henry Thomas as Toulon piled on the pressure while the second O’Connor penalty came courtesy of Bath’s Achilles heel at the line-out.
Ford did land penalties of his own in the 17th and 26th minutes but between those successes Toulon deservedly got a fine try as they built up the pressure with some intelligent play.
It ended with Armitage sending Ford flying with a thunderous hand-off as the flanker powered over for an unconverted try – it was no wonder he went on to be named Heineken man of the match.
And they were saved further punishment before the break as O’Connor was short and then wide with kickable penalty goal chances that could have the difference more that just five points.
That was rubbed out six minutes into the second half as full back Anthony Watson was awarded the try after the TMO ruled that Horacio Agulla’s pass had not gone forward.
That try was full of pace and fine angles and although Ford failed to add the extra points the heat has certainly been turned up on the champions.
And there was more to come for the home fans to celebrate as Ford stroked over a 50th minute penalty to give them the lead for the first time and leave Toulon to chase the game.
Cue the call for that man Bryan Habana to take centre stage.
A Quade Cooper cross kick created a bit of panic in the home defence and when Dave Denton tried to put Semesa Rokoduguni away that arch Springboks interceptor Habana read the move perfectly to race away.
Cooper again squandered points from the boot – Bath could have been in real trouble if he had brought his kicking boots with him – although a 13th Toulon turnover had Bath on the back foot.
But a magnificent Bath driving maul could only be halted by hauling it down and that presented Ford with a wide angled penalty chance that he saw slide agonisingly past the right upright.
And just to rub salt into Bath wounds O’Connor stroked over a 77th minute penalty to open up a five-point lead with time fast running out.
That was that and Toulon are right in their with a fourth straight tournament crown in their sights.
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