How difficult it seems to achieve this European star… After the Welsh Cardiff Blues in 2010 and the French in Biarritz two years later, it is therefore the Bristol Bears’ turn to deprive Toulon of the only European trophy that is lacking in its awards.
For Bristol, falling from the UBB in the half, the success is total: the English, who had never done better than a semi-final in 2000, won their first European title in their first final. Wasps, Bath, Northampton and Leinster remain the only four teams to have managed the European Cup-European Challenge double.
Toulon, three times winner of the Champions Cup (2013, 2014, 2015), therefore falls once again at the end of a long Stations of the Cross, started eleven months ago and a time stopped by the pandemic. After seven victories in as many games, Patrice Collazo’s men seemed untouchable. The eighth and last game was therefore fatal to them.
One try conceded after 16 seconds
Led 10-0 after three minutes of play, the Var had to draw on their mental resources to return to the game. The right flank of the Rade club woke up after five minutes after an icy start: the Semi Radradra rocket had offered the first try of the match to scrum half Harry Randall after … barely 16 seconds of play.
Carried by his youth, Louis Carbonel (14 points) and Gabin Villière in the lead, the RCT grappled, showed the fangs to inflict a 16-0 to the unanswered Bears to turn in the lead at the break (16-10), thanks in particular to two tests logically refused to the English by the video. So many warnings for an RCT who had prepared for this shock by dominating Montpellier (25-21) in Top 14 the previous week.
But this Bristol has resources. Faced with Toulon’s solidity, the Bears of Pat Lam made their mastery speak. And left their formidable opener Calum Sheedy, author of 22 points (100% success at 9/9) to himself, sanction French indiscipline (10 penalties conceded) to offer the English a final victory on the score of 32- 19.
On Saturday, Racing 92 will have the opportunity to avenge Toulon with the second round of the Franco-English duel, in Bristol precisely, with the European Cup final against Exeter.
