Ulster 13
Toulon 23
ULSTER’S HOPES OF progressing from Pool 3 of the Champions Cup were hit with a major blow as French powerhouses Toulon deservedly secured a 23-13 victory at Ravenhill.
Bryan Habana finished off a classy try just before half-time to send Bernard Laporte’s men into the break with a 16-3 advantage, before an intercept try from Delon Armitage with just over 20 minutes left all but sealed the result.
Craig Gilroy crossed late on for Ulster in consolation after a superb kick return from Ulster that saw Jared Payne run an excellent line. Replacement out-half Ian Humphreys had a last-gasp chance to salvage a losing bonus point off the tee, but his long-range effort was wide.
Mathieu Bastareaud was superb in the centre for Toulon, who rode the injury to first-choice out-half Matt Giteau after 27 minutes expertly. James O’Connor comfortably slotted into the 32-year-old’s spot, and Chris Masoe led masterfully from No. 8.
Craig Gilroy produced a superb break for Ulster in the first half, while Paul Marshall threatened, but those moments were few and far between for Neil Doak’s men.
Having won the final two editions of the Heineken Cup, Toulon demonstrated that their power is not on the wane just yet. Laporte’s men handled Ulster’s limited attack with a muscular, stifling defence.
Fullback Leigh Halfpenny kicked Toulon into a 6-0 lead having missed his first shot at goal from inside his own half, as Ulster’s set-piece creaked in the early stages. Jackson got the home side onto the scoreboard with 21 minutes on the clock, but Toulon remained in charge.
After a forward pass from Halfpenny to Armitage had let Ulster off the hook in the 32nd minute, the French side created a wonderful score just before the break.
Juan Smith gave a sublime offload following an incisive Toulon attack, deftly finding the trail-running Habana, who worked exceptionally hard off the ball throughout. The South African took the assist with glee to dot down.
Ulster attempted to force their way back into the contest after the interval, but substitute Nick Williams inadvertently set up the crucial Armitage try with a sloppy attempt at a long pass.
The former England fullback read the play intelligently and picked the ball out of the air to streak away and score under the posts. Halfpenny converted again to take his personal tally to 12 points.
Ulster emptied the bench, and did manage an excellent try through Gilroy. Tommy Bowe and Payne combined on kick return to get Ulster on the front foot in the Toulon 22, allowing Humphreys to send Gilroy dashing over.
Cynical play from Habana saw him binned and gave Humphreys his chance to secure the losing bonus point with the penalty. To the dismay of Neil Doak and his coaching staff, the effort floated wide.
Ulster scorers:
Try: C Gilroy
Conversion: P Jackson
Penalties: P Jackson [2 from 3], I Humphreys [0 from 1]
Toulon scorers:
Tries: B Habana, D Armitage
Conversions: L Halfpenny [2 from 2]
Penalties: L Halfpenny [3 from 5]
ULSTER: Louis Ludik (Ian Humphreys ’66); Tommy Bowe, Jared Payne, Stuart Olding (Darren Cave ’48), Craig Gilroy; Paddy Jackson, Paul Marshall (Michael Heaney ’77); Andy Warwick (Callum Black’ 53), Rory Best (capt.) (Rob Herring ’76), Wiehahn Herbst (Declan Fitzpatrick ’67); Lewis Stevenson (Nick Williams ’53); Franco Van Der Merwe, Robbie Diack, Chris Henry, Roger Wilson (Clive Ross ’76).
TOULON: Leigh Halfpenny; Delon Armitage, Mathieu Bastareaud, Maxime Mermoz, Bryan Habana; Matt Giteau (James O’Connor ’9), Michael Claassens; Alexandre Menini (Fabien Barcella ’59), Guilhem Guirado (Craig Burden ’69), Carl Hayman (capt.) (Levan Chilachava ’49), Jocelino Suta (Ali Williams ’67), Romain Taofifenua (Bakkies Botha ’49); Juan Fernandez Lobbe (Juan Smith ’1), Steffon Armitage, Chris Masoe.
Replacements not used: Sebastien Tillous-Borde.
Referee: Wayne Barnes [England].
