Toulon booked their place in the Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought win over the Stormers at the Stade Mayol on Saturday.
The hosts ran in four tries to pip the Cape side 28-27.
After scoring a converted try with two minutes remaining, the Stormers came within inches of snatching victory in stoppage time, but the match officials ruled that replacement flank Marcel Theunissen had been held up.
The opening 10 minutes of this entertaining last-16 playoff belonged to Toulon, who dominated territory and starved the Stormers of possession. Twice the hosts mauled their way over the line from close range, only to be held up in desperate defence by the visitors.
But the pressure eventually told as Scotland scrumhalf Ben White finished off a sharp break from winger Gaël Dréan, with flyhalf Tomás Albornoz adding the extras to hand Toulon a deserved early lead.
The Stormers soon settled, getting on the board through a Jurie Matthee penalty before beginning to find some rhythm in the second quarter.
Adré Smith holds off Toulon’s defence for the Stormers’ first try of the match
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That momentum paid off when lock Adré Smith powered over after a sustained spell of pressure, with Matthee converting to edge the visitors in front.
Toulon responded almost immediately as Dréan grabbed his second involvement of the afternoon, crossing for a well-taken try to swing the momentum back the hosts’ way, and Albornoz was again on target to stretch the lead to four.
But the Stormers had the final say of the half. Matthee kept his nerve to slot a second penalty in the 35th minute, trimming the deficit to a single point and silencing the packed Stade Mayol.
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The game continued being played at a high tempo, but it took 13 minutes for the first points of the second half to be scored. No 8 Evan Roos dotted down close to the posts following some individual brilliance from replacement flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and fullback Warrick Gelant to put the Stormers back in the lead.
But the lead changed hands once more, as replacement back Matias Ferté dotted down. Albornoz added the extras to restore Toulon’s one-point advantage. When winger Setariki Tuicuvu cantered in for his try, it looked like the result had been secured.
The Cape side, however, had other plans as replacement scrumhalf Imad Khan rounded off some good build-up work from Feinberg-Mngomezulu.The flyhalf added the extras to again reduce the deficit to just one point.
There was late drama as the Stormers launched wave after wave of attack at the death, but to no avail.
TOULON – Tries: Ben White, Gael Dréan, Matias Ferté, Setariki Tuicuvu. Conversions: Tomas Albornoz (4).
STORMERS – Tries: Adré Smith, Evan Roos, Imad Khan. Conversions: Jurie Matthee, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (2). Penalties: Matthee (2).
The post Toulon break Stormers’ hearts appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Toulon have booked their place in the quarter finals of the Investec Champions Cup after a hard-fought win over the Stormers at the Stade Mayol on Saturday.
The post Toulon break Stormers’ hearts appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
