Toulon run 72 points past Saracens in chaotic 16-try Champions Cup classic

Amid all the chaos, the 16 tries, the 114 points and the sizeable scare that an understrength Saracens side gave Toulon, one certainty remained. French power will always prove decisive and as much as you must give credit to Saracens for the manner in which they forced the response from the hosts, there was an inevitability to the outcome here once Toulon gathered themselves to complete a 72-42 victory.

Would Saracens’ England quintet of Maro Itoje, Jamie George, Elliot Daly, Tom Willis and Ben Earl made a difference? Would the visitors have been able to hang on? We will never know but given the inexperience of Saracens’ bench, perhaps we can say with some certainty that Toulon would not have hit 70 had they been in the side.

Saracens caught Toulon cold and led by 22 points late in the first half but the home side scored 59 more thereafter and the visitors only seven. Facundo Isa and Melvyn Jaminet both ended but with hat-tricks and long before full-time you just wanted Saracens to be put out of their misery. It was all a far cry from this fixture nine years ago, when Saracens came here as defending champions and ended Toulon’s unbeaten home run in the competition on the way to successfully defending their crown. England’s European challenge may come again one day but it will not be today.

The first 32 minutes could hardly have gone better for Saracens. Granted, Toulon’s implosion registered high on the Richter scale but the manner in which Saracens seized upon them was to be reminded of the visitors in their heyday. Theo Dan was the first half’s standout performer but Hugh Tizard and Juan Martín González were not far behind. Saracens were swarming, pouncing on errors and by the 32nd minute they had five tries to show for their efforts.

The first came from a dangerous long pass from Jaminet, five metres from his own line and when Isa knocked the ball on, his fellow Argentinian González grabbed the loose ball and dotted down. Toulon’s response was immediate, Jaminet atoning for his error by making the initial break and releasing Jiuta Wainiqolo to speed down the left. Saracens were unbowed, however, and Nick Tompkins was over for their second after Dan made the initial break.

Two Jaminet penalties brought Toulon to within a point but could exert no control on proceedings. The 23-year-old centre Olly Hartley demonstrated why he is so highly rated by beating Jérémy Sinzelle and Ben White to score under the posts after receiving the ball near halfway and after another mistake by Jaminet, who failed to ground the loose ball near his own line, González had his second. The smattering of visiting Saracens supporters were daring to dream when Ivan van Zyl scored his side’s fifth try – brought about by another fine break by Dan who then produced an astonishing offload to his scrum-half.

Toulon were shaken, rattled but their raucous supporters had not given up on them just yet. The manner in which they scored two tries before half-time – taking the total first-half points to 62 – was a considerable flex of the muscles with Isa and Jaminet both dotting down. It was an ominous finish to the half by the hosts, trimming the deficit to eight points.

Five minutes into the second half it was just three with Brian Alainu’uese powering over, again after Toulon’s hulking forwards battering away at the Saracens line. The introduction of Baptise Serin from the bench was another worrying sight for a flagging Saracens side and soon Isa was over again – Toulon’s dominance at the scrum paying dividends – to complete a remarkable comeback.

A third for Isa before a try for the centre Leicester Fainga’anuku, who deserved it for his industry, to Toulon’s unanswered points total to 40 but they gave Saracens a flicker of hope by accidentally playing with 16 men for a brief period – the visitors kicking to the corner and capitalising with a close-range score by the replacement hooker James Hadfield.

Jaminet’s hat-trick score extinguished those hopes before Serin ran in try No 9 for Toulon after a delightful offload by Gabin Villière. Seta Tuicuvu completed the rout.