Clermont Auvergne vs Toulon match report: Toulon join the greats as they complete European hat-trick with third title

Clermont 18 Toulon 24: Drew Mitchell magic puts gloss on French club’s historic hat-trick of European Cup titles

Carl Hayman lifts the European Champions Cup (Getty Images)

London was the right place to come for a changing of the guard, but Toulon had other ideas as the Côte d’Azur cocks of the continent secured their record third successive European Cup title with a brilliant individual try by their Australian wing, Drew Mitchell. In a compellingly multi-faceted final between the top two teams in the French league, the 2013 runners-up Clermont were outdone by Mitchell’s 70th-minute scamper and the goal-kicking of Toulon’s Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny.

Thanks to a recent change of rules by Australia, Mitchell is eligible again to do World Cup duty here in the autumn, in England’s pool. The England coach Stuart Lancaster and his assistants chose not to be here, presumably to avoid being visible bit-parts to the conjecture over the self-exiled Toulon flanker Steffon Armitage and Clermont full-back Nick Abendanon.

Each man had moments to savour and regret – Abendanon scored a try on 61 minutes to trim Toulon’s lead to a point – but it was never a match one individual could dominate, although Toulon’s inventive fly-half Matt Giteau did his best in his club’s first final without the retired Jonny Wilkinson. Old Golden Ovalballs is now an adviser to Halfpenny, whose five kicks from seven attempts was not perfect but ultimately enough.

Armitage was neutered in attack a little by playing left flanker on the scrums, with Juan Smith on the right, but impressed with his hard carrying in tight spots. Clermont had to contend with losing their fly-half Brock James to a thigh strain in the warm-up but the current France fly-half Camille Lopez was a blue-chip replacement.

Lopez kicked two penalties for a 6-0 lead, and Halfpenny replied with his first three as the huge Toulon scrum began to put the squeeze on, but Clermont led with the opening try after 25 minutes. Morgan Parra’s fingertip chargedown of his opposite number and fellow France scrum-half Sebastian Tillous-Borde had a suspicion of offside about it but the bounce was beautiful for Wesley Fofana to run 40 metres down the left wing.

Nick Abendanon scored a late try to give Clermont hope (Getty Images)

But Toulon always tend to score when they need to. Just before half-time Abendanon, who had been spreading the play through the hands, was less successful with a chip that invited a devastating counter-attack from the Toulon No 8 Chris Masoe. A mighty gallop ended with a deft Armitage pass helping to set up the unstoppable Mathieu Bastareaud – the 2013 final’s man of the match when Toulon beat Clermont in Dublin. Halfpenny converted and Toulon led for the first time, 16-11.

With Halfpenny’s fourth penalty in the 52nd minute for an impetuous throw away of the ball by Noa Nakaitaci, Clermont were agonising over what to do about a two-score deficit. Going through phases with fearsome ruck clear-outs was the answer, leading to Abendnanon’s try in the 62nd minute, converted by Lopez. Clermont prop Davit Zirakashvili was dispossessed but Bryan Habana hacked wildly infield to Abendanon, who chipped past Carl Hayman and regathered to score.

Almost immediately Ali Williams was centimetres from a Toulon try in reply. But it was not long before Mitchell’s decisive effort, sidestepping through a handful of tackles from Tillous-Borde’s pass at the tail of a line-out near halfway.

Leigh Halfpenny holds the European Champions Cup (Getty Images)

Halfpenny surprisingly missed the conversion but the hat-trick – emulating the Crusaders side that achieved a Super Rugby treble in 1998-2000 – was assured.

Teams:

Clermont Auvergne: N Abendanon; N Nakaitaci (M Delany, 68), J Davies, W Fofana, N Nalaga (A Rougerie, 55); C Lopez, M Parra (L Radoslavjevic, 56); V Debaty (T Domingo, 48), B Kayser (J Ulugia, 64), D Zirakashvili (C Ric, 67), J Cudmore (J Pierre 11-17, 58-66), S Vahaamahina, J Bonnaire, D Chouly (capt), F Lee (J Bardy 55).

Toulon: L Halfpenny; D Mitchell, M Bastareaud, J-M Hernandez (R Wulf, 67), B Habana; M Giteau, S Tillous-Borde; X Chiocci (A Menini, 49), G Guirado (JC Orioli, 64), C Hayman (capt, L Chilichava, 64-77), B Botha (R Taofifenua, 48), A Williams, J Smith (J Fernandez Lobbe, 59), S Armitage, C Masoe.

Referee: N Owens (Wales).