Challenge Cup: Sergio Parisse scores as Toulon dominate out of sorts Glasgow Warriors in one-sided final

Planet Rugby

2R2H02N RC Toulon players celebrate with the trophy following the ECPR Challenge Cup final at Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Picture date: Friday May 19, 2023.

Toulon claimed their first ever Challenge Cup title after they eased past Glasgow Warriors 43-19 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Friday.

Baptiste Serin (2), Sergio Parisse, Jiuta Wainiqolo, Waisea Nayacalevu and Ihaia West crossed for Toulon while Serin and Benoit Paillaugue added the extras.

Kyle Steyn (2) and Sebastian Cancelliere were Glasgow‘s try scorers on a disappointing night for Franco Smith’s men as they came off second best in the game.

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After four final defeats, the French side hit Glasgow for six with three tries in each half as they eased to victory to give retiring Italian number eight Parisse a title-winning send off.

Toulon were quickly into their stride and looked confident from the off as they chased their first Challenge Cup title at the venue where they won their first Champions Cup crown in 2013.

They lost Wales fly-half Dan Biggar with a head injury after only four minutes, then saw Australian centre Duncan Paia’aua go off for another HIA in the 32nd minute.

They also lost influential scrum-half Serin in the final move of the opening 40 minutes with a left knee injury that required a third change to their starting back division.

There was a fourth alteration at the start of the second half when Mathieu Bastareaud came on to replace wing Gabin Villiere, who also failed a HIA.

By then, though, Serin had sparked his side into life with two tries as they sped into a 21-0 interval lead.

Toulon quickly recovered from the loss of Biggar and two minutes later, with West on to replace the Welshman, Serin produced a moment of magic to get the scoreboard moving.

After taking the ball from a ruck on the Glasgow 22 he dabbed the ball through the defensive line, regathered and just managed to touch down despite the efforts of Ollie Smith to turn him on his back over the line.

The scrum-half added the extras and then picked out 39-year-old Italian legend Parisse for a try at the posts after more pressure from the Top 14 outfit after Glasgow had lost a line-out.

Serin added the extras and then picked up the third try after 25 minutes. Glasgow lost another line-out on their 10-metre line and Toulon skipper Ollivon drove on.

Fijian centre Nayacalevu carried on strongly and when he was brought down on the line, Serin picked up and dotted down before adding a third conversion.

Glasgow started the second half encouragingly, but their inability to turn pressure into points cost them dearly. It was not until their 11th incursion into the Toulon 22 that they managed to break their duck and that came via a try from skipper Steyn in the 55th minute from a neat moved down the blindside of a line-out.

Before then replacement scrum-half Paillaugue had added a penalty to extend the lead to 24 points. George Horne’s angled conversion of Steyn’s score gave Glasgow hope, but two more tries slammed the door shut as far as a comeback was concerned.

The Fijian duo of Wainiqolo and Nayacalevu then scored and Paillaugue converted the latter to make it 36-7 with 16 minutes to go.

Glasgow earned some respectability with later tries from Cancelliere and Steyn, but it was never going to be enough.

West scampered over for the final try with two minutes to go and Paillaugue kicked another conversion to complete the scoring.

READ MORE: Sergio Parisse: Italy legend on retirement, Challenge Cup final with Toulon and Rugby World Cup acceptance