Toulon v Stormers: Five takeaways as ‘season-defining’ win sees hosts unearth ‘special’ talent
RC Toulon winger Gael Drean and an inset of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (INPHO/Federico Pestellini/EPCR Rugby)
Following a 28-27 victory for Toulon over the Stormers in their Investec Champions Cup round of 16 clash, here’s our five takeaways from the Stade Mayol.
A Drean is born at Stade Mayol
Pure theatre.
27 degrees in Toulon, the whole city packed into a stadium that sits in the middle of its streets, and the heroes in black delivering a performance that echoed the glory days of Toulon’s great European love affair.
This was a team performance of immense courage and quality, and at the heart of it was a young wing who chose the biggest occasion of his career to announce himself to the continent. Gaël Drean scored on his France debut earlier this year. On Saturday, he scored twice in a Champions Cup knockout at a heaving Stade Mayol. The first came through beautiful interplay down the short side, Nacho Brex feeding David Ribbans on the carry before Drean had the pace to round Leolin Zas and lay on the opening try for Ben White. The second, on 31 minutes, was even better.
After wave upon wave of Toulon pressure, Tomás Albornoz threw a quite magnificent 35-metre pass that Drean collected at full stride. A Drean start, you might say, for a player who now sits among the tournament’s leading try-scorers. He is quick, intelligent, composed under the high ball, and already capped by his country. Toulon have unearthed something special.
Toulon won the collision, against a South African pack
This is the detail that separates Saturday’s result from the ordinary. Since South African sides entered European competition, they have physically dominated the northern hemisphere more often than not despite not getting the returns their efforts deserve The Stormers arrived in Toulon with a pack built for exactly that kind of attrition but Toulon met them head-on and won. At the heart, Charles Ollivon’s carrying impact was telling all afternoon. Ribbans battered the gainline and Mika Shioshvili brought ferocious energy in the tight. Jean-Baptiste Gros and Kyle Sinckler scrummaged with authority. This was a collective forward effort of the highest order.
When the Stormers threw everything at them in the final quarter, Toulon, reduced to 14 men and then 13 after Ma’a Nonu’s late yellow card for head contact on Zas, repelled attack after attack through sheer will. Brex’s vaporising hit on Ruhan Nel in the closing stages epitomised the defensive effort. It was a tackle that said everything about what this game meant and to finish the match, Ollivon, who had already carried with the authority of the best attacking forward in world rugby, then held up a Stormers try on his own line with the clock red to save the game. It was a leader’s performance in every sense. Mayol was a cauldron, the city had turned out. And Toulon’s pack gave them everything. Ribbans, outstanding throughout against the side that released him and where his professional career began, was named player of the match. How England have missed a carrying lock of his quality.
Four world-class half-backs, and Toulon’s pair won the battle
There were four outstanding half-backs on display in Toulon. White’s kicking game was superb throughout, low and precise behind the wings, forcing the Stormers back three into difficult positions and buying his forwards territory they exploited ruthlessly. Albornoz was the creative heartbeat, producing two try assists with passes of genuine quality, and his game management in the second half as Toulon clung to their lead was mature beyond his years. Cobus Reinach brought his trademark speed and sniping threat but was starved of the platform to truly influence proceedings. And Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the best 10 in world rugby, made an immediate impact off the bench. His nonchalant chip through created the try that gave the Stormers the lead at 14-20 and reminded everyone in the stadium of his rare, rare talent. He is a player who changes the temperature of a game the moment he crosses the whitewash.
Ultimately, though, it was Toulon’s halves who won the contest. White was a rock. Albornoz produced the key moments. In a game of this quality, the half-back battle was decisive.
Toulon overcame themselves, and the officials
If there is a frustration for Toulon in this victory, it is that the scoreline should have been far more comfortable. Their handling errors in the first half were chronic, gifting the Stormers field position and momentum every time the home side threatened to pull clear. The Stormers are typical South Africans on the road: absorb pressure, keep the scoreboard ticking, and wait for transition. Toulon’s inaccuracy gave them precisely that invitation, repeatedly.
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And then there were the decisions. A clear pull-back by Zas on Drean’s arm with the tryline at his mercy went unpunished. An onside call gifted the Stormers three points when the tackler was clearly behind the moment of Ollivon’s hit. A penalty at a scrum that Toulon had comprehensively destroyed went against them. These were significant moments in a game decided by a single point, and on each occasion the TMO was silent.
That Toulon still found a way to win, despite all of that, tells you everything about the character of this squad.
Parisse’s last European ride, and the road to Bilbao
Sergio Parisse told Planet Rugby exclusively before the game that this match would be season-defining for Toulon. It is his final season in European competition before he takes up a forwards coaching role with Italy, and the emotional weight of that transition hung over everything on Saturday. Parisse has given so much to this club and to this competition across a career of extraordinary longevity. The thought of his European journey ending in the round of 16, at home, in front of a city that adores him, was unthinkable. And his players clearly felt the same. Toulon have endured a wretched Top 14 campaign, 11th in the table, five matches without a league win, a defeat at Perpignan just a week ago.
But Parisse was clear; the league is done, and Europe is everything now. That context explains the performance. This was a side that has made a deliberate strategic choice to pour every ounce of energy into the Champions Cup, and it showed. They were sharper, more cohesive, and more physically committed than anything they have produced domestically this season. Nonu and Deon Fourie, 83 years of combined rugby brilliance, were both on the pitch in the closing stages. Parisse’s farewell European campaign rolls on.
The quarter-finals beckon next weekend, with the road to Bilbao and the final on May 23 now firmly in Toulon’s sights.