Toulon had been hoping to replicate the old glory days of Jonny Wilkinson and co but it was Lyon who emerged with the Challenge Cup spoils on a warm night in the south of France. This is the first European title ever claimed by the up-and-coming Top 14 side and, with their confidence now boosted, it is unlikely to be the last.
They might have won by an even wider margin, having been denied at least three more potential first-half tries, but were still good enough to turn a slender 10-7 half-time advantage into a 20-point cushion by the start of the final quarter. Lyon’s coach Pierre Mignoni, ironically, is returning to Toulon this summer and will hope this outcome has a suitably galvanising effect on the losers.
