At times, it felt like Harlequins were being plunged underwater by one of the giant cruise ships docked in the port outside the Stade Mayol. Sunk like miniature sailing dinghies as they came up against heavyweights Toulon.
This famous stadium on the Mediterranean coast can pose dangerous waters for visiting teams and Quins were the latest victim. It is becoming clear that English clubs, with their shrinking budgets, do not have the physicality to take on the best of France.
Marcus Smith tried to run around Toulon’s team of stacked internationals but the visitors were well beaten. Now they must beat high-flying Glasgow in the final pool fixture to scrape through to the European knock-out stages.
After a few years of slumber, Toulon are attempting to return to their glory days. The players walked down the corridor of fame on their way in, stepping over Hollywood-style tiles adorned with the names of Jonny Wilkinson and Co.
Captained by former England international David Ribbans, Toulon dominated collisions from the very first play. Kyle Sinckler got his hands on the ball, so too did Lewis Ludlam, as the ex-pats maintain the proud history of English success in the club’s colours.
The likes of Sinckler, Ribbans and Ludlam may not have been nailed-on starters for Steve Borthwick but this offered a stark reminder of the strength in depth that has been lost to the power of the French chequebook.
Harlequins now must beat high-flying Glasgow in the final pool fixture to scrape through to the European knock-out stage
It is becoming clear that English clubs, with their shrinking budgets, do not have the physicality to take on the best of France
With just three minutes on the clock, Toulon were in front. They claimed Smith’s short kick-off and went on the run, earning an attacking line-out that ended with a try for Gianmarco Lucchesi. Roared on by flares and drums and glorious tribalism.
Quins tried to stem the flow with their instinctive running game — tapping penalties and turning down three-pointers. Toulon average 34 minutes of ball-in-play time in the Top 14 and Smith tried to blow them out by keeping the ball alive, pushing up the count to 43 minutes.
Yet the French were ready and waiting. They anticipated Quins’ attacks down the wings and stalked them with turnovers and counter-rucks in the wide channels. They outmuscled them in the collision area, winning early penalties, leaving Quins with nothing to show for dominating possession in the first half.
‘There’s a level of physicality in the Top 14 which is slightly different to the Premiership and we wanted to show that,’ said Ribbans. ‘In terms of physicality, it is definitely a step up.
‘When you look at teams you are coming up against every week here, they are filled with international players, whether it’s from the Pacific Islands, or French internationals in a team like Toulouse or Bordeaux. Even ourselves, we are full of England, French internationals. We are fortunate to be able to do that.
‘When you train with that and play against that every weekend, it is a different level of physicality.’
The French power was laced with quick wit. Antoine Dupont is the king of French No 9s but he has a cast of world-class understudies. Baptiste Serin showed his international class, fooling the Quins defence with a dummy at the ruck, darting over to score as their heads turned.
When James Chisholm struck Serin’s throat with his forearm, Quins spent 10 minutes playing with 14 men. The yellow card came at a cost of 12 points. Attacking from their dominant line-out, Esteban Abadie and Jiuta Wainiqolo scored quick-fire tries to lock down the bonus point before half-time. An injury to Sinckler did not halt the momentum.
James Chisholm’s yellow card proved detrimental, with 14-man Quins conceding 12 points
Gael Drean scored a sweeping try to kill any hope of a late Harlequins fightback in France
The second half began in a similar vein, with Alex Dombrandt sent tumbling backwards by his opposite number. If one image summed up this fixture, that was it. Tyrone Green spilled the ball in the tackle and then Dombrandt threw an offload into touch when he could have flopped over to score.
Eventually, with 51 minutes on the clock, Chisholm and Will Porter combined for a counter-punch try. The visitors enjoyed a 10-minute purple patch, as fatigue kicked into in the Toulon defence, with Jack Walker scoring from a driving line-out.
Yet the revival quickly faded, as Toulon turned the power back up. They carried hard, making the Quins defence look like butter, as Gael Drean scored a sweeping try. Nick David’s try for Harlequins in the final play counted for little, as Quins chased a lost cause.
