Drew Mitchell scored an 81st-minute try as Toulon beat Wasps 15-11 in the European Champions Cup, while Racing and Northampton also recorded wins on Sunday.
Toulon opened the scoring at the Stade Mayol in the 12th minute after a characteristic intercept by Bryan Habana. With the ball recycled and spread to the opposite wing, Josua Tuisova made the break down the touchline before sending Quade Cooper over for Toulon’s first try. The conversion failed, but the hosts took a well-deserved 5-0 lead.
Eric Escande extended Toulon’s lead to 8-0 in the 22nd minute as George Smith found himself yellow-carded. This was soon reduced as Jimmy Gopperth converted his first attempt at goal just minutes later. Wasps found their fighting spirit dominating the rest of the half, but were unable to capitalise. Toulon took a slender 8-3 lead into half-time.
Wasps continued to dominate in the second half. Gopperth converted his second penalty in the 62nd minute as Wasps closed in on Toulon. Trailing by two points with less than 20 minutes to go, the men from Coventry picked up their intensity and were rewarded in the 70th minute when winger Guy Thompson went over in the corner to give them a three-point lead with 10 minutes to go. But Toulon would not be defeated at home. The hosts shifted gears, attacking the Wasps tryline with malice and Ma’a Nonu sent Mitchell through a gap in the defence for the winning score.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Racing 92 destroyed the Scarlets 64-14 in Paris. They started quickly, asserting their dominance, scoring nine tries to two to secure a bonus-point victory and home quarter-final. The Scarlets scored two tries early in the second half, but Racing hammered home the victory with four more tries.
The Northampton Saints kept their European dreams alive as they beat the Glasgow Warriors 19-15 at Franklin’s Gardens. The Saints scored first through Teimana Harrison in the 12th minute. Glasgow flyhalf Finn Russell kept the visitors in the game with two penalties while Saints lead 7-6 at half-time.
An early second-half try by the Saints and two more Glasgow penalties tied the scores at 12-all after 56 minutes. Saints’ Harry Mallinder’s converted try in the 78th minute gave Saints the much-needed win.
Round 5 results:
Racing 64 Scarlets 14
Toulon 15 Wasps 11
Northampton Saints 19 Glasgow Warriors 15
Photo: Bertrand Langlois/Getty Images
