Tries from Toulon wings Bryan Habana and Delon Armitage, backed up by 13 points from Leigh Halfpenny and a virtually impenetrable defence, kept the South-Eastern French outfit well out of Ulster’s reach, as the province struggled to impose their customary fluent rugby until late in the final quarter, when they just missed out on a losing bonus point with the last kick of the match.
Head Coach Doak implemented two changes from the starting XV which was defeated at Welford Road, with Stuart Olding coming in for Stuart McCloskey at inside centre, and Roger Wilson taking over from Nick Williams at Number Eight.
There were starting berths for all seven of Ulster’s representatives in the recently-named Ireland November internationals squad, with Olding and Jared Payne lining up in the centre, Gilroy and Tommy Bowe on the wings, and captain Rory Best, Robbie Diack and Chris Henry in the pack at hooker, blindside and openside respectively – Best picking up his 50th European cap in the process.
Elsewhere, Louis Ludik started at full-back, with Paddy Jackson and Paul Marshall the half-backs, while the pack was completed by props Andrew Warwick and Wiehahn Herbst, and the second-row tandem of Lewis Stevenson and Franco van der Merwe.
A frantic opening saw Juan Fernandez Lobbe hobble off the field within two minutes to be replaced by Juanne Smith, before Halfpenny tried his luck with a 55-metre penalty – which only just missed the target. Then, with Toulon penalised for holding on too long in the tackle, a well-rehearsed lineout manoeuvre got Ulster deep into the opposition ‘22’, where multiple phases were ably resisted by the visitors.
Halfpenny kicked Toulon into the lead with a ninth-minute penalty after an Ulster infringement at the scrum, before Gilroy’s electric pace carried him past three would-be tacklers straight from the restart. The Toulon defence held firm once more, however, and Halfpenny soon doubled their lead with a central penalty from just inside the Ulster half.
As the half progressed Toulon looked supremely threatening going forward, with centre Mathieu Bastareaud particularly menacing as he brushed off tackles in a fashion akin to Ulster’s own powerhouse Williams. The hosts were next to score, however, as Jackson slotted over his first points on 21 minutes, before opting for touch with a subsequent penalty two minutes later. Ulster won their lineout but lacked the requisite penetration despite the best efforts of Henry, Payne and Bowe, and Toulon were eventually able to clear their lines.
With James O’Connor replacing Matt Giteau at out-half just before the 30-minute mark, a Delon Armitage touchdown in the corner was overruled for a forward pass from Halfpenny, before a magnificent Ludik take from Jackson’s up-and-under got Ulster deep in the Toulon ‘22’. Again, however, there was no way through the red-and-black wall, and, once back in possession, the visitors showed they were just as effective in attack as in defence, chalking up a full 10 points in the two minutes before the break.
Hot on the heels of a third Halfpenny penalty on 38 minutes, an expansive move from right to left culminated with Habana grounding in the corner, the Springbok wing’s score converted by Halfpenny.
Half-Time Score Ulster 3 RC Toulonnais 16
Jackson reduced the deficit to 10 points six minutes after the restart, and with Darren Cave into the fray in place of the bloodied Olding, a misfiring Halfpenny penalty on 53 minutes gave the Ulstermen further encouragement. Their next chance came courtesy of a valuable steal on half-way from van der Merwe, forcing the penalty on the 10-metre line which Jackson struck just wide.
Careless play from both sides slowed down the game as it edged into its final 25 minutes, and a wayward pass from Williams – a recent entrant for Stevenson – gave Armitage a straight and virtually unopposed run from his own half to the posts for the killer second try, converted again by the Welsh full-back.
Ulster responded with spirit, forcing a 5-metre lineout as the game entered its final 10 minutes, but again the Toulonnais defence proved too strong and well-organised, as they frustrated the Ulster attack for a good five minutes before eventually drawing the penalty.
With 77 minutes on the clock, Ulster finally breached the French defence, Gilroy going over after an incisive move put together by Payne and Bowe. Jackson converted in blink-and-you’ll-miss-it quick time, and with Habana sinbinned for an intentional knock-on as Ulster pressed to launch a final attack, replacement out-half Ian Humphreys failed to secure a second losing bonus point for Ulster as his penalty from half-way fell just short of the posts.
Next up for Ulster are three Pro12 clashes in November either side of the international break, before back-to-back European matches against the Scarlets in Rounds Three and Four – encounters which the Province must win handsomely to keep their hopes of a quarter-final slot alive.
Full-Time Score Ulster 13 RC Toulon 23
Ulster (15 – 9) L Ludik; T Bowe, J Payne, S Olding, C Gilroy; P Jackson, P Marshall (1 – 8) A Warwick, R Best (c), W Herbst, L Stevenson, F van der Merwe, R Diack, C Henry, R Wilson
Replacements (16 – 23) R Herring, C Black, D Fitzpatrick, C Ross, N Williams, M Heaney, I Humphreys, D Cave
RC Toulon (15 – 9) L Halfpenny; D Armitage, M Bastareaud, M Mermoz, B Habana; M Giteau, M Classens (1 – 8) A Menini, G Guirado, C Hayman (c), J Suta, R Taofifenua, J Fernandez Lobbe, S Armitage, C Masoe
Replacements (16 – 23) C Burden, F Barcella, L Chilachava, B Botha, J O’Connor, A Williams, S Tillous-Borde, J Smith