Heineken Cup Final Review

I know it's a few days late but here is my review of the final, which was played in the Millenium Stadium last Saturday between Saracens and Toulon.

Pre Match

The final was Saracens vs Toulon, but the way it was marketed was more Farrell vs Wilkinson. The current England fly half against arguable the greatest English fly half ever. Pre match the favourites were Toulon, they were after all the defending champions, and had world class internationals in near every position. However Saracens were fancied by some as well, with their self proclaimed 'wolf pack' mentality to defence one of many reasons they were fancied. It promised to be a match worthy of test match status with the players on show.

Overview

The match finished 23-6 to Toulon. Some may say the scoreline did not reflect Saracens input in to the match, but from watching the match it was the Toulon defence that won the day and made the scoreline so complimentary. Saracens did have a fair share of position, and did have opportunities to add to their low total, but the Toulon defence was outstanding, especially in the second half. 

Where the Match was Won

The Toulon defence arguably won the day, suffocating the Saracens attack and pouncing on any hint of isolation to gain the turnover. The world class 4-8 of Toulon featured some of the best locks and flankers of the past decade in Lobbe, Smith, Botha and Rossouw. But it was the English number 8 Stefan Armitage who stole the show. To say he totally outclassed his opposite number and current England 8 Billy Vunipola is an understatement. He was immense at the breakdown, superb on the ball, and with that performance regardless of not playing his rugby in England should be in the starting XI. 

The defence laid the foundations for the Toulon victory, the killer try scored by Smith was created through a turnover. This was evidence of the importance of the Toulon defence and rightly so Stefan Armitage won the man of the match performance. But however the day was only ever going to be about one person...

If only Jonny Wilkinson was Welsh!

The highest compliment that can be paid to an English number 10. An indicator of how much he is loved in Toulon is that they are considering retiring the number 10 jersey with Wilkinson's retirement. In my opinion if available he would be a my choice as the England's number 10. He has everything Farrell lacks, composure, accuracy and intelligence. This was shown in the first try, in which Wilkonson switched the play to Gitau, which exposed the space for the kick, in which the resulting chase would result in the try. It was clear that Wilkinson did not just switch the play for no good reason, he seen that the Saracens defence shifted in the direction he received the ball, so the switch exposed this flaw. His kicking was outstanding, it kept the scoreboard ticking over whenever Saracens closed the gap. This role cannot be under estimated and it is a role that Farrell lacks authority in. 

The Last Word

Overall the final was an epic spectacle for club rugby. The quality was outstanding on both sides, and the Millennium stadium was a worthy venue. Both sides gave everything and was a pleasure to watch. It was an honour as a viewer to watch one of the greatest fly halfs of our generation play his last game in the UK. Cannot wait for the next one, one more year Jonny!

Thanks for reading guys, post comments below!