This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Toulouse and Toulon the stage is set for a titanic clash between two of French rugby's heavyweights as the reigning Investec Champions Cup champions Toulouse travel to face Toulon in the quarterfinals.  Both sides navigated their way through the Round of 16 with contrasting fortunes but now find themselves pitted against one another in a high-stakes encounter Toulouse were forced to overcome a spirited Sale Sharks outfit eventually prevailing 38-15 after a slow start.  Toulon produced a remarkable second-half comeback to overturn a halftime deficit against Saracens showcasing their ability to grind out a result when the chips are down Here’s everything you need to know about Toulon vs Toulon vs. Toulouse in the Investec Cup Quarterfinals will be streaming live on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States and all of North America. Toulon is ranked No. 6 in the world in FloRugby's power rankings. Toulouse is ranked No. 2 in the world in FloRugby's power rankings.  The 2025 Investec Champions Cup final will take place Saturday, May 24 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.  Key points of the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup: FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:  FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.  Get the most important Rugby stories delivered straight to your inbox. ©2006 - Present FloSports, Inc. All rights reserved. Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Gabriel Stargardter and Andrew Heavens Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Home » French CSG ends its Clemenceau 25 deployment in the Indo-Pacific The French Carrier Strike Group (CSG) has returned to its home port of Toulon (South of France) after a five-month mission in the Indo-Pacific during which the French Navy (Marine Nationale) strengthened diplomatic ties and enhanced joint naval operations with its allies and partners After 5 months of operational deployment from the Mediterranean to the Pacific Ocean the ships of the carrier strike group (CSG) including the aircraft carrier ‘Charles de Gaulle’ with its carrier air group and staff on board the Jacques Chevallier replenishment tanker and a nuclear-powered attack submarine at the end of an exceptional mission in terms of the diversity of operations carried out partnerships developed and areas traversed the CSG first demonstrated its ability to act as an aggregator of naval forces by integrating allied or partner escorts including 6 frigates (in chronological order: Italian These resources were also bolstered along the way by detachments of Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft temporary based in Djibouti directly contributing to Europe’s security the CSG contributed to the autonomous assessment of the situation in the Middle East carried out flights over the Black Sea to reaffirm freedom of navigation in this disputed zone and integrated the NEPTUNE STRIKE exercise reinforcing NATO’s collective defense four major activities shaped our deployment the LA PEROUSE 25 exercise in January brought together Australia the United Kingdom and Singapore to enhance joint expertise in maritime security in the Indonesian Straits of Malacca saw three Rafale-Marine deployed to Darwin (Australia) from the southern Indonesian arc almost 2,000 km from the CSG and conducted joint air combat training with the Royal Australian Air Force’s F-35s the unprecedented Multi Large Deck Event PACIFIC STELLER with the US and Japanese navies brought together three aircraft carriers and over 100 aircrafts in a high-intensity exercise and very quickly achieved a high level of interoperability the 42nd edition of the VARUNA multi-domain exercise held in March with the Indian Navy – a strategic partner in the area – included the Indian aircraft carrier Vikrant for the first time The various ports of call of the CLEMENCEAU 25 mission enabled the development of new logistical support points such as Lombok in Indonesia and Subic Bay in the Philippines for the aircraft carrier ‘Charles de Gaulle’ as well as Darwin in Australia and Okinawa in Japan for the replenishment tanker ‘Jacques Chevallier’ The deployment also provided fertile ground for numerous experiments in tactical and logistical data collection and analysis It enabled the CSG to familiarize itself with the conditions specific to this region to implement its resources and adapt to both the environment and its players The CLEMENCEAU 25 mission involved almost 3,000 sailors working around the clock for 150 days to carry out 4 major multinational naval operations 100 refuelings at sea (including 20 for foreign vessels) and 40,000 nautical miles – the equivalent of 2 circumnavigations of the globe This mission demonstrated France’s commitment to preserving freedom of navigation in accordance with international law and enabled us to interact with some twenty allied or partner countries with similar ambitions on a range of diversified missions from maritime security to high-intensity joint operations between several aircraft carriers The return from mission was also marked by the sad death at sea of Petty Officer Léo Soulas deployed with the carrier naval airwing since November 28 The French Navy associates itself with the grief of the family loved ones and brothers-in-arms of this exemplary sailor Naval News brings you news coverage of the latest naval defense shows & events We are also reporting on naval technology from all over the world wearing his new jersey spaeks with media during a press conference after signing with the French rugby team Toulon The powerful center was a key member of the New Zealand side which won the Rugby World Cup in 2011 and 2015 and he made 103 test appearances for the All Blacks With Conrad Smith he formed arguably one of the greatest midfield pairings in international rugby and Nonu has never lost a World Cup match — winning all 16 he played in having played for the southern side from 2015-18 and 2020-21 Home » New Mama Shelter signed in Toulon adding another site in the south of France Mama Shelter Toulon is expected to open in 2027 delivering a vibrant new addition to the destination that will encompass a new social venue the emphasis at Mama Shelter properties is as much on food and beverage inviting in a local audience and residents as it is on providing overnight accommodation Forming the basis for the new hotel is the Ancient Eveche de Toulon a historic property that will be given a modern makeover That upgrade will include installation of a glass roof surrounding a mature plane tree and creating a memorable restaurant space with more than 150 covers Guests will be greeted on arrival within a double height space Those rooms will be available in a range of sizes to suit couples or families travelling together a terrace will open onto the town’s Place Paul Conte reinforcing the venue’s integration with the local community And for those seeking a modern way to bring business associates together Mama Shelter Toulon will include high technology seminar and meeting rooms for hire we will bring a new energy to the city and create a space where locals and travellers can gather and experience the unique Mediterranean lifestyle,” said Cedric Gobilliard Ennismore’s chief operating officer for Mama Shelter “This project embodies the spirit of Mama and always full of life – while embracing Toulon’s rich history and coastal charm.” The Lake Como property is a new build being developed by partners Zanklon Capital and Extendam and will feature 150 rooms in five different categories while guests will also be able to enjoy a rooftop bar and poolside restaurant a Mama Shelter is sure to give the brand momentum as it looks to grow in the USA The brand is also expanding in Asia, with its new hotel in Singapore promising to be a dramatic architectural statement the seven storey block was designed by award-winning architects Ong & Ong and meets exacting building efficiency standards a rooftop pool features as one of the amenities guests of its 110 rooms will be free to enjoy Start a free trial of THP’s database with over 8,500 hotel projects and key contact details You are currently viewing a placeholder content from HubSpot Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers THP is a subsidiary of Sleeper Media © 2025 copyright TOPHOTELPROJECTS GmbH – all rights reserved Following Toulon’s 21-18 defeat to Toulouse in the quarter-finals of the Investec Champions Cup here is how we scored Pierre Mignoni’s men 15 Melvyn Jaminet: A kicking masterclass off the tee as he nabbed all 18 of his side’s points Also complemented that with some nice efforts around the park 14 Gaël Drean: Had a lovely score taken away from him (in fairness but wasn’t a day to showcase his talents as he was starved of genuine possession 13 Leicester Fainga’anuku: Strong showing from the All Black who posed a serious threat whenever he touched the ball Made consistently big carries to get his side over the gainline 12 Jérémy Sinzelle: An understated performance but worked hard in defence and chipped in with 15 tackles The ‘ruffle some feathers’ warning Northampton have issued to Leinster ahead of semi-final rematch but it was his error right at the death that eventually came back to bite his side 10 Paolo Garbisi: Things just seemed to happen around him today His combination with Serin helped Toulon make the most of the limited running opportunities but he was consistently looking to try new things to get them in behind he didn’t force things into being; everything felt organic 9 Baptiste Serin: Came up with some spectacular moments to inject some pace into their attack in unfavourable conditions but his yellow card early into the second-half helped Toulouse gain precious momentum in the arm wrestle 8 Facundo Isa: Very good all-round display in the tight as he never shied away from the hard graft Led the way for his side in the carry and more than matched that with some strong defensive efforts 7 Esteban Abadie: Brought heaps of physicality to proceedings and made a very good impact across both sides of the ball and in the breakdown 6 Lewis Ludlam: A really classy defensive display against that behemoth Toulouse pack as he led the way for his forwards pack in the tackle count with 13 to his name and got heavily involved in the breakdown battle 5 Brian Alainu’uese: Proper workhorse display from the lock who consistently put his body on the line in the tight 4 David Ribbans: Brutal on both sides of the ball and did a very good job in the lineout too. One thing that might go against him for the British and Irish Lions is that he’s not played a Test for over a year but this game was Test-match intensity and he simply excelled Will be banging on Farrell’s door now Munster boss identifies ‘key areas’ which proved costly in Bordeax-Begles defeat 3 Beka Gigashvili: Started pretty well in the scrum but dropped off quickly and later found himself under the cosh 2 Teddy Baubigny: A solid if uninspiring performance from the hooker 1 Dany Priso: Fared better than his tighthead in the scrum but couldn’t quite help halt the Toulouse shunt when they clicked into gear Replacements: The bench were brought on at a pivotal time in the contest but they dragged their side back into the arm wrestle The deployment of Les Bombe Squad really helped turn the tide in the battle up front and particularly in the scrum and they deserve some flowers for their efforts READ MORE: England star to be assessed after concerning knock in Northampton Saints’ Champions Cup victory With Toulon set to host Toulouse in the Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals David Ribbans doesn't look back on his time with England fondly and gives his verdict about a possible switch to South Africa A dramatic last-minute penalty from Thomas Ramos propelled defending champion Toulouse to a 21-18 victory over RC Toulon in a pulsating Investec Champions Cup quarterfinal at a packed Stade Mayol on Saturday Ramos silenced a hostile crowd with the final act of the game - slotting a pressure-filled penalty in the 80th minute to snatch victory from the jaws of extra time.  After an error-strewn afternoon with the boot Ramos found redemption when it mattered most inspired by the boot of former Toulouse fullback Melvyn Jaminet and a ferocious pack led by Facundo Isa including a monstrous effort from his own half to keep the home side in control for large stretches showed its championship mettle in the second half.  England international Jack Willis powered over in the 43rd minute for the game’s opening try after a quick tap penalty before Pita Ahki dotted down following a sweeping move launched by Ramos leveling the scores at 18-18 heading into the final 20 minutes What followed was a nerve-shredding final quarter.  Both sides exchanged blows in a fierce territorial battle but neither could find a decisive edge - until Toulouse forced a breakdown penalty in the dying seconds.  under immense pressure and having struggled from the tee stepped up and drilled the kick to break Toulon hearts and send the visitors into yet another semifinal The first half had been a story of Toulon dominance Toulon's relentless breakdown pressure and line-out supremacy frustrated the five-time champions.  Toulouse was lucky to trail by just six at the break after having a try from Paul Graou disallowed and struggling with discipline - Cyril Baille’s yellow card a particular turning point Emmanuel Meafou was immense throughout for Toulouse carrying with menace and leading the late rally his late-game nerves of steel ensuring Toulouse remains on course for a record-extending sixth European crown Toulon — Pens: Jaminet (6)Toulouse — Tries: Willis (43) Ahki (50); Pens: Ramos (3); Cons: Ramos (1) RC Toulon and Stade Toulousain are no strangers to European glory but Sunday’s Investec Champions Cup quarterfinal at Stade Mayol marks a new chapter in their storied rivalry - their first clash in the competition The two French heavyweights share nine Champions Cup titles between them but history will count for little when they meet on the Mediterranean coast.  Toulon returned home riding high after a 64-26 demolition of Saracens in the Round of 16 a match that saw 10 tries and standout performances from back Melvyn Jaminet and powerhouse No while Baptiste Serin starts at scrum-half following a strong showing off the bench last week Dany Priso and Beka Gigashvili replace Jean-Baptiste Gros and Kyle Sinkler at prop arrives battle-tested after a gritty 31-19 win over Sale Sharks Coach Ugo Mola welcomes back France international Cyril Baille at loosehead and Juan Cruz Mallia fills in for the injured Ange Capuozzo on the wing Romain Ntamack and Paul Graou form a crucial halfback pairing for the reigning champions who will look to dictate the pace in hostile territory Captain Julien Marchand anchors a forward pack loaded with power With Toulon’s flair and Toulouse’s pedigree Sunday’s showdown promises to be a blockbuster it’s not just a battle for semifinal glory - it’s a meeting of eras The champions march on to another semifinal That was a huge clash and certainly the match of the weekend!  The pressure that would've been on Ramos's shoulders would have been the weight of a ton of concrete blocks This has been a truly uncharacteristic performance from arguably the best goal-kicker in the world and this latest penalty was one he would normally knock over with ease.  If Toulouse does not go on to win this one and each team is enjoying moments of superiority This match continues to ebb and flow!  it's the home team's turn to get back on top.  Jaminet sneaks in yet another long-range and challenging kick to bring the scores level even if the team can't quite get over the line in the face of a well-organized and physical Toulouse defense.  Melvyn Jaminet nails a challenging conversion to bring his side back within three points with 20 minutes to play The visitors take their first lead since early in the first half Thomas Ramos flings the ball wide to Pita Ahki Toulouse is firmly in the ascendancy here and rolling through waves of attack England international Jack Willis appears from behind the breakdown from a tap penalty The backrow powers over Toulon defenders to get the first try of the match so the home side now holds a one-point lead but it looks like the Toulon scrum-half Baptiste Serin is heading to the sin bin for a high tackle What a different half of rugby we are seeing here The champions score the first try of the clash!  The match officials are checking the grounding as there is talk of foul play that will be checked Toulouse has come out swinging and goes straight down to the Toulon line What a start to this half from the champions Hold the scripts - Toulon is writing its own.  In a tense and bruising first half at Stade Mayol RC Toulon leads defending champion Toulouse 12-6 in the Investec Champions Cup quarterfinals thanks largely to the pinpoint boot of former Toulouse fullback Melvyn Jaminet and a suffocating defensive performance Jaminet has punished Toulouse with four clinical penalties including a monster strike from inside his own half in the 31st minute that brought the roaring home crowd to its feet ferocious at the breakdown and dominant in the line-out through Facundo Isa Toulouse opened the scoring through Thomas Ramos in the 10th minute but has since been rattled by an uncharacteristically error-prone performance.  Cyril Baille’s yellow card for a crocodile roll at the breakdown gifted Jaminet his first penalty and marked a turning point in the momentum The visitors thought they had crossed through Paul Graou Jack Willis conceded a costly penalty at the other end allowing Toulon to stretch its lead to 9-3 Emmanuel Meafou has been Toulouse’s standout carrying powerfully and sparking a late rally Gaban Villiere was penalized for going off his feet and Ramos slotted a much-needed penalty to claw Toulouse within six points at the half Toulon has executed its gameplan to perfection thus far disrupting Toulouse’s rhythm and feeding off a thunderous Stade Mayol atmosphere Toulouse has been dead and buried for the past 30 minutes and Gaban Villiere is penalized for going off his feet at the breakdown!  bringing the champions back within a score at halftime Toulouse was building some great momentum with ball carriers in the form of Emmanuel Meafou as Graou is penalized for crossing behind Meafou The home side has found the sweet spot and is pilfering the ball at both the breakdown and line-out time.  Facundo Isa has been a menace at the front of the line-out and has gone toe-to-toe with the highly touted Toulouse backrow Toulouse is under machine gun fire from the boot of Melvyn Jaminet Toulon is stretching away and getting close to making a big time break Fresh off winning a scrum penalty through the returning Cyril Baille The home side has the lead for the first time today and is starting to put the squeeze on Toulouse with its power game getting on top at scrum time - it's all rolling Toulon's way Toulouse got over the line through scrum-half Paul Graou Former Toulouse player Melvyn Jaminet nails the penalty following a crocodile role attempt by Cyril Baille which has seen the big loosehead sent to the sin-bin and Toulon conceded another breakdown penalty The usually unflappable Thomas Ramos misses what normally would be a routine kick at goal The home crowd was booing him relentlessly and the home side goes through some phases before Toulouse wins a quick turnover inside 30 seconds RC Toulonnais's amazing pre-match war cry has the whole stadium hyped up The match is streaming live on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States and all of North America The Investec Champions Cup Playoffs kick off with the Round of 16 on April 4 as the Northampton Saints take on Clermont Rugby The remaining seven games of the round will be played April 5-6 The quarterfinals will follow from April 11-13 with a short break until the semifinals on May 2-4 The Champions Cup Final will take place at Principality Stadium in Cardiff Get the most important Rugby stories delivered straight to your inbox Sunday’s heavyweight Investec Champions Cup clash between six-time winners Toulouse and three-time champions Toulon was eventually decided at the death by the boot of Thomas Ramos as his 80th-minute penalty kick clinched their 21-18 win a contest in which Toulouse scored the game’s only two tries seemed set to go to extra-time in the Toulon rain an infringement by Gabin Villiere that was spotted by referee Matthew Carley allowed Ramos his kick for glory and the defending 2024 champions will now contest a semi-final in May against Bordeaux Here is how we scored Ugo Mola’s team at Stade Mayol 15 Thomas Ramos: Came across as a moaner consumed by his frustrations with the boot despite missing a 77th-minute kick for the lead he showed immense composure to land the winning kick three minutes later 14 Juan-Cruz Mallia: Featured little throughout the match his fleeting involvement highlighted by getting dumped into touch on 49 minutes Stuck at it and was rewarded in the final moment as his chase put the penalty pressure on the infringing Villiere 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi: Enjoyed a few eye-catching moments here and there such as his sweet catch of the restart that followed Toulon going 12-3 up Toulon player ratings: ‘Brutal’ Lions contender ‘banging on Farrell’s door’ despite ‘gut-wrenching’ defeat 12 Pita Ahki: Began with a first-minute penalty poach and while a fumble on the carry put pressure on near the end of Cyril Baille’s first-half sin-binning he was quick to react and take the Ramos pass on 51 minutes to score his team’s second try 11 Blair Kinghorn: Was relieved that a pass he couldn’t stop was called forward to deny Toulon an early try Competed well in the air and exhibited lovely footwork when fleetingly on the ball Ended up a bloodied mess following a breakdown collision less than 15 minutes from the finish 10 Romain Ntamack: Linked play well between forwards and backs but boringly didn’t seek out any magic moment until the 74th minute when he very nearly fastened onto his kick through with the scores level 9 Paul Graou: Should have been the quarter-final’s first try-scorer but he lost control of the ball when sliding towards the line Was the recipient of the head collision that resulted in Baptiste Serin’s early second-half yellow during which time Toulouse scored their two tries Finished his time on the pitch sloppily with a couple of penalty concessions 8 Alexandre Roumat: Enjoyed some meaty carries along with causing damage to the Toulon lineout He was busy all through but some decisions so as his penalty conceding isolation after tapping a first-half free 7 Jack Willis: Having been subbed when Toulouse needed an extra prop during the first-half sin-binning he endured a ropey period on his return where he was penalised twice at the breakdown and then softly knocked on with his superb finish following a well-executed 43rd-minute tap penalty Only played for five more minutes after that England star to be assessed after concerning knock in Northampton Saints’ Champions Cup victory 6 Francois Cros: A star of France’s title-winning Six Nations campaign he was a glue player here who kept Toulouse alive when it seemed that Melvyn Jaminet’s boot would eliminate them His impacts included a sweet 57th-minute lineout steal 5 Emmanuel Meafou: Was Toulouse’s best forward until he tired near the end and was subbed off with 10 minutes remaining His offload in the disallowed Graou try was classy and there were other standout moments was probably the carry that led to three penalty points on the blow of half-time cutting the gap to 6-12 after a difficult half for his team 4 Thibaud Flament: Can’t be happy with the inaccuracy of the first-half Toulouse lineout a frustration that was then capped by his sloppy crossing infringement just before the break 3 Dorian Aldegheri: The penalty he conceded gave Toulon 17th-minute scrum joy but he helped to turn that momentum before exiting on 48 minutes with his team back in the fight 2 Julien Marchand: Suffered with his accuracy at the lineout such as his knock-on when diving for the line not long into the second half 1 Cyril Baille: Yellow carded in the 12th minute for breakdown foul play It was 3-6 when he returned but he soon helped his front row get back into the game at the scrum Replacements: Toulouse’s bench was important in winning this quarter-final Anthony Jelonch and Joel Merkler were particular momentum-adding 48th-minute swaps for Willis and Aldegheri While Merkler gave up the scrum penalty that allowed Jaminet to level at 18-all with just under 18 minutes left to play he soon forced a Toulon knock-on and his front row also won the scrum penalty that gave Ramos his missed shot on 77 minutes READ MORE: Investec Champions Cup 2024-25: Semi-final ties, times and dates revealed Francois Cros backs Jack Willis for British and Irish Lions selection and reflects on the Champions Cup defeat to Bordeaux Jack Willis confirms what he will be doing during Andy Farrell's squad announcement after reviewing a 'gut punch' defeat Toulouse’s Champions Cup title defence entertainingly ended at the semi-final stage as Bordeaux produced a steeled hometown performance to fully merit their progress to the decider Jordie Barrett is one of three Leinster players nominated for the award Home » France’s 3rd Barracuda Type SSN Submarine “Tourville” Arrives in Toulon French Ministry of Defence press release – Translated by Naval News This marks a significant milestone in the Military Capability Verification (MCV) of the third submarine in the Barracuda program Following its first dive off Cherbourg in July, the program’s government and industrial teams conducted a series of sea trials to ensure safe navigation and assess its technical and operational performance With a view toward admission to active service in 2025, the Tourville will begin a long-term operational deployment phase to confirm its full range of capabilities as part of a naval force. Toulon Naval Base will serve as the home port for the Tourville, which joins the four other SSNs operated by the Escadrille des sous-marins nucléaires d’attaque (or ESNA, the French SSN squadron) As the third submarine in the Barracuda program it represents a step toward the “all-Suffren” model November 27 coincides with Submariner’s Day instituted in 2003 to commemorate the five submarines that escaped from the Toulon naval base on November 27 following the invasion of the free zone by Nazi troops Submarines are a key capability of France’s defense Despite trailing by eight points going into halftime Toulon found a great rhythm in the latter half of its matchup with Saracens that Toulon stacked on seven tries to Saracens' one in the second half easily overcoming the five tries that fueled the English side's stellar first half In a similar, yet slower fashion, Toulouse Rugby was able to find stable ground in its match against the Sale Sharks after a Francois Cros score kicked off a four-try second half Toulouse trailed by five at the end of the first half but left the Sale Sharks scoreless after the break to advance to the quarterfinals 38-15 While both Toulon and Toulouse had rocky starts last weekend, its almost a blessing that the wildest part of either game was a 40-minute delay at Stadium de Toulouse due to a skydiver getting stuck on the roof Toulon and Toulouse will square off April 13 at 10 a.m and the match is streaming live on FloRugby in the United States and North America The match is streaming live on FloRugby and the FloSports app in the United States and all of North America The Investec Champions Cup Playoffs kicked off with the Round of 16 on April 4 as the Northampton Saints took on Clermont Rugby The remaining seven games of the round were played April 5-6 The Champions Cup Final will take place at Principality Stadium  in Cardiff Harlequins will travel to Stade Mayol to take on in Round 3 of the Investec Champions Cup.  which is like the most competitive of any Cup pool both teams will be laser-focused on the win.  compared to Toulon in second place with eight points Glasgow is in first place with 12 points.  while Toulon defeated Glasgow by one point.  Here's everything to know as Harlequin FC plays RC Toulonnais on Jan The 2025 Investec Champions Cup will be broadcast on FloRugby and the FloSports App in the United States and Canada. The Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup begin Dec and the four-round pool-play action ends Jan The EPCR Championships weekend is in Cardiff There are championship games on May 23 (EPCR Challenge Cup) and May 24 (Investec Champions Cup).  The Toulon Las Vegas H1 25 Series from behind The precise double-milling on the Toulon Las Vegas H1 25 Series Putter The top-line and wings have been refined to offer a softer look on the Toulon Las Vegas H1 25 Series Putter The Toulon Las Vegas H1 25 Series Putter at address Sam De'Ath testing the Toulon Las Vegas H1 25 Series Putter Sam De’Ath tests the Toulon Las Vegas H1 25 Series putter on the course to see if it deserves consideration for a place in your bag This is one of the best looking and feeling mallet putters around The double milling on the face provides a seriously soft yet stable sensation through impact and the refined edges and topline only enhance its aesthetics his eldest son Tony and long-time friend Toru Kamatari founded Toulon Golf (in partnership with Callaway) in 2023 This putter is by far one of the best-looking putters I have ever seen in recent times thanks to a new Anthracite finish that has been introduced that provides a real premium look via the charcoal and grey tones The flashes of racing red and Italian heritage blue give this putter a pop of color to help it stand out on the shelf I’m always a little skeptical over putters with this style of finish as I’ve tested some in the past where it wears off and can look a little scruffy - only more time will tell if that applies here too but it certainly looks robust and durable on first inspection the Toulon Las Vegas 25 series putter certainly gives it a run for its money it was a breath of fresh air to look down on something a little more conventional in appearance While I was impressed with Toulon Las Vegas 25 series when putting from a distance it was the putts inside 10ft I was most impressed by The small line on the top of the face was ideal for centering the ball and squaring the face up to my target but the wings at the rear also made aiming the putter correctly seem effortless While it could have just been a good day on the greens I feel as though I certainly holed my fair share of putts with this putter in hand With an RRP of $600/£599 these putters are certainly more towards the very top end of the price spectrum and while there are similar looking putters much more competitively priced feel and aesthetics go a long way to justifying the price-tag It's just one of those putters you need to experience for yourself before making your mind up on - I'm confident you won't be disappointed Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts offering advice on equipment to all levels of golfers Sam heads up any content around fairway woods putters and golf balls but also writes about other equipment from time to time.Sam graduated from Webber International University in 2017 with a BSc Marketing Management degree while playing collegiate golf His experience of playing professionally on both the EuroPro Tour and Clutch Pro Tour means Sam has extensive knowledge of golf equipment and what works for different types of golfer Sam’s current What’s In The Bag Driver: TaylorMade Qi35 9° Irons: TaylorMade CB (6-PW) P770 (4-5) Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM10 Putter: Kevin Burns 9307 Ball: Titleist Pro V1x you will then be prompted to enter your display name BATON ROUGE - A man was hurt in a shooting along Toulon Drive on Wednesday afternoon.  Sources said that the shooting happened on Toulon near Mead Road and was reported to law enforcement shortly before 1 p.m.  The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office said two men were sitting together in a truck and one shot the other Deputies said the injured man got out and the other drove away The victim was taken to a hospital in stable condition.  No more information was immediately available.  Toulon Design putters are developed with an obsessive attention to detail They’re meticulously crafted to be the best milled putters in the world The new line-up sees Odyssey deliver a wide range of premium enhancements from new head shapes with deep diamond groove face milling split weight forward weighting configuration and the latest generation Stroke Lab shaft RELATED: Odyssey reveal forgiving Tri-Hot 5K blade putters The Deep Diamond full-face grooves are designed to control sound and feel by channeling vibrations The face also features a medium depth double fly cut to enhance forward roll and feel to create what Odyssey call their “most consistent and best-rolling Toulon Design putters ever.” aids the premium look and feel and showcases the meticulous craftsmanship of these finely milled putters The Major-winning Stroke Lab shaft saves 40 grams of weight which is redistributed to the head and grip end of the putter Stroke Lab completely rebalances the putter for improved tempo and consistency in the stroke The 2022 models also have an adjustable weighting system The new two split-weight design moves the weights forward The positioning improves the inertia of the head while also improving the consistency of impact ratio and forward roll All of this leads to speed consistency and a high level of performance The weights are available in a variety of offerings – from 5 grams to 20 grams each – in 5-gram increments RELATED: Odyssey Eleven putters bring blade benefits to mallet putters There are eight Toulon models in the 2022 range RELATED: Chrome Soft balls get major upgrades for 2022 RELATED: Rogue Returns – Callaway unveil ‘Speed Tuned’ woods Rob Jerram is the Digital Editor of todays-golfer.com and has been a journalist for more than a quarter of a century joining TG in 2010. He specializes in the DP World Tour and has traveled the world watching the biggest tournaments and interviewing the game's biggest stars. Rob is also passionate about equipment and is a font of knowledge when it comes to golf balls having tested thousands over the years. Despite being father to three daughters he still manages to find time to maintain a 10-handicap all in the east of England. The best piece of golf equipment he's ever owned is the TaylorMade SLDR driver and the best course he's played is Turnberry's Ailsa. You can get in touch with Rob by emailing rob.jerram@bauermedia.co.uk By Rob Jerram RC Toulon has made a strong return to the 2025 Investec Champions Cup after a tough 0-0-4 campaign in 2024 finishing first in Pool 4 with a 3-0-1 record Toulon also sits third in Top 14 play with a 13-0-7 record including a narrow one-point victory in Round 2 over the Glasgow Warriors which easily could have resulted in a second loss Saracens finished fourth in Pool 3 with a 2-0-2 record though its losses to Munster and Castres Olympique were by just five and eight points leaving Saracens with room for improvement The two teams will meet on Saturday in the opening round of the Champions Cup playoffs ⚔ 𝐋𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐎 ⚔🔙 Sinckler titulaire💪 White avec le 9️⃣👟 Jaminet à l'arrièreVoici les 2️⃣3️⃣ 🔴&⚫ pour affronter les @Saracens ce samedi au Stade Mayol !#ParceQueToulon #RCTvSAR pic.twitter.com/Ixb0wJrZPK 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠'𝗦 𝗨𝗣 for Toulon!1️⃣1️⃣ internationals in matchday squad.©️ @IvanVanZyl1 captains the side.🙌 @AngusHall12 continues on the wing.Full Team News 👇⁠#YourSaracens💫 | @StoneX_Official is a man who isn’t content to sit and watch the world go by Having received his big break from Gary Adams at TaylorMade Golf in 1982 he’s been at the cutting edge of club design ever since with models under his belt that include the iconic 300 Series woods and irons the first adjustable weight driver model with the R7 Quad and the Spider putter series for you younger golfers reading this) spearheading the reinvigoration of their Odyssey Putter department until 2023 when he decided to return to his namesake company briefly started in 2015 before Callaway’s job offer brought the business into the Odyssey fold The industry titan now has a more personal craft the most exquisite golf equipment on the market today and one that Sean acknowledges hasn’t been easy with 100-hour work weeks for himself and his sons to get the family business into the best position for it to succeed going into 2024 and beyond If the First Run putter collection released earlier this year is anything to go by there’s no doubt that Toulon Golf is going to be setting several benchmarks in the putter space going forward and we’re truly excited to see the direction the company goes in the design philosophy in the company is summed up in six words: Always New So rather than have you read any more of our opinion, we’d rather you hear it from the man himself. You can listen to the full, nearly one-hour interview with Sean Toulon by heading over to our YouTube channel but if you don’t have time and you’re saving it for a freer period in your day we’ve highlighted three of our favorite learnings from our time together The USGA and R&A got the ball rollback wrong “I think they goofed with the golf ball.”“…and I get that Bryson [DeChambeau] should probably play with something different.” When asking Mr Toulon about where he sees the future of the game, there was no hiding his opinion on how the governing bodies have gone about the rollback of the ball technology due to come into play in 2028 the USGA/R&A decision to do a blanket rollback has done zero favors to the future of the recreational game the professional game is gaining distance at a rate that should be addressed but it shouldn’t ever come at the cost of the weekend player who can’t get close to the speeds of these Tour Pros Toulon isn’t just making putters this time “You’ll notice that I didn’t just say putters.” This might be my favorite quote and discussion from the session I’ve been a Toulon putter fan for a long time the combination of innovation in materials and face designs as well as the stunning craftsmanship of the putters has always appealed to me as a traditional blade player Feel free to sift through the back catalog of eye candy Small Batch putters at your own leisure.The idea that I might be able to soon see a set of irons or wedges bearing the brand’s exacting touch is really exciting (Sean I’ll even be happy just to see a Toulon Golf-branded hoodie and bobble hat… AI technology is only just scratching the surface “How [Callaway] is using Ai is so different from how everybody else is doing it.”“You used to get five [iterations in a club life cycle] now you get tens of thousands… the speed at which you can improve a product is way faster now…” this is probably some of the best news to come from an industry insider The idea that we may be approaching a slowdown in new club technology has felt like the coming apocalypse: we love being able to see if there’s a difference in clubs year-on-year looking for that tiny little tweak that pushes our numbers to higher and higher peaks To have someone who knows the design space so well confirm we’ve got more to unlock with equipment in the future is music to our ears For the full interview, don’t forget to visit our YouTube channel here Lewis Daff joined the Today’s Golfer digital team in 2024 having spent more than a decade in both big box golf retail and independent stores working as a club fitter and builder. Experienced with every level of golfer he has achieved Master Fitter and Builder status with most major manufacturers helping him to cement both a wide and deep knowledge base ideal for helping guide golfers towards the correct equipment for them By Lewis Daff Following a dramatic 21-18 victory for Toulouse over Toulon here are our five takeaways from the Investec Champions Cup quarter-final at the Stade Mayol on Sunday A game that started slowly, and at times failed to live up to its expectation of fast flowing rugby, unfolded to an absolute classic of attrition, close quarter power and forward domination as Thomas Ramos kicked Toulouse to a Champions Cup semi-final appointment against UBB in May in the dying moment of the match played in filthy conditions but one that provided passion and bristling aggression in spades In such an encounter it was always going to boil down to one error and RCT’s Test wing as he found himself under a horrible spiralling box-kick from replacement scrum-half Naoto Saito Toulon were penalised for going off their feet a man who’d had an average day off the tee taking Toulouse to yet another Investec Champions Cup semi-final With the game looking as if it was heading for extra time the play leading up to the penalty incident saw immense pressure on Serin from the Toulouse forwards Villiere might not have been placed in the position he was But given Toulouse scored two tries to nil perhaps justice was done and the right team game out on top As Toulouse flew out for a much better second half performance here’s little doubt that Baptiste Serin’s yellow card for an accidental head clash really allowed the visitors back into the game pretty innocuous and certainly without malice but referee Matthew Carley allowed no wriggle room in any call in this game and sent Serin packing to the bin The incident took place on the 42-minute mark coming from behind the initial carry at short range pace He hit precisely the hole where Serin would ordinarily defend one where a scrum-half loops around in ‘the boot’ and Serin’s absence left a crucial defensive stress point for Willis and Toulouse to exploit RCT had managed to maintain incredible width using a ‘cascading numbers’ defence to prevent Toulouse attacking the edge but one man down makes it so hard to maintain that width and it was Pita Akhi that profited as again he exploited the corner of the Toulon defence managed to get around Gael Drean on the outside without Serin sweeping as the last line of scramble cover the big Tongan centre had a trot in to the line those 10 minutes saw Toulouse grab a 10-point return from the sin-bin period demonstrating once again the importance of keeping 15 on the pitch in knockout rugby Led by an immense display by Emmanuel Meafou ably supported by the electric Alexandre Roumat at number eight and yet another tireless 80 minute shift from François Cros on the flank Toulouse just seemed to have an edge in power for the full 80 minutes Meafou’s carries and ruck presence gave Toulouse a focal point in a game of close quarter arm wrestling and the big lock was rightly named as player of the match But credit must also go to the superb performances of the Toulon pack who really stood up against their deadly rivals RCT skipper David Ribbans delivered yet another consummate display of his lineout art reminding all that he’s available for the Lions should Andy Farrell come calling The final difference was the impact of the benches Anthony Jelonch came on and gave a fantastic display of chugging 4×4 diesel power hammering carries and tackles in conditions particularly suited to his style Toulouse demonstrated that depth is a key quality in EPCR rugby 👉 Toulon player ratings: ‘Brutal’ Lions contender ‘banging on Farrell’s door’ despite ‘gut-wrenching’ defeat Toulouse’s possession and territory stats were quite remarkable 64% ball time and 69% territory were not reflected by the scoreline and the champions will be heartbroken at their lack of efficiency with ball in hand Their handling stats were far superior too – 162 passes played 80 and 11 offloads to six tell a story of a side that had a lot of ball but struggled to finish their moves the visitors won the breakdown battle convincingly with Toulouse recording a massive 96% ruck success rate as he poached a couple of crucial throws in his own half Whilst Melvyn Jaminet delivered a perfect performance from the tee three of his six scores came from within his own half something that demonstrated the territorial advantage that Toulouse had RCT never looked like really threatening the Toulouse line in the way that their opponents did to theirs Toulouse will meet Bordeaux in the semi-finals as one side is certain to fly the French flag in the final in Cardiff in June Ugo Mola will be doing everything in his power to try and get injured stars back fit and firing whose electric counterattacking pace was sorely missed by La Ville Rose in this match But after watching Munster’s pack give UBB the fright of their life yesterday as the Atlantic Coast team went into cruise control after a great start makes you wonder if Bordeaux have the heavy artillery to beat the reigning champions in a knockout situation Depth will be a key factor and it’s true to say that Toulouse can unload a Test set of forwards off the bench and given the defensive shift of the back-row and centres against Toulon you’d also question if UBB will have quite the amount of space and obvious seams to attack that Munster offered to them it’ll be a fixture to get lovers of French club rugby salivating and it’s quite right that these two outstanding teams are the last two Top 14 sides standing as they go toe-to-toe to grab their place in the 2025 Investec Champions Cup final 👀 READ MORE: Investec Champions Cup 2024-25: Semi-final ties, times and dates revealed When you’re trying to be the best putters in the game like the Toulon Golf 2025 putters are doing you need a mind that has already been at the precipice of golf club design to understand the balance of performance Sean Toulon, having spent years at the head of companies like TaylorMade and Callaway, is one of those minds, and he’s been clear with his vision for his namesake company on their journey back into independence since leaving Odyssey. The mission is to become the best boutique brand in the game of golf this is not just a recolored version of the First Run collection Every single model has been substantially redesigned for the ’25 release some changes being obvious while others are more subtle in their altered engineering Our attempt was to make a beautiful design even more striking and perform at a higher level,” Toulon says As well as touching on the appearance of the putters now featuring a fractionally wider cavity and additional alignment aid on the flange there’s a new finish to set them apart from the last edition Toulon heads featured a Brilliant Chocolate finish the new series comes in a darker Anthracite scheme has been chosen for its playability as well as the way it’s able to highlight the new softer edges and nuanced linework in the designs you’ll notice accenting spotted around each model in Heritage Blue and White as well as an injection of Italian Racing Red and it’s a theme that continues into the grips and headcovers Falling in line with the new look is a new material to match The company has chosen to employ 304 Stainless Steel This is another decision – with the reimagined line – to help promote the idea of soft Using a metal that provides lower vibration levels as well as being easier to machine and mill during manufacturing Toulon have also chosen to increase the depth of Deep Tuna Face Mill (so named for the fish shape produced on the face during the process of fly-wheel cutting) The putters also feature a Small Tuna over-mill over the modified face thicknesses all in the name of softer sound and feel for the purity of response This milling mimics the tread pattern on a tire Tire tread design has the benefit of channeling away debris and water from where the tire meets the road to create a cleaner contact point Putter face milling brings this same principle to the frequencies and sound produced during impact and the less sound that can be detected by the golfer the more they will perceive a feeling of smooth and soft feedback the Toulon Golf 2025 putter collection has been built with care With all the design elements coming together under the hands-on oversight of Sean Toulon this year is looking to be a real celebration of soft Alcatraz: The largest Super-high MOI mallet in the collection Alcatraz Mini: Taking styling direction from both the Alcatraz mallet and older Seattle model this putter offers a high MOI in a more compact package Las Vegas: Toulon’s most popular mallet has been softened all over while a curved flange improves the look at address Atlanta: The new Atlanta is now slightly larger — while maintaining its classic and tour-winning mid-mallet shape Charleston: The Charleston borrows the shoulder and bumper inspiration from the popular Madison and blends it into a beautiful ear-shaped mid-mallet Miami: An all-new mallet shape that is extremely forgiving and easy to align the Miami is an artful execution of modern multi-material mallet design Available in H1 and Double Bend shaft options Carlsbad: Due to Toulon’s wonderful relationship with Callaway taking inspiration from the San Diego but with softer edges while featuring a tri-sole design as favoured by many tour players Austin: Subtle tweaks to the 2025 Austin design created a cleaner look and showcases Toulon’s design ethos that if done right New York City: An evolution of the 2024 model a mass is removed from the center to allow for a larger head with greater perimeter weighting The ‘25 collection (barring one model) has an RRP of $600.00/£599.00 Black steel shafts are available at a small upcharge while the tour-proven Mitsubishi Diamana P105 graphite shaft is available at an upcharge of $220/£220 Toulon Golf’s latest design is available from February 27, 2025, directly from Toulon Golf USA, Toulon Golf Europe and select retailer partners throughout the UK and Europe You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed the fastest-growing lifestyle and leisure hospitality company proudly announces the signing of an MOU to bring Mama Shelter to Toulon Mama Shelter Toulon marks the brand's exciting arrival in the Mediterranean city bringing its signature blend of bold design and vibrant social scene to the heart of Toulon The signing took place at a ceremony with the Mayor of Toulon on 20th March 2025 the founder of Mama Shelter and Cedric Gobilliard Mama Shelter Toulon will be located on Cours Lafayette a lively and historic area known for its market and proximity to the city's cultural landmarks The hotel will be housed within the Ancien Évêché de Toulon a historic site undergoing a significant renovation that blends heritage with contemporary design The hotel will offer 100 uniquely styled rooms across five levels Room sizes will range from 21m² to 32m² for family accommodations Guests will be welcomed in a double-height lobby embodying Mama Shelter's signature eclectic and dynamic atmosphere At the heart of the hotel will be a vibrant restaurant and bar featuring more than 150 seats set around a preserved plane tree and enclosed within a glass roof Guests can also enjoy a terrace on Place Paul Conte reinforcing Mama's commitment to integrating into the local community The hotel will feature two high-tech seminar rooms for meetings and events catering to Toulon's growing demand for dynamic and connected meeting spaces Perfectly positioned near Toulon's bustling city centre and harbour Mama Shelter Toulon is set to become a new hotspot Mama Shelter is a place to live life to the full: it's affordable Much like a mother who cares for her children Mama looks after travellers as if they were her own Hotels followed the first Mama Shelter in Paris East in Marseille along with the latest openings in Nice and Dubai Hotel website Brand OwnerEnnismore with a ‘vacuum brazing’ process and custom-weighted sole plates the company was quickly acquired by Callaway Golf Sean acted as a Senior Vice President of the brand and took the General Manager’s position within the Odyssey Putter section of Callaway’s business Sean Toulon decided to move back into the boutique market (with support from Callaway) and have a second go at creating a brand that has both a family name and a standout product – their new 2024 First Run collection We recently spent time with Sean discussing his life, the golf industry, and the game itself, as well as where he sees his namesake company going in the future, which you can find here There’s no beating around the bush with this putter It’s an astonishingly beautiful piece of equipment a classic blade head that I have had plenty of experience with over the years with square edges and sharper lines than the Austin or Madison models also offered although the bumpers are still softer than previous versions Toulon putters are named after US locations — the aforementioned Madison being named after Sean Toulon’s hometown in Wisconsin, for instance — instead of numbers or heritage names, like Ping’s Anser, but the shape is very reminiscent of the Cameron Newport 2 model Scotty Cameron putters are often held up as the gold standard in high-quality putter design But the company isn’t content with only being compared to Cameron’s designs As soon as the club was in my hands that intent was clear A boutique brand with 'Big Player' quality The headcover is a premium material with a plush firm feel in the hands that inspires confidence in the putter being protected (vital with a putter of this expense and quality) you’re met with one of the most unique finishes you’ll likely see in golf It’s called ‘Brilliant Chocolate’ and while that might sound more like a paint label on a bucket of Valspar or Dulux it’s an incredibly apt description of what you’ll be looking at you might be tempted to just call this color ‘Brown,’ but you wouldn’t be doing it any justice at all The head glistens in the sunshine as you inspect it with the right angles highlighting the milling where the putter has been cut from a block of steel It instantly brings forth a song from my mind – Golden Brown by The Stranglers – with the more aurum evening light producing an almost honey-dipped hue to the San Diego The little touches of the aqua/mint accenting the ‘Toulon’ and ‘San Diego’ branding enhance the contrast of the finish as well making it obvious which model you’ve chosen for your game You’ll also feel unique in a world of black and gray (or occasionally red) highlighting that you see in the majority of putters these days ironically for the usual suspect colors I’ve just listed makes it look classier and more timeless than anything else you care to hold up against it I love looking down at this if that wasn’t already obvious. I hadn’t expected something that different from my previous Toulon San Diego, the 2022 Odyssey edition with the matte black finish the older model feels a bit dull and lifeless to me considering it’s been the only stalwart in my bag these last few years The shaft and grip help complete the eye-candy look You get a choice of either gloss or matte black shafts and either softer textured grips or Lamkin Deep Etch options Toulon also offers a heavier 380g head weight on certain models that come complete with an XL grip for balance and control if you prefer that option Uncomplicated Consistency – Technology 3/5 This isn’t going to be the largest section of the review purely down to the purpose of these putters they are meant to be aesthetically driven instead of putting technology at the forefront of the design The heads are cut from a block of 303 Stainless Steel a material you’ll be familiar with if you’re a putter aficionado so it’s not out of the ordinary there although we know that 303 makes a high-quality metal for creating flatsticks for both feedback and because of it’s oxidation resistance it’ll stop your expensive new putter from rusting if there’s moisture caught in the headcover after you’ve finished playing One of the more interesting elements is the change of face milling in the Toulon First Run replaced with a Double Fly-Cut milling choice Toulon Golf says this produces a richer sound and more pronounced feedback than before The Double Fly-Cut also stretches across the entire face giving consistent sound wherever you might strike it Shaft (including Mitsubishi’s Diamana P graphite option) and Weighting so you can make the putter entirely your own There isn’t currently the option to add things like stamping to any of the models but I honestly don’t see why you’d want to ruin these putters by adding another name to them – they’re meant to look minimalist Despite all the gushing that I’ve done over the looks of the Toulon putters they still need to do their job – it’s a tool for getting the ball in the hole in as few strokes as possible It’s so beautiful that you could just mount this on a display if you really wanted but I sincerely hope you don’t waste it on that I’ve experimented outside of blade putters over the years but I inevitably go back to them every time a putter head that suits a natural release always works better and I’ve become accustomed to that feeling The San Diego model fits into my stroke perfectly and it was like being reunited with a good friend I hadn’t seen for a long time; you just pick up where you left off I use this shape anyway so it shouldn’t be a surprise to me that it was comfortable but it’s not just familiarity with the head that made the transition easy That feedback difference I mentioned from the milling pattern change is very welcome and has been from the first putt It’s a deeper noise but one that’s far less muted than previously so my ability to pick up on feel across the face has been enhanced even more I love the noise and feedback from the putter but with the additional toe and heel weights I don’t feel like there’s as much of a drop-off in the roll distance from slight mishits with virtually all my shots finishing within a foot of where I expected to see them and the punishment for poor strikes is still to be expected but if you are a player who finds the middle consistently or just one looking for the purity of the old-school design this is everything you want from a classic model on the course letting you know exactly what will happen every time not in any engineering hidden behind the face It’s just down to you as a person whether that thought inspires or terrifies you this should be a 4.5 out of 5 for our rating but I’m not going by the calculations because this putter wasn’t built by The one category the putter loses out on is technology but this is not meant to be the cutting edge of the market If you want high tech I suggest looking at LAB Golf’s latest and greatest or considering the likes of the TaylorMade Spider both phenomenal putters in their own rights But buying a Toulon is a commitment to incredible craftsmanship and near-flawless style This is not just a club to be hit towards a target; this is something meant to be enjoyed every time it’s struck and to leave you in awe every time the headcover comes off The fastest time around the Nurburgring is impressive for sure but sometimes you can’t beat the purity of a drive through the mountains just to take in the views and feel the quality construction in your hands Lewis joined the Today’s Golfer digital team in 2024 having spent more than a decade in both big-box golf retail and independent stores working as a club fitter and builder ideal for helping guide golfers towards the correct equipment for them Talk to Lewis about why steel shafts are now dead and graphite is the only way forward, or any other equipment you’d like to debate, via his email, Instagram, or Bluesky RRP: $600 | VIEW US | £600 | VIEW UK Head Options: Blade | Madison / San Diego / Austin / New York | Mallet | Memphis / Las Vegas / Alcatraz / Atlanta Suited stroke: Slight Arc (with San Diego tested) Read moreSaracens led by 22 points after 32 minutes Theo Dan was inspired – tipped by teammates as a British & Irish Lions bolter afterwards – while Olly Hartley Theo McFarland and Hugh Tizard could hold their heads high In the ensuing 48 minutes, however, Toulon scored 59 points Facundo Isa and Melvyn Jaminet finished with hat-tricks Baptiste Serin with his reputation further enhanced for the manner he controlled proceedings after coming on from the bench The upshot was the second-highest scoring match in European Cup history “There was too much talk about who wasn’t playing and not enough talk about who was playing,” said McCall “We had some very good players who are very proud There were some very young players in that 23 and some experienced players but other English teams have conceded a lot of points in France this year.” Melvyn Jaminet (right) is congratulated by team mate Jiuta Wainiqolo after he scored Toulon’s eighth try Photograph: David Rogers/Getty ImagesIt was all a far cry from this fixture nine years ago when Saracens came here as the kings of Europe and ended Toulon’s unbeaten run in this competition on the way to successfully defending their crown Even if McCall had selected the five England players this current side is some way off that of their heyday The gulf between the Premiership and the Top 14 is most pronounced in terms of physicality and it feels as if it is widening “I remember going to Toulouse in 2016 for a pool match and the stadium was half-empty,” he said. “We won with a bonus point pretty easily and Toulouse Their big thing was committing to promoting from within they were going to bring through their own players “English rugby has got piles of young players coming through who need to be given opportunities and time rather than just grabbing players from overseas is ultimately what is going to make the difference.” Setariki Tuicuvu breaks clear to score Toulon’s 10th try Photograph: David Rogers/Getty ImagesGranted Toulon’s first-half implosion registered high on the Richter scale but the opening half-hour could hardly have gone better for Saracens Juan Martín González scored the first try after Jaminet’s errant pass and while Jiuta Wainiqolo replied instantly Free weekly newsletterThe latest rugby union news and analysis who raced between the posts from near halfway were followed by another for González and the fifth for Ivan van Zyl after another strong carry and offload by Dan If Saracens could have taken their 22-point lead into the interval things might have panned out differently but Toulon flexed their muscles with scores from Isa and Jaminet – a warning of what was to come Brian Alainu’uese was next on the scoresheet before Isa had his second and third Another for Leicester Fainga’anuku ensured Toulon reached 40 unanswered points ShowDownload the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.If you already have the Guardian app make sure you’re on the most recent version.In the Guardian app then Notifications.Turn on sport notifications.Was this helpful?Thank you for your feedback.Saracens finally scored again through the replacement hooker James Hadfield – Toulon penalised for briefly playing with 16 players and handing the visitors some long overdue territory – but three more dazzling tries through Jaminet This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025 The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media The 30th Investec Champions Cup competition is considered by many to be the best professional rugby tournament in the world and just a level below international test rugby.  The competition features 24 clubs divided into four pools of six clubs and the top 16 clubs advance to the knockout stage with the goal of making it to Cardiff Wales – which hosted the first Champions Cup Final– and Principality Stadium on May 24.  One of the teams looking to advance to the EPCR Final is RC Toulon Here are a few things to know about RC Toulon: Toulon is 5-0-4 through nine rounds of Top 14 play and seven points behind Toulouse Toulon finished 15-0-11 and fourth in the table last season The club lost to La Rochelle 34-29 in the Top 14 semifinal qualifiers round Toulon qualified for the Champions Cup by way of being the defending Challenge Cup winner and went 0-0-4 in Pool C play and failed to advance to the knockout rounds.  Toulon is the only club to have ever three-peated in Champions Cup play It's the only appearances the club has made in the Champions Cup Final and Toulon is tied with Saracens for the third-most titles in the competition's history.  Toulon's run of dominance was driven by an aggressive free agency period by owner Mourad  Boudjellal He left Toulon in 2020 and now is the owner of Hyeres Toulon's last European Championship came in 2023 when it won the EPCR Challenge Cup.  Pierre Mignoni is the head coach of Toulon He was the backs coach during Toulon's championship seasons and was the coach of Lyon from 2015-2022 before taking the Toulon job.  Mignoni made 28 appearances for the French national team from 1997-2007.  19-ranked club in the FloRugby club rankings.  The stadium seats 17,500 fans and was first opened in 1920 The stadium is in the middle of downtown Toulon and is near the waterfront.  Here is the Toulon Rugby Champions Cup schedule: Every Toloun Rugby match in the Investec Champions Cup is streaming live in the United States and Canada on FloRugby and the FloSports app Twenty-four clubs have qualified for the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup as follows: Key points for the 2024-2025 EPCR Challenge Cup: the TOP 14 and the Gallagher Premiership that have not qualified for the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup will compete in the 2024-2025 EPCR Challenge Cup the winner of the 2024 EPCR Challenge Cup will secure a place in the 2024-2025 Investec Champions Cup replacing the eighth-ranked club in its league and the four-round pool-play action ends on Jan Toulon Golf has signed an exclusive deal with Over The Top Golf to distribute its range of Major-winning premium putters in Europe The collaboration marks a significant step in expanding the Toulon Golf’s presence and accessibility across key European markets Over The Top Golf will oversee the distribution of Toulon Golf’s full range of products including the limited-edition Small Batch putters and the Collection line of production putters The partnership ensures a seamless experience for both retailers and customers Known for their impeccable service and expertise in the premium aftermarket sector Over The Top Golf already distributes market-leading brands They will play a pivotal role in delivering Toulon Golf’s exceptional quality and craftsmanship to a wider European audience Following Sean Toulon’s retirement as general manager of Odyssey Golf in June 2023 Toulon Golf struck back on its own independently building on the legacy that began with the launch of Toulon Design in 2015 The brand has crafted some of the finest milled putters available achieving multiple PGA Tour and major victories including Xander Schauffele’s wins at the PGA Championship and the Open Championship in 2024 “We are thrilled to partner with Over The Top Golf, whose values align perfectly with ours,” said Sean Toulon, founder of Toulon Golf. “Following the successful soft launch of ToulonGolfEurope.com this summer this partnership underscores our commitment to making Toulon Golf more accessible to European golfers while maintaining the exceptional personal service our customers expect and deserve.” “I worked with Over The Top Golf in my previous position at Mitsubishi Golf,” explained Preston Toulon “The team is highly professional and significantly grew our sales in the region I am confident they are the right partners to expand Toulon Golf’s reach across Europe.” Over The Top Golf will focus on opening 25 key accounts across Europe with plans to expand the brand’s reach in the coming years Retail partners will benefit from offering a premium boutique putter brand that golfers will actively seek out for its superior craftsmanship and unmatched feel “We are honoured to partner with Toulon Golf,” said Oliver Turnill “This collaboration allows us to showcase some of the finest putters in the world to a European audience We’re excited about the opportunities it will create for our retailers and the exquisite products we’ll deliver to their customers.” Over the Top Golf are now actively taking applications to be partner retailers for 2025 Customers can look forward to limited-edition models and delivery of the ‘25 line-up launching in March 2025 For more information, visit toulongolfeurope.com and ottgolf.com Anyone interested in becoming one of Toulon Golf’s first retailers in Europe Following the news of the theft of over £2 million of stock from its Manchester warehouse last weekend Worldwide Golf Brands reports that the business is 'back up and running' with minimal disruption to the vast majority of its customers the business growth agency for UK and Irish golf clubs has launched a new marketing system that has delivered rapid advances in the service they deliver Brocket Hall has announced that world-renowned putting coach Phil Kenyon is to open a new state-of-the-art putting studio at the Hertfordshire-based venue GolfBusinessNews.com (GBN) is for the many thousands of people who work in the golf business all around the world We cover the full range of topics both on and off the course We aim to supply essential information both quickly and accurately in a format which is easy to use We are independent of all special interest groups Click here to sign up for our free twice weekly golf industry news summary View the latest newsletter here 5/7 High StreetDorchester-on-ThamesOxfordshire OX10 7HHUnited Kingdom publisher@golfbusinessnews.com © 1999-2025 e.GolfBusiness.com Limited | All Rights Reserved. | GBN Privacy Policy The Sale Sharks secured a crucial 33-7 victory over Toulon in the Investec Champions Cup on Saturday guaranteeing their place in the knockout stages of the competition.  with a solid performance across both halves.  The match’s first try came just before halftime with Tom Roebuck crossing the line in the 39th minute to give Sale a 5-0 lead and the Sharks went into the break with a 7-0 advantage and Sale’s defense proved formidable throughout the contest.  The French side made several substitutions in the second half including the introduction of star playmaker Baptiste Serin but could not break through Sale’s defensive wall It was Sale that continued to pile on the pressure after the break.  Ben Curry extended their lead with a try in the 49th minute followed by a conversion from George Ford.  The Sharks then added another try through Bevan Rodd in the 59th minute with Ford converting once again to push the score to 26-0 Toulon managed to respond with a try from Jules Coulon in the 66th minute and Ford’s conversion maintained their comfortable lead at 26-7.  as Sale’s du Preez received a yellow card in the 79th minute.  Despite being a man down for the final moments of the match the Sharks held firm and saw out the game to secure the important win the Sale Sharks now look ahead to the knockout stages remains in a strong position atop Pool 4.  The result marks a statement of intent from Sale as it aims to push further in the prestigious European competition Sale returns to the Gallagher Premiership next weekend with a clash against table-topping Bath Rugby while Toulon will host past Champions Cup winner La Rochelle in the Top 14 The 31-year-old is took off 2024 from international duty stating a need for rest after the heavy demand of 2023 for Toulon and Argentina The rest did him wonders as he has been on top form for Toulon during the 2024-2025 season Isa has made eleven appearances for Toulon thus far this season All eleven have been starting in the back-row He has scored tries in four of the matches Toulon was where Isa began his professional rugby career He arrived in the 2013-2014 season before returning in 2017 His second stint at the club has been long as he has been playing for Toulon since 2017 before debuting for Toulon in 2017 and was a Jaguar in Super Rugby from 2016-2017 His professional career statistics include 13 appearances for Jaguares, 145 for Toulon and 7 for Lyon. He has 51 caps for Argentina His made his test debut for Los Pumas against Scotland in 2014 Tags A crushing 78-18 away win by Los Pampas sees the Buenos Aires side returning to … RC Toulon held off a spirited Glasgow Warriors comeback to secure a narrow 30-29 victory in a dramatic Investec Champions Cup clash Saturday at Stade Mayol inspired by a stellar performance from Baptiste Serin appeared to have control for much of the match Glasgow pushed them to the brink with a late surge falling just short after George Horne's crucial conversion in the dying moments Toulon’s Leicester Fainga'anuku opened the scoring early with a fifth-minute try The French side extended its lead to 10-0 through a Marius Domon penalty but Glasgow responded with a penalty try following a yellow card to Toulon’s Serin Despite losing Lewis Ludlam to a yellow card Toulon regained momentum through another Domon penalty to close the half 13-12 ahead aided by a missed conversion from Duncan Weir after Josh McKay’s try for Glasgow as Fainga'anuku completed his brace in the 43rd minute Glasgow stayed in touch with a Duncan Weir penalty but Toulon stretched its lead again through a try from Brian Alainu'uese and Serin’s conversion The Warriors mounted a comeback led by Olujare Oguntibeju's 54th-minute try before Marius Domon’s yellow card in the 76th minute gave Glasgow hope Johnny Matthews crossed for Glasgow with just a minute to play and Horne’s conversion set up a nail-biting finale Toulon clung to the one-point advantage to claim victory The result highlights Toulon’s resilience and Glasgow’s determination setting the tone for an exciting Champions Cup campaign RC Toulounnais will host Leinster at 8 a.m 12 in one of the most anticipated matches of the competition The Warriors will host Racing 92 at 3 pm ET on Jan FloRugby and FloSports also are the US home to:  Ma’a Nonu has returned to Toulon for the third time in his career – on this occasion as a player-coach The 42-year-old will remain at the club until the end of the season as a medical joker Nonu had initially joined Toulon as a trainee coach just two weeks ago the 103-cap All Black international has been enticed into lacing up his playing boots France international Esteban Abadie said to Midi Olympique: “Nonu “One thing has already struck me… It’s his humility I had already experienced that with Rokocoko at Racing 92 They are legends who have marked the history of our sport and they come to the clubs with the humility of a youngster Should Nonu enter the field of play in Lyon on Saturday he will become the oldest-ever Top 14 player overtaking former tighthead prop Karena Wihongi who was 40 years and 98 days old when he made his last top-flight appearance for Castres against Agen in January 2020 There’s still life in the old boy yet. Just look at this deadly drop goal from a couple of years ago: Ma’a Nonu Drop Goal With Toulon and the Stade Felix Mayol set to host one of their biggest games in recent times Toulon are poised to tackle arch rivals Toulouse in the quarter-finals of the Investec Champions Cup on Sunday bringing down the curtain on the last-eight in some style “I think you saw for yourself the appetite for the big matches we have in Toulon on Saturday,” Ribbans explained after their victory over Saracens in the Round of 16 “The whole location of the Mayol and the way the town gets around the club and the team is almost unique and for all of the great fun we had against Saracens I think this one will be that game on steroids and we’re all as excited as hell for it “It’s interesting that neither Toulouse or us started particularly well at the weekend; obviously Toulouse had the parachute incident to contend with but I don’t think either of us were happy about the way we started – we certainly weren’t and there were some stern words spoken at half-time,” he confirmed we got too engaged in the emotion last weekend and I think the occasion and the excitement just made us lose early concentration We’ve spoken about it already this week – Pierre (Mignoni) also highlighted poor defensive errors early in the game – it was unacceptable in the terms of the standards we set ourselves and we’ve had some conversations about how we cope with those early pressure moments “We’re very much aware that if we repeat that against the quality of Toulouse they won’t give us the same opportunity to get back into the game – they’re far too clinical for that – so our approach is learn from those errors identify them properly and honestly and move on.” “But this is a game that just underlines the standard of the Top 14 It is Test match intensity week in and week out – especially at the top half of the league,” he continued “People often talk about the standard The French people embrace their clubs as part of the community The appetite for great rugby is huge – even down to the crowds you see in the Pro D2 – especially when they televise those away from Top 14 clashes on Thursday nights – a model that really promotes that league EPCR reveal possible Champions Cup semi-final venues as Leinster and Bordeaux-Begles get added advantage over title contenders “It’s an amazing spectacle – sold-out stadiums and wonderfully passionate fans – and as a player that is so enjoyable Places like Castres away – they’re super hostile environments both on and off the pitch but that’s what excites us as players “Obviously there’s a salary cap much higher than the Premiership we play eight to twelve games a year more than the Premiership sides and there’s no breaks in our schedule like there is back in England and that depth is needed for the duration of the competition – so I don’t buy that the cap difference is as big a point of difference as others make out,” Ribbans observed “It is a fine balance; our workload is huge – on a personal level I’ve played a lot of games this season and I’m envious of those who get rested more but that level of challenge also preps you for big games such as this one coming up “Obviously, it’s a huge honour to skipper a club as steeped in tradition as Toulon are. I always think that leadership can be a poisoned chalice to some – it can go one way or another in terms of the effect it has on personal form. Sometimes you’re trying too hard, doing things that aren’t you, so for me, the key has been not to let it bother me too much,” admitted the former England lock Loose Pass: Champions Cup ‘desperately needs a reset’ after ‘unsurprising’ weekend and why a Spanish World Cup MUST happen “I think the reason I got the gig was I’d built up respect from the club the city and the supporters in terms of the way I play and the commitment I have to RCT There’s plenty of voices within the senior leadership of the club so I try to balance that out with simplicity and only saying things when they’re needed to be said I called the lineouts even when Charles (Ollivon) was around so that continues – and I have two former France skippers supporting me in him and also Baptiste Serin “The scariest thing has been the pressure it’s put on my French language skills – but I’m getting there!” he quipped I’m aware of reports last week about international futures and one thing I’ll stress is I don’t like the concept of changing countries for convenience I’d love to do that again – so that is a desire British and Irish Lions Team of the Week: ‘Dazzling’ bolters ‘upset’ the pecking order as Farrell’s main selection ‘conundrum’ intensifies “The British and Irish Lions are aware of availability of key eligible players for the Lions trip and of course I’d want to go for those of us involved in the Top 14 race availability is going to be an issue and that goes for all of us – Jack Willis But they know we’re available and the rest is up to them – it’s out of my control but of course I’d leap at the chance,” Ribbans confirmed this is a game where we need to start hot,” he said “We’ll have Baptiste Serin and he’s a game changer for us If you looked at his highlights reel from this season alone your jaw would hit the floor France produce nines like no other; it’s a different role here – they control the match in the same way a ten does for South Africa or England “It’s the general of the side here and as a simple example when Ben White came to RCT it took him some time to adapt to the play controlling role of a French nine He’d be the first to admit it’s one he’s still learning.” Ribbans continued: “Looking forward to the weekend I think we saw a brilliant first half from Sale last weekend but then the relentlessness of Toulouse and the quality they unloaded off the bench simply became too much for them as they tired on a hot day That physicality needs to be matched and bettered but it’s not just about that power – players like Meafou Cros and Willis are also phenomenal with ball in hand and they offload and pass in chaos like stars so it’s key for us to respect our own possession too and not give those back-rowers the chance to steal or disrupt “It goes back to that concentration piece We saw with Sale how one overhit kick cost them a 50/22 and then Toulouse score off a lineout and turn the match around – all from one kick that was two or three metres too long come alive and you’re 14 down in the blink of an eye “It boils down to managing to start hot but then maintaining momentum and concentration They defend pretty well so our own efficiency in scoring is also key and that’s the thinking we’re focusing on for Sunday READ MORE: Leinster have ‘seriously evolved’ under Jacques Nienaber as ‘stars aligning’ for fifth Champions Cup title Planet Rugby's Toulon player ratings after an agonising defeat to Toulouse in the Champions Cup. David Ribbans doesn't look back on his time with England fondly and gives his verdict about a possible switch to South Africa. Pitting two sides that each have won this competition three times against one another should’ve led to it being a marquee fixture this weekend.  Instead, Saracens boss Mark McCall called his shot early, announcing that he will be resting his top England internationals for the fixture. The result? A presumed comfortable victory for Toulon, at least on paper.  Certainly, the Premiership side could spring a surprise on the heavily favored hosts, but it is tough to see that happening. All but waving the white flag due to falling on the tougher side of the draw, Saracens is putting all of its eggs in the Premiership basket this season. Of course, it is hard to really blame them, given a win over Toulon likely still would result in a meeting with reigning champion Toulouse a week later.  However, given the magnitude of this competition, it is bitterly disappointing that the Londoners have taken this approach. Toulon would be foolish to assume the win is in the bag; taking into account the experience in that squad, it is unlikely they will.  Instead, it will be viewed as an opportunity to lay down a marker, and unlike many other sides, Toulon will be confident of turning over an Antoine Dupont-less side in the quarterfinals.  Do that, and they will face any of Munster, Ulster, Bordeaux or La Rochelle in a semifinal. Again, all sides are tough, but beatable, for this group. Paving the path to victory, Toulon will look to squeeze Saracens up front early before unleashing its pace out wide.  In truth, the hosts have several more routes to victory than their visitors.  In saying this, we have seen even rotated Saracens squads stunt their opponents with a hard blitz defense and relentless breakdown assault.  If McCall’s men can frustrate their hosts and build a score, then the pressure will be firmly on Toulon. Central to this being the case will be Fergus Burke, who had, by and large, done a good job at filling the massive boots left by Owen Farrell. With so much on the line for the hosts and Saracens transparency about where their priorities lie, we can only see one winner. Toulon by 20. How To Watch Rugby Matches In The United States On FloRugbyFloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S Lewis Ludlam will again think of Jonny Wilkinson when Toulon go in search of a first Investec Champions Cup semi-final since they were last kings of Europe Wilkinson has been Ludlam’s guiding light in rugby – inspiring him as a kid to take up the game then as a Premiership winner to track his path to France and play for the team the fly-half great turned into champions “You want to follow in the footsteps of your heroes and to wear the shirt Jonny wore means a huge amount,” he says On Sunday Les Rouge et Noir face holders Toulouse in the last and A big part of Ludlam’s motivation is living up to the standards set by the man with the golden boot “Jonny is a god here,” says Ludlam of Wilkinson, who captained Toulon to back-to-back European crowns and a Top 14 title during an unforgettable spell at Mayol No-one knows where he is now but everyone tells tales about him “The moment I tell anyone I’m English they mention Jonny he’s held in the highest regard.” In five years at the club Wilkinson missed 15 kicks at goal – a staggering 95.7 per cent success rate he remains Toulon’s record points scorer set an unbelievably high bar,” Ludlam continues “The moment you step in the door here you are made aware that this is a place where winners have played David Ribbans ‘excited as hell’ for ‘game on steroids’ against Toulouse and addresses England-South Africa speculation Ludlam has relished the challenge of helping restore Toulon to their ‘Wilkinson level’ There is some way still to go but the club is firmly on the up Last weekend they stuck 72 points on Saracens in Europe Toulouse might have beaten them easily on their own pitch in October but Toulon have won every game this season at Mayol “I get the impression the Champions Cup means more to Toulon than any other Top 14 club because of our history with it,” Ludlam says “As a kid watching YouTube I watched the likes of Jonny Ma’a Nonu… who’s back playing for us Knowing they pulled on the same jersey I am now is just unbelievable Look at every squad in the last 15 years and there are superstars everywhere “Northampton has a rich history and playing there for me was a dream To now be at a club with so many world class names in every single squad is crazy.” Ludlam must wait to learn his level of involvement this weekend but cannot wait for what promises to be one of the season’s great rugby occasions When Planet Rugby last caught up with him he explained that what attracted him to the sport in the first place other than Wilkinson’s World Cup final drop goal winner was that playing the game made him feel like “a gladiator walking into the coliseum” Nowhere is that more true than at Toulon where the players’ walk through a tunnel of fanatical supporters into the stadium and then listen as the crowd join in with the pre-match Pilou-Pilou war cry “To have the chance to play in front of that every week has been honestly unbelievable “When you’re winning here it feels like you’ve won the league every week And when you’re not it’s the complete opposite They’ll let you know about that as well But I’m absolutely loving it.” READ MORE: Simon Shaw’s Team of My Life: All Blacks great ‘sneaks in’ over Richie McCaw as ‘special player’ completes Springboks engine room When Fin Smith admitted he grew up idolising Jonny Wilkinson it was widely assumed the England legend was the inspiration for his own bone-rattling defensive prowess Lewis Ludlam is talking England and the Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland and getting himself right up for Saturday's Six Nations game at Twickenham Dan Carter played a game of 'Winner Stays On' as he revealed his admiration for an England legend another stark reminder that the Premiership lags behind its Top 14 rivals with Harlequins falling victim to a turbo-charged Toulon Quins have claimed some famous scalps on French soil in recent years but just as Northampton found out 24 hours earlier cross the Channel without the sort of physicality that is ubiquitous in the Top 14 – “a lot of powerful animals” as the head coach As David Ribbans, the former England second row, who swapped Northampton for Toulon after the 2023 World Cup explained after his side’s comfortable victory on Sunday the biggest difference between the two leagues is physical prowessity Wilson did not disagree and though his side can still reach the knockout stages by beating Glasgow Warriors next week he conceded they will always come to France in hope rather than expectation Bristol fought back from a half-time deficit to post the first victory of their European campaign but controversy shrouded the 35-29 win over Benetton at Ashton Gate Benetton appeared to have run in a late try through Rhyno Smith which but referee Luc Ramos saw a marginal obstruction earlier in the move and ruled it out Ramos’s decision keeps Bristol in contention to reach the knockout phase but they must win at Clermont on Saturday to have any chance of progressing The Bears trailed 17-14 at the interval but took charge in the third quarter with Max Lahiff Harry Thacker and Kieran Marmion (pictured) touching down to add to early tries from James Williams and Marmion including giving Ireland fly-half Harry Byrne his first start following his arrival on loan from Leinster But just as they seemed to be cruising towards the finishing line and with big hitters such as Ellis Genge Steven Luatua and Harry Randall arriving off the bench Italy centre Nacho Brex was becoming an increasingly influential figure through his carrying and handling and in the 68th minute he slipped a clever pass to Tommaso Menoncello The gap was now just six points and Brex showed his class again in the 77th minute through the timing of his pass out of the back but after repeat viewings of the move Ramos judged there was then an obstruction that prevented Kalaveti Ravouvou from making a tackle and Bristol were saved Leinster sealed their 12th successive win in all competitions as they beat La Rochelle 16-14 to move top of Pool 2 Despite the hosts dominating the first half at the Stade Marcel Deflandre Two penalties from Sam Prendergast extended their lead but La Rochelle hit back through Dillyn Leyds. That sent up a tense finale but a battling defensive effort helped Leinster hold on as they all but secured their place in the last 16 Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images EuropeWas this helpful?Thank you for your feedback.By April, after the last eight, it is not inconceivable that the English challenge is limited to the diaspora of players such as Ribbans. At Toulon he is joined by Kyle Sinckler and Lewis Ludlam and if the squad does not possess as many star names as in their heyday it is 10 years since Toulon were last crowned champions of Europe but on this evidence with the sun beating down on the Stade Mayol the Mediterranean glistening in the distance their fervent supporters would be forgiven for dreaming again “There’s definitely a difference in level of physicality,” said Ribbans “In the Premiership they still play some really good rugby and some really good shape which maybe isn’t always the case in the Top 14 but in terms of physicality there’s definitely a step up When you look at teams you are coming up against every week they are filled with international players When you train with that and play against that every weekend leaving Wilson clinging to the fact his side won the second half 21-7 as a reason for optimism before the visit of Glasgow Marcus Smith kept toiling away but found gaps in the Toulon defence hard to come by had afternoons they’d rather forget – both players spurning try-scoring opportunities Dombrandt was also sat on his backside by his opposite number early in the second half – a demonstration of just how much more power Toulon could boast Toulon were in the ascendancy from the moment Tyrone Green’s clearance kick was charged down inside the first minute Sixty seconds later and the hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi was over It might have been a different story for Harlequins had Murley finished what was admittedly a tricky chance in the left-hand corner soon after then Notifications.Turn on sport notifications.Was this helpful?Thank you for your feedback.Harlequins had defended the ensuing 10 minutes manfully but Serin’s dummy from the base of a ruck fooled everybody and he scampered through to dot down Having left Will Evans out of the starting lineup Harlequins found the breakdown an uphill battle and when James Chisholm was sent to the sin-bin in the 35th minute for a forearm to Serin’s face Toulon put the game to bed with another two tries the mightily impressive flanker Esteban Abadie plunged his way to the try line before Jiuta Wainiqolo profited from a fortunate bounce to rack up the bonus point before the half-time interval Harlequins should be applauded for their second-half response Dombrandt really should have gone for the line himself rather than attempt the offload to Murley but Harlequins were up and running when Smith finally succeeded in creating an opening for Chisholm to gallop into – Will Porter running the supporting line to cruise through under the posts with Gaël Dréan stepping inside off his wing and weaving his way over Nick David’s consolation score at the death could only make the scoreline more palatable Saracens are proud to work in partnership with a range of companies and suppliers all striving for excellence in their field The Men in Black had a 35-13 lead during an incredible first half but the French side completed the comeback to secure the win at a raucous Stade Mayol Sarries started brilliantly in one of their best first half performances in memory and stunned the hosts with the opening try after just four minutes Angus Hall somehow gathered a cross-field kick from Fergus Burke and then the ball was turned over but a wide pass was dropped and fell straight in to the hands of Juan Martin Gonzalez who would never be stopped from two metres out Melvyn Jaminet cut through the defence and then released Jiuta Wainiqolo down the left who raced clear from 20 metres The full-back struck the conversion to level proceedings Sarries hit back again though in a frantic opening Theo Dan’s two monstrous carries took play in to the 22 and then Gonzalez carried up to the line before Nick Tompkins broke from the base of the breakdown and dotted down to the delight of the travelling fans Jaminet cut the deficit to just one point with two penalties in quick succession including one monster from half way but then Sarries clicked back in to gear and scored twice in a matter of minutes as they began to dream A scrum 30 metres out saw Ivan van Zyl spin the ball straight to Olly Hartley and his piece of individual brilliance saw him step his opposite number and then run under the sticks showing sensational pace as he acrobatically dived under the posts Again Burke was on the money as the lead grew to 21-13 The Londoners were in dreamland seven minutes later when they had sustained pressure in the 22 and then out of nowhere the ball spat out to Gonzalez who couldn’t believe his luck and dotted straight over the line Another chance followed with a penalty deep in the 22 but Sarries were held up over the line and Toulon survived There was still time for another score before the break though who was having the game of his life somehow got through three tackles and then an audacious offload released van Zyl who ran straight under the posts unattended Burke’s conversion made it 35-13 with six minutes until the break Toulon did get themselves back in to the game though as Facundo Isa crossed from a rolling maul and then Jaminet strolled over in the final play of the half meaning all of a sudden the lead was down to 35-27 as both sides headed down the tunnel for a much needed break The hosts started the second half as they finished the first and crossed the try line just five minutes after the break to get within one score of their opponents and then eventually Brian Alainu’uese bundled over from close range It looked like the comeback was then complete on the 50 minute mark as the irresistible Touon attack continued with Jaminet going over in the corner but after a TMO check the try was disallowed and Sarries survived Gonzalez nearly completed his hat trick just before the hour mark as he spotted a pass and burst out of the line to gather it but it was just fumbled and Toulon got the scrum Toulon did eventually get their noses in front as a scrum penalty took them up to the line and then Isa bundled over from within touching distance for his second of the afternoon Jaminet made no mistake with the extras as they went 39-35 ahead It got even better for Isa just four minutes later as he spotted a gap in the defence from the base of a breakdown and managed to run away from 20 metres to complete his hat-trick and the conversion put them 11 points ahead and counter attack ball found its way to Leicester Faing’anuku with 15 minutes remaining and he wouldn’t be stopped to take them over the half century of points and James Hadfield went over after some neat work on the short side and almost claimed his grubber which would have set him free but the bounce was unkind and the ball trickled in to touch Toulon put the result beyond doubt however with 10 minutes to go once again their counter attack made the difference and a sweeping move saw Jaminet complete his hat-trick in the corner Baptiste Serin added further gloss with another length of the field effort as the catalogue of attack continued to grow and Marius Domon also dived over for their 11th try with two minutes left to take them over the 70 point mark That proved to be the last notable act of a valiant effort by all representing Saracens in the South of France Saracens are thrilled to confirm that exciting young winger Tobias Elliott has committed his future to the club signing a multi-year contract at StoneX Stadium establishing himself as a regular in the first team The 21-year-old joined the senior academy in 2022 and made his […] With Saracens about to face Newcastle Falcons at the StoneX Stadium in their penultimate home fixture of the season it’s time to look back on the last time the Falcons made the trip to North London: Saracens Men saw out 2023 in style with a 37-19 bonus-point victory over Newcastle Falcons at a sold-out StoneX […] Saracens legend Alex Goode will make his 400th club appearance next weekend as the Men in Black welcome Newcastle Falcons to StoneX Stadium who has dedicated over 17 years of his career to Saracens joins an elite group of players to have reached 400 appearances for a single professional club Learn how to describe the purpose of the image (opens in a new tab) Leave empty if the image is purely decorative Daniel “Dan” James Rodgers Toulon took his last breath on January 11 2025 surrounded by his beloved wife and daughters Ygnacio Tudor Toulon III and Laura Rodgers Toulon He lived numerous places courtesy of the US Navy where his father served for many years His parents settled from their last assignment in New Iberia where Dan attended Sewanee Military Academy for high school he worked in the coal mines so that he could pay for school He pursued his college degree in physical education and graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 1978 After starting life together in middle Tennessee they took on the adventure of opening Capital Rubber & Industrial Supply in Tallahassee He enjoyed coaching the girls’ childhood sports and watching them grow into wonderful women when Dan and Janice moved back to middle Tennessee They celebrated 45 loving years together in June of 2024 He was blessed to walk both of his daughters down the aisle While Dan taught his sons-in-law the trades of farm life the return of grilling and pizza making kept him eager for the next family meal Dan also became known as “Papa” and his four grandchildren brought him so much joy and happiness always eager to brag about them to those he met Throughout his many years of health struggles Dan kept everyone laughing with his jokes and stories and was an inspiration of positivity through adversity We want to thank all of those who took such great care of him for many years: Primary Care Clinic (Dr and the wonderful ladies at Williamson Medical’s wound care clinic our faith sustains us on this journey in hopes of reuniting with him again prayers and support have been true gifts during this challenging time daughters Jennifer (Dustin) Ragusa and Paige (Tim) Knecht Dan was preceded in death by his father and mother nephew Quinn Toulon (1972-2023) and granddaughter Please join us on Friday, January 24, 2025 at St. Philip Catholic Church in Franklin, Tennessee. Visitation starts at 10 am, with the rosary at 11 am followed by a funeral mass at 11:30 am. A reception at the church will immediately follow mass. Burial will be at 2 pm at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home. https://www.williamsonmemorial.com Flowers can be sent to Williamson Memorial Funeral Home or St. Philip Catholic Church. Donations can also be made to the St. John Institute: https://www.saintjohninstitute.org/donate/ For those who cannot be with us in person, the funeral mass will be live streamed. The live stream will begin 10 minutes prior to mass. https://stphilipfranklin.com/live-stream/ For more obituaries visit https://williamsonsource.com/obituaries/ Click Here to Contact Us Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.