Cardiff Blues 28 Toulon 21:Cardiff Blues stunned French glamour boys Toulon to win the Amlin Challenge Cup and become the first Welsh side to lift a European title.
Toulon had edged 13-6 ahead with a try from Sonny Bill Williams and eight points from Jonny Wilkinson when the Blues mounted their second-half comeback.
Jamie Roberts, Leigh Halfpenny and Bradley Davies scored the tries as the Blues silenced the vast majority of the record 49,996 crowd inside Marseille’s Stade Velodrome.
The Blues’ victory gives Cardiff sports fans something to celebrate after the disappointment of the Bluebirds’ Coca-Cola Championship play-off defeat to Blackpool at Wembley yesterday.
And the result will also be hailed along the M4 in Llanelli because the Blues’ victory guaranteed the Scarlets Heineken Cup qualification.
The key moment came after 49 minutes, when Wilkinson hobbled out of the action. Suddenly, the Blues roared into life and their more cohesive approach won the day.
Toulon made an explosive start and almost scored inside the opening 15 seconds after Juan Fernandez Lobbe beat Roberts to the kick-off to send Williams and Joe van Niekerk rampaging forward, only for the attack to end with a dropped pass.
That frenetic opening surge summed up Toulon’s approach. They were full of enterprise — with Williams, Lobbe and Van Niekerk irrepressible — but it was all too frenzied, too chaotic.
Two golden try-scoring opportunities had already gone begging when Williams finally skipped his way through the Blues defence in added time at the end of the first half.
The Blues took the lead with a 50-metre penalty from Halfpenny but Wilkinson drew Toulon level after the Frenchmen had done a good job of isolating Martyn Williams at the breakdown.
Cardiff were struggling to impose themselves on the game but when the Blues did venture deep into Toulon territory on the back of a jinking run from Casey Laulala, they attacked with real purpose. It was to prove a warning sign for Toulon.
Ceri Sweeney moved the ball quickly left and then switched the point of attack. Toulon were stretched just metres from their own line but the chance was wasted when Blues prop Faao Filise was penalised for flying into a ruck.
It was then Cardiff’s turn to breathe a sigh of relief. Wilkinson took a quick lineout and Lobbe launched another pulsating attack only for his delayed pass to float just behind Van Niekerk when he had men in a better position outside him.
Ben Blair nudged Cardiff back into the lead after Toulon’s former England centre Tom May was penalised at the breakdown but once again Wilkinson was on target to level the scores.
Toulon were playing extravagantly and finally their approach paid off after Van Niekerk launched a counter-attack from inside his own 22.
Blair did well to haul down full-back Clement Marienval and it seemed as if Toulon would botch another chance when number eight Fotunuupule Auelua ignored Gabi Lovobalavu on the outside.
But Cardiff were in disarray and Williams was able to breeze past three defenders to score the opening try, which Wilkinson converted.
The Blues lost captain Gethin Jenkins at half-time and Toulon were soon shorn of their own talisman after Wilkinson hobbled out of the action, having collapsed to the ground after missing a penalty shot.
It proved a decisive moment. May stepped in at fly-half and he was immediately put under pressure by the Blues and forced to touch down behind his own goal-line.
Cardiff won a quick free-kick at the scrum. Maama Molitika and Filise were both stopped short of the line but Roberts picked a perfect line to carve his way through and score under the posts.
May, who also took over the goal-kicking duties from Wilkinson, and Blair exchanged penalties but the Blues had their tails up with Xavier Rush and Roberts growing increasingly influential.
The two key men combined to create Cardiff’s second try with Roberts making a trademark midfield bust before Rush’s pass over the top sent Halfpenny over in the corner.
Rush was in the thick of it again just four minutes later, thundering forward before Laulala created the opening for Davies to score Cardiff’s third.
Toulon threw the kitchen sink at Cardiff and replacement Thomas Sourice scored a late consolation try but the Blues held on for victory.
A European club title remains the only achievement still missing from Wilkinson’s otherwise glittering CV.