ECC: Shambolic Toulon humiliated by Northampton
by
Joachim Silvestre 09
October 2008
 Toulon
(3) 3 Northampton (30) 56
An experimental Toulon side were humiliated at home by
Northampton Saints, going down 3-56 with fly-half Stephen
Myler scoring 21 points for the Guinness Premiership side.
It is a result that will increase the mounting pressure on
coach Tana Umaga with the French side conceding seven tries
in a shambolic and incoherent performance that will further
undermine crumbling club confidence.
Umaga’s team selection reflected his preference for Top 14
survival, but Saints also rested Carlos Spencer, their
mercurial Kiwi fly-half, only for his replacement Myler to
steal the headlines.
The home side opened up in positive enough fashion with
Sebastien Fauque, Toulon’s only player aged over 30, kicking
a second minute penalty, but Northampton’s response was
clinical with three tries in 22 minutes leaving the home
side 3-30 down after half an hour.
Sean Lamont started the assault when he finished a
cross-field attack for his third try of the season in the
10th minute, with Myler adding the conversion from the
touchline.
The 24-year-old fly-half added a more straightforward 35m
penalty two minutes later and the home crowd were silenced
when Joe Ansbro touched down on the quarter hour.
Myler converted, inevitably, before rubbing further salt in
the Toulon wounds by slotting over from the halfway line to
take Saints 3-20 clear.
The youngster maintained his 100% success rate with yet
another penalty as Toulon’s young side struggled for
cohesion, and blood replacement Paul Diggin added
Northampton’s third try just 30 seconds after coming on for
Downey James.
Myler kept his cool to make it six from six in the first
half and Toulon were booed off as they traipsed into the
changing rooms trailing 3-30.
Umaga clearly had words at the interval and Toulon initially
emerged determined to make amends, but once Luke Rooney had
been stopped short the defiance wilted again, with the
visitors again assuming the upper hand.
A fourth try, and attacking bonus point, always looked
likely and it eventually arrived in the 58th minute when
full-back Bruce Reihana rolled back the years with a blind
side break and kick ahead that allowed Chris Ashton to get
on the score sheet. Amazingly, Myler finally missed,
although his conversion attempt was from the touchline, but
with Toulon’s disparate team appearing increasingly
befuddled it wasn’t going to be long before he got another
attempt.
And so it proved after scrum-half Ben Foden showed a touch
of his sevens’ class to create the Saints’ fifth try just
five minutes later, allowing Myler to take the Saints 42-3
clear.
Ansbro’s second try and Myler’s eighth successful kick left
Northampton just one point shy of 50 points and the half
century was duly breached when Lee Dickson touched down for
their seventh try just before the final whistle.
It was left to Myler to complete the formalities, with his
ninth successful kick from 10, leaving Mourad Boudjellal,
Toulon’s millionaire owner, to contemplate the vocal and
understandable dissatisfaction of the home crowd.
Toulon v Northampton
Tries - Ansbro (2), Lamont, Diggin, Ashton, Foden,
Dickson
Conversions - Myler (6)
Penalties Fauque (1) Myler (3)
Drop Goals -
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