Toulon vs Bath: Bath agony as Chris Cook lets chance to European champions slip through his fingers

Toulon 12 Bath 9

Bath’s Anthony Watson tries to break through the Toulon defence (Rex Features)

Bath came within a finger-tip of creating history with a shock win here last night against the might of the European Cup holders Toulon.

A team who had been written off and, by their own admission, one not showing the courage to succeed at the highest level, scaled new heights and almost conquered the greatest summit in European rugby. The three-time champions and holders Toulon have never lost here at their Stade Felix Mayol fortress in this competition.

Yet for all but the final five minutes, Bath managed to silence this French cauldron to little more than a simmer. Had Chris Cook been half an inch taller, they could well have pulled off the upset of upsets.

Three times George Ford kicked Bath ahead but had just missed from distance with a third drop goal, with the scores locked at 9-9, when Cook read his opposite number’s delivery from a line-out to perfection. Even after 72 minutes of an absorbing contest, he was out of the blocks like a sprinter only to let the ball slip through his hands, with nothing between him and the try line. In a game of so few chances, it was crucial and the scrum-half knew it.

To add to his distress, Toulon threw extra men into a driving maul and earned a penalty that Frédéric Michalak converted to snatch victory four minutes from time.

“My main emotion is pride in the boys,” said the Bath coach, Mike Ford, “but at the same time we’re disappointed: I thought we had done enough to win. Cook almost got that interception. He did the same last year at Toulouse and ran 70 metres to score. But it was a very good performance. We all know what a good side we are. People are writing that the Bath way has been sussed out, that we haven’t changed and are too structured. But we believe in how we play.

“Now we need to replicate that for the rest of the season. We’re not out of it. We need to pick up a bonus point somewhere in the last two games.”

That could be easier said than done given they travel to Dublin to face Leinster this weekend before welcoming Toulon back at the Rec the following week. However, the return of club captain Stuart Hooper – he had been missing for six weeks with a back injury before playing yesterday – could be key. Against Toulon, he was Bath’s Martin Johnson, leading by example, ruling the line-out and relishing in his own nuisance factor. He infuriated Toulon’s pack.

Bath’s Max Lahiff replaced Nick Auterac, who pulled up in the warm-up with a tight hamstring, but was at the heart of a set piece that laid the foundation for Ford to give Quade Cooper a kicking masterclass and play those around him into the game.

At first glance, there was a horrible mismatch in midfield with 13-stone Kyle Eastmond facing Ma’a Nonu while Mathieu Bastareaud put Ford on his backside, only to lose the ball in doing so. Ford sought to outflank the giant centres, kicking with success to the likes of Matt Banahan, Anthony Watson and Semesa Rokoduguni who regularly outjumped James O’Connor and Bryan Habana. At times Toulon looked a collection of individuals who didn’t even play the same game, let alone speak the same language.

They have hardly set the world alight this season despite the additions to their array of global stars, having already lost five times in the Top 14 and been taken apart by Wasps in Europe.

Ford kicked Bath 6-3 up but Hooper cost his side when he recklessly charged into Juan Smith off the ball and Eric Escande levelled. Given the challenge was from behind, he was fortunate it did not also yield a yellow card.

Such was the job done by Bath that boos rang out at half-time and Ford regained the lead two minutes into the second half after Hooper recovered a lost line-out. Again they could not hold on to it as Toulon proved they still have the mark of champions with the ability to win, even when nowhere near their best.

Toulon: Penalties Escande (3), Michalak. Bath: Penalty Ford; Drop goals Ford (2).

Toulon J O’Connor (F Michalak, 40); J Tuisova, M Bastareaud (M Mermoz, 72), M Nonu, B Habana; Q Cooper, E Escande (S Tillous-Borde, 68); F Fresia (X Chiocci, 53), G Guirado (A Etrillard, 53), L Chilachava, J Suta, K Mikautadze, J Smith (S Armitage, 61), J-MF Lobbe (capt), D Vermeulen.

Bath A Watson; S Rokoduguni, J Joseph, K Eastmond, M Banahan; G Ford, C Cook; M Lahiff (N Catt, 61), R Webber (R Batty, 53), D Wilson (H Thomas, 53), S Hooper (capt), D Day (D Denton, 61), M Garvey (C Ewels, 73), F Louw, L Houston.

Referee G Clancy (Ireland).

Attendance 12,772.