Luke Burgess collected a championship winner’s medal in his debut season but there was only heartache for fellow former Wallaby Matt Giteau in Saturday’s French rugby final.
In another poor advertisement for French rugby, perennial powerhouse Toulouse won the title for a record 19th time, beating Giteau’s Toulon team 18-12 in a dour, tryless but ferociously-contested affair at a packed Stade de France.
The last 240 minutes of the season were played out without a single try, as both semi-finals were also decided entirely by kicks at goal.
Halfback Burgess came off the bench to play the final 30 minutes for defending champions Toulouse but got to contribute little in a match dominated by their forwards, who consistently smashed the Toulon scrum.
Former All Black Luke McAlister was outstanding at five-eighth as he booted all six penalties for Toulouse, defended strongly and made one of the few clean line breaks, though he chose to grubber and the chance was lost.
Ending his first season in France, Giteau got little chance to showcase his attacking flair outside veteran former England five-eighth Jonny Wilkinson who landed Toulon’s four penalties.
The 33-year-old Wilkinson famously won the 2003 World Cup with a drop goal but he was unsuccessful with two drop goal attempts for Toulon and also a 50 metre penalty attempt into the wind.
Toulon had a chance to snatch victory and a third title – their first since 1992 – when they finally spread the ball with a three on two overlap but New Zealand winger David Smith knocked on.
The result was another triumph for Toulouse’s long-serving coach Guy Noves who has landed nine French titles and for European Cups since taking the helm in 1998.
It was also a fitting farewell for their warhorse hooker, 2011 World Cup finalist Guy Servat, who was playing his last game before joining the coaching staff.
He was able to celebrate despite being yellow carded for a second half punch up with rival hooker Sebastian Bruno.
Noves admitted the game was no thing of beauty.
“I’m a little disappointed because it wasn’t a beautiful final,” said Noves.
“But with finals, well, you have to win them and that’s it.
“We scored loads of tries throughout the season. We tried to put on a show. But today we had to win.”
