Brendan Gallagher’s verdict on Toulon’s Champions Cup win: The old Sea Wolves are simply majestic

I ceased caring about how many millions Toulon allegedly spend on their squad a long time ago. In fact the more people enviously criticise them the more I enjoy their bloody minded world class professionalism in ramming those comments down a multitude of oesophaguses.
And I absolutely love some of the glorious rugby they produce. Many critics seem strangely reluctant to mention the rugby.
Toulon come, they see, they conquer. They deliver the goods time after time under pressure. Money doesn’t buy that, only desire and pride can produce a conveyor belt of repeat wins on an industrial scale.
That’s three European Cups on the bounce now which is a feat that eluded Toulouse, Leicester, Munster and Leinster to name the previous Continental giants of the game.
It’s worth just pondering that for a while and the quality of play they produce in extremis, not least that extraordinary try by Drew Mitchell who might not even have been starting had Delon Armitage not broken a hand in their semi-final win over Leinster.
Every time Toulon lace their boots they start as favourites with a good proportion of the crowd giving them the bird. They earn top dollar but they perform under extreme pressure both externally in the rugby world at large and internally within the fiefdom of owner Mourad Boudjellal
The critics constantly hover looking for signs of weakness and/or mistakes and lapses in intensity which can be somehow held up as examples of their supposed arrogance and mercenary attitudes. But they hover largely in vain.
Some, not least some in Premiership rugby who wrongly assume it’s all down to Toulon’s superior budget and the motive power of the filthy lucre, would like to see them fall flat on their faces occasionally but those critics don’t understand that only brings out the best in Toulon, especially their hoary old galacticos. Especially in a big Cup Final at Twickenham.
I’m still not sure exactly how they do it but I love watching the rather mysterious alchemy at work.
In a bizarre way they remind me of a long forgotten film – Sea Wolves – featuring the creaking bones of Gregory Peck, Roger Moore, David Niven, Patrick Macnee and Trevor Howard. In Sea Wolves the old buggars masquerade as the pensioned off members of the Calcutta Light who are hired to undertake one last ‘special’ operation against a German U-Boat in Goa.
Their task was to roll back the years and achieve their ‘mission impossible’ by dint of their experience, class and a few young bucks drafted into to provide fresh legs when needed.
When the going gets tough and the stakes are high these guys go to work. For that illustrious quintet from Sea Wolves read Carl Hayman, Ali Williams, Bakkies Botha, Juan Smith and Chris Masoe. I was going to include Matt Giteau but he is probably too young and seems poised to resume regular service with Australia later this year along with Mitchell.  On the evidence of yesterday you would have to say Michael Cheika has made a good call getting the ARU to amend their regulations as to those overseas players who will be available for selection this autumn. Smith and Giteau will be involved against England, no question.
In the case of Williams and Smith they weren’t so much as retired as condemned to the knackers yard when the call came. Hired hands yes, and proud of it, but also highly skilled and qualified artisans up for the challenge and incapable of putting their names to shoddy work.
“When guys like this turn up it’s just the start of the road,” explained two-time European Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson yesterday. “Nothing just falls into place. It’s up to the individuals to work hard and bring the performances and results to the club.  If they don’t deserve it these things don’t happen. They set the tone and others coming into the group pick up from that.”
Williams will retire at the end of this season, possibly with another Top 14 title to his name as will Botha who, along with Hayman, has appeared in all three of Toulon’s European wins. With an insatiable appetite for winning you fancy retirement will mean exactly that, these are not individuals who will find much satisfaction strolling around for a game of social rugby to work off the beers. They will find some other outlet for their competitive instincts.
Finally, another thing I enjoy about Toulon, and indeed Clermont, is what I choose to call ‘Esperanto’ rugby.
Seven nations were represented in Toulon’s starting XV yesterday with an eighth – Georgia’s Levan Chilachava – on the bench. Clermont kicked off with eight countries represented in their colours, which they increased to nine when Portugal flanker Julian Bardy came on as a second half replacement.
That’s a lot of different languages and potentially clashing rugby cultures, and to make that work in a Mediterranean Tower of Babel takes a mighty collective will and humility. For such a disparate group to sing so tunefully off the same hymn sheet and talk with such a collective voice is some achievement and it’s about time Toulon are offered the unreserved plaudits they are due.