Glasgow vs Toulon match report

Franco Smith’s Glasgow Warriors crashed out of the Investec Champions Cup after a 22-19 quarter-final defeat to Toulon at Scotstoun Stadium on Saturday.

It is the first time the French club has reached the semi-finals since they won the last of their three successive titles in 2015.

“It’s just pure joy,” said Toulon flanker Charles Ollivon. “We haven’t achieved anything yet but it’s great for everyone, it rewards a lot of effort. We have been through some tough patches this season, today we’re here, we have to keep going.

“We’d kind of lost our smiles but today we’re back.”

But it was heartbreak for URC log leaders Glasgow, who were vying to reach the semi-finals for the first time.

Playing with the wind at their backs, the Warriors were quickly on the attack, collecting their first try after nine minutes when a lineout throw to the tail was fed back for cen

Trailing 17-12 at the break, Glasgow were back in the lead five minutes into the second period when Adam Hastings converted hooker Gregor Hiddleston’s close-range drive over the line.

The French side set up camp on the Glasgow line, forcing some outstanding defence from the hosts.

But there was nothing they could do to stop Italy centre Nacho Brex who danced through two tackles on halfway before taking off for the corner and outpacing the covering defenders.

tre Stafford McDowall to crash over.

Toulon, however, struck straight back when wing Gaël Drean, who made a try-scoring debut for France during the Six Nations, went in for the first of his two first-half tries.

The Warriors hit the front again just after Toulon flanker Junior Kpoku was sent to the bin after 20 minutes. McDowall exploited the extra space out wide by spinning a long pass that put wing Ollie Smith away for the score.

Toulon bounced back again with two tries in the space of seven minutes. First, prop Jean-Baptiste Gros crashed over to level things up and then some brilliant quick hands found Drean in space out of the right.

The wing still had plenty to do but a neat step inside brushed off the challenge of Dan Lancaster and he was over for the try.

Toulon missed the conversion but clung on to their narrow lead to clinch their place in the semi-finals where they will meet either four-time champions Leinster or the Sale Sharks, who play in Dublin later on Saturday.