Preview: Little to separate Toulon and Saracens
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Something will have to give in Saturday’s EPCR Challenge Cup semi-final at the Stade Félix Mayol on Saturday night, with both sides having won three of their previous six meetings in European competition.
The last time these two teams met in Europe, Saracens won home and away in the 2016/17 Heineken Champions Cup pool stage on the way to winning the competition.
However, Toulon boast a perfect record over Saracens in knockout rugby, winning their 2012/13 Heineken Champions Cup semi-final and then the final of the same competition the following season.
The game kicks off at 20:00 (UK & Irish time) and will be televised live on BT Sport, beIN SPORTS, and France 4.
Pool positions
Toulon: 1st Pool A.
Saracens: 3rd Pool C.
Quarter-finals
Toulon 19 London Irish 18
Gloucester Rugby 17 Saracens 44
EPCR Challenge Cup head-to-head record
Toulon wins: 1
Draws: 0
Saracens wins: 1
Leading 2021/22 points-scorers
Toulon: Louis Carbonel (41)
Saracens: Owen Farrell (49)
Key quotes
Franck Azema (Toulon head coach): “It is a fabulous match-up – everyone dreamed of it. That is what happens now. They are used to these games. They are used to the Champions Cup. They know what is required, so we must recover well for this battle.”
Mark McCall (Saracens director of rugby): “It feels like a big match. We are aware of Toulon’s talent, and how good they are. If we play together as a team, then we will have a chance.”
European giants go head-to-head 💪@RCTofficiel 🆚 @Saracens ⚔️
— EPCR Challenge Cup (@ChallengeCup_) May 11, 2022
Watch all the action on @francetvsport, @beinsports_FR and @btsportrugby 📺 #ChallengeCupRugby pic.twitter.com/dnp5WsKf09
Other key stats
- Saracens are bidding to reach the final of the Challenge Cup for the first time, having fallen at the semi-final stage three times previously, losing out to Bath in 2002/03 and 2006/07, and then to Northampton Saints in 2008/09.
- Toulon have played three previous semi-finals in the Challenge Cup and won them all, beating Connacht Rugby in 2009/10, Stade Français Paris in 2011/12 and Leicester Tigers in 2019/20. However, they are hunting their first Challenge Cup as they went on to lose all three of those finals.
- Toulon have won their last 17 completed home matches in the Challenge Cup, their last such defeat coming back in January 2009 to Bristol Bears. Their run of 17 wins started against Saracens.
- Saracens have won five of their last six completed away games against TOP 14 opposition in the Challenge Cup. However, their solitary defeat in that run came against Toulon (23-31 in October 2009).
- Saracens’ Owen Farrell needs one more point to reach 50 in the Challenge Cup this season. It would be the eighth European campaign in which he has reached at least a half century of points, only failing to do so in 2019/20, 2014/15 and 2010/11.
- Gervais Cordin (Toulon) has beaten 19 defenders across his four appearances in the Challenge Cup this season. Only two players (Steeve Barry, Taine Basham) have beaten more.
- Saracens’ Billy Vunipola is the only player totalling 50+carries in the Challenge Cup this season (56). He also ranks fifth for metres carried (348).
