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Drean double breaks Glasgow hearts as Toulon reach Champions Cup semis / Photo: © AFP
Drean double breaks Glasgow hearts as Toulon reach Champions Cup semis
France wing Gael Drean scored two first-half tries as three-time champions Toulon booked their place in the semi-finals of this year's Champions Cup with a nerve-wracking 22-19 win over Glasgow Warriors at the Scotstoun Stadium on Saturday.
It is the first time that the Top 14 side has reached the final four 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 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 line-out throw to the tail was fed back for centre Stafford McDowall to crash over.
Toulon, however, struck straight back when Drean, who made a try-scoring debut for France during the Six Nations, went in for the first of his tries.
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.
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 Warriors.
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.
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 English side Sale who play in Dublin later on Saturday.
Z.Tomaszewski--GL
