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A heavy silence descended over Scotstoun as the ball was booted out of play. Despite a fierce onslaught from the Glasgow Warriors, Toulon secured the turnover and ended the game with a kick to touch. The match was over.
This outcome was far from what anyone anticipated. Hosting a Champions Cup quarter-final on their own turf for the first time, Glasgow had a significant chance to carve out a piece of history.
With the promise of home-field advantage at Murrayfield awaiting them in the semi-finals, this was a prime moment to make their mark on the European stage.
Stafford McDowall of Glasgow Warriors scores his team’s first try against Toulon
But the opportunity slipped through their fingers. The wave of disappointment that washed over the fans at the final whistle was palpable. On the pitch, several players sank to their knees, hands cradling their heads in disbelief.
In the coaching area, Franco Smith appeared stunned, wearing the look of someone blindsided by the turn of events. He seemed lost in contemplation, perhaps analyzing where the game plan had faltered.
Glasgow were expected to win this match. They have been one of the form teams in Europe over recent months, beating a succession of top sides along the way.
Toulon are decent, but they are not a top team. They have also been poor away from home all season. They are not at the same level as the likes of Toulouse, who were vanquished here a few months ago.
That’s where the regret will come from. In one of the biggest matches in the club’s history, Glasgow just didn’t produce their best stuff.
Toulon’s Fijian wing Seta Tuicuvu carries the ball into contact against Glasgow
It is easy to be philosophical about it and reflect on the brutal realities of elite sport. Teams will, at times, have bad days at the office. It happens.
But to fall short like this? Against a team whom Glasgow would beat if they were anywhere near their best? This will sting.
The pain of this defeat will hurt more than when Smith’s side were walloped 52-0 away at Leinster at the same stage of the competition last year.
Ultimately, Glasgow tripped over their own feet. They could yet go on to win the URC this season, but when will they ever get a better chance to go deep — really deep — in Europe?
Toulon are not the force they once were. The Galactico era of around a decade ago, when they won this competition three years on the trot between 2013-15, is a thing of the past.
Back in those days, they had Jonny Wilkinson, Bakkies Botha, Ali Williams, Freddie Michalak, Matt Giteau, Mathieu Bastareaud, Bryan Habana, Leigh Halfpenny among many other star-studded names.
Glasgow Warriors’ back Ollie Smith of breaks past Tomas Albornoz
Rarely in the history of the Champions Cup has one club been able to boast such an incredible embarrassment of riches. It was almost a World XV dressed in a Toulon jersey.
The current crop are not at that same level, but they are no mugs either. Glasgow found that to their cost when these two teams met in the 2023 Challenge Cup Final in Dublin.
They were thumped 43-19 on the day and Smith had spoken in recent days about how the team had improved, both technically and mentally, since then.
The challenge was to go out and prove it. Glasgow scored twice in the opening 25 minutes, with the tries coming from Stafford McDowall and Ollie Smith.
But it was all a bit of a struggle. Toulon scored three tries of their own and led 17-12 as the teams went back into the sheds at half-time.
Glasgow’s half-back pairing of Ben Afshar and Dan Lancaster were not having a great deal of success. Afshar was in to replace the injured George Horne, while Lancaster got the nod ahead of Adam Hastings.
Lancaster, in particular, struggled to exert any control over the game. He was also at fault defensively for one of the Toulon tries, falling off a tackle as Gael Drean raced in to score in the corner.
Glasgow players are dejected at full-time after their Champions Cup loss to Toulon
Afshar, the club’s third-choice scrum-half behind Horne and Jamie Dobie, was slow to get the ball away, albeit he wasn’t helped by the referee Karl Dickson failing to penalise some pretty blatant offsides from Toulon.
One of the great strengths throughout Smith’s four years as Glasgow’s head coach has been the way in which he has developed players and built genuine depth in the squad. But to go into a match of this magnitude with Afshar and Lancaster as the nine and ten did feel like it might be asking a lot.
Hastings is leaving the club in the summer to join Montpellier. It’s hard to see how Glasgow move forward with Lancaster as their first-choice fly-half. It’s a position they need to strengthen in the summer.
Lancaster was taken off at half-time, with Hastings coming on as his replacement. But he was taken off with just over ten minutes to play due to a failed HIA.
Glasgow threw the kitchen sink at it in those final stages. But they fell short. You suspect this one might take some time to get over. The wounds are deep.