Owen Farrell vents frustration as Saracens lose to end English involvement in Europe

Olympic champion Jiuta Wainiqolo scored a wonder try to break Saracens’ hearts and end English rugby’s involvement in Europe.

A week after the Premiership’s interest in the Champions Cup was snuffed out in Paris, French rugby pulled the trigger in the Challenge Cup.

Wasps slipped to a narrow defeat in Lyon while Toulon proved too strong for Owen Farrell’s Saracens on the Cote d’Azur.

The decisive moment in a fiery contest at Stade Mayol came on the hour when Wainiqolo, who struck sevens gold with Fiji in Tokyo last summer, bolted past five defenders to set up an all-French final in Marseille on Friday week.

“We’re obviously disappointed,” said Farrell. “Disappointed in the result but probably more in the performance. We feel like we could have given a better account of ourselves.

“We couldn’t string too much together. We need to find out why and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Look inwards and make sure it spurs us on for the rest of the season.”

How Saracens could have done with such a cutting edge on a night when their best efforts were blunted by inspired opponents.

It had been that way from the moment the home crowd was pumped up to bursting point by Toulon’s famous pre-match Pilou Pilou ‘haka’.

On their first attack Toulon scrum-half Baptiste Serin kicked cleverly behind the Sarries defensive line for halfback partner Carbonel to run onto and collect.

Although he was stopped Toulon recycled the ball, Sergio Parisse fed it to Carbonel who put France wing Gabin Villiere over for the first of his two tries.

Sarries were flustered and captain Owen Farrell was three times admonished for backchat, with Irish referee Andrew Brace repeatedly warning: “Trust us to do our job, Owen, please”.

Not for the first time