Toulon 7 defeated Bordeaux Bègles 7 15-12 in the Super Sevens tournament in France on Friday. The result gives the hosts three points from two matches after they had already beaten La Rochelle 7 by the same margin earlier in the day.
It was a match decided by a single try, and here's the thing — you could see which side wanted it more in the closing minutes. Toulon have been unpredictable of late, losing 10-19 to Monaco 7 and suffering a heavy 0-31 defeat to Montpellier, but they pulled back together against their rivals.
Bordeaux arrived on the back of a four-match winning streak. They had beaten Bayonne 7 28-0, the Barbarians 21-12, Stade Rochelle 7 24-17, and Section Paloise 28-12. To be fair, they looked comfortable against weaker opposition, but this was a different test entirely.
By then the match had settled into a pattern. Bordeaux controlled the early exchanges, but Toulon's defensive structure held firm when it mattered. The visitors pushed hard in the final period, yet the hosts held their ground and took the win.
The victory keeps Toulon in contention at the top of the group. Bordeaux's run comes to an end here, and they drop to second place after two matches. The goal difference now stands at +3 for Toulon and +10 for Bordeaux, so there is still plenty to play for.