RUGBY:FOUNDED ON June 3rd, 1908, as a merger of Étoile Sportive Varoise and members of the Stade Varois, a club based in nearby La Seyne-sur-Mer, RC Toulonnais won their first of three Bouclier de Brennus titles in 1931 with a 6-3 defeat of Lyon in the final in Bordeaux, and were greeted by 30,000 people when they returned home.

They lost four finals (1948, 1968, 1971 and 1985). The last one, by 36-22 to Toulouse after extra-time, is deemed one of the great French finals.

Their other triumphs came in 1950 and 1992, when they denied Serge Blanco a first and valedictory Bouclier in his last game with Biarritz.

Toulon then fell on hard times, and heavy debts led to their demotion to the Pro D2 by the Ligue Nationale in 2000.

On the day he arrived in Paris, on May 1st, 1895, just before his first concert, the legendary singer Félix Mayol was met by a female friend at the station, who gave him some lily-of-the-valley, a flower people traditionally exchange on May 1st in France. He pinned it on his lapel, his concert was a success and Mayol, who was superstitious, made the lily-of-the-valley his emblem. It was taken up by the club in 1921, having named their stadium after the concert hall singer in 1920.

After Munster’s 45-18 win over Toulon at Thomond Park in October, club president and owner Mourad Boudjellal (below) declared: “I don’t want to sign any more average players. The players who come to Toulon must be exceptional players and must be able to perform against a team like Munster.”

To that end, Bakkies Botha has apparently already been signed for next season, and Toulon are rumoured to be one of several French clubs in negotiations with the Wallabies trio of Rocky Elsom, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Drew Mitchell.