They long awaited a new hero here in Toulon. The galactico generation has been and gone. Rugby is in recession and local restaurateurs have failed to find shirts worthy of replacing those of Jonny Wilkinson and Martin Castrogiovanni.

But on Saturday night, in a contest of blood and thunder, their action winger, Gabin Villière, announced his status as king of rugby with two tries to end Saracens’ Challenge Cup campaign.

They missed these great European evenings at the Stade Mayol. Sometimes I felt like time had been rolled back.

Louis Carbonel also played an important role for Toulon in their 25-16 win over Saracens

Before kick-off, the road around the stadium was congested. Cars honked their horns in support, songs blared around the harbor and supporters climbed to the top of bus shelters to get the best view of the team’s arrival. They set off flares, turning the road into a tunnel of red light. It felt more like a ring walk from Tyson Fury.

The atmosphere allowed the Toulon players to gain an extra inch. Their big names all had great games, bringing a physique that Saracens couldn’t match. They hit the tackles with intention and smoked the breakdown.

It was once Europe’s premier club game. It was an era-defining heavyweight final, before both teams fell from favor. Saracens were relegated to the Second Division for breaching salary caps, while Toulon crashed out when their billionaire owner Mourad Boudjellal sold.

In their first meeting for six years, Toulon played like a side making up for lost time, hitting Saracens with an early punch.

Aled Davies had his pockets picked on the ruck and the hosts struck. Baptiste Serin sabotaged the ball all along the left flank, followed by Louis Carbonel.

The first wave of attacks fell narrowly but, three minutes later, looping play from Carbonel and Sergio Parisse set up Villière for a one-handed finish at the box office.

It ended in disappointment for Saracens head coach Mark McCall as his side crashed out

The atmosphere was boiling. Complaints about a knee drop on Vincent Koch were picked up on the microphone and, after a late tackle on Alex Goode, captain Owen Farrell scored his side’s first points.

Poor discipline crept into the Toulon game and cheers quickly turned to boos. Farrell hit the post with his second penalty, but there was a silver lining. Charles Ollivon and Serin faltered with their exit play, allowing Ben Earl an extra millisecond to charge the punt kick. His hard work-rate was rewarded with a try to put Saracens ahead after 16 minutes.

Still, that turned out to be Saracens’ only try of the game.

There were headline duels all over the field. Renewing their old rivalry, Eben Etzebeth took Maro Itoje’s arm out during a lineout, handing Farrell another three points. However, soon after Farrell was reprimanded for yelling at referee Andrew Brace and Saracens began to wander off,

Carbonel reduced the deficit with a penalty from a scrum, with the prospect of not seeing any English club in the Challenge or Championship Cup final in a fortnight quickly becoming a reality.

Toulon jubilantly celebrated their participation in the 100% French final of the Challenge Cup against Lyon

Toulon’s Charles Ollivon enjoyed celebrating with the fans after securing a place in the final

In the final game of the half, Toulon fended off Farrell’s clearance from deep within their own half. Their backline combined on the right wing, sucking up the Saracens defense to leave an overlap on the left. A few slick passes later, Villière hit the ground again.

Elliot Daly missed the chance to retake the lead with a long-range penalty and play quickly moved to the opposite end of the field. Villière won a ranged turnover penalty for Toulon and, unlike Daly, Carbonel hit the mark.

“We were harassed and harassed for doing things we didn’t want to do,” admitted Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall.

“We didn’t manage the way we played very well and we didn’t manage the occasion very well, to be honest, which was a surprise given our team’s experience.”

Jamie George led Saracens off the pitch after disappointment not making the final

“It was like a different atmosphere here tonight compared to last time. They were magnificent. Sometimes when the crowd is like that it can make you feel like you’re under more pressure than you really are and that was the case tonight.

Saracens were gifted three points after an overcooked kick but any faint hopes were quickly dashed by another Toulon thunderbolt.

Showing the skills that helped him win seven-a-side Olympic gold with Fiji, winger Jiuta Wainiqolo beat Farrell on the outside, flipped Davies inside out, then chained his run around Goode to a sensational test.

From there, the Saracens were dead meat. They made some unusual mistakes, dropping balls and suffering maul turnovers, as Toulon prevailed in a renewed rivalry.