Dimitri Yachvili of Biarritz kicks a penalty shot during the European Challenge Cup at Twickenham Stoop. Yachvili kicked a perfect seven penalties to give Biarritz a 21-18 win over Toulon in Friday's European Challenge Cup final, the Basque club's first piece of continental silverware. © AFP Ian Kington
LONDON – Dimitri Yachvili kicked a perfect seven penalties to give Biarritz a 21-18 win over Toulon in Friday’s European Challenge Cup final, the Basque club’s first piece of continental silverware.
But the influential French scrum-half was fortunate to still be on the pitch when he landed the winning kick six minutes from time of the disappointing final at the Twickenham Stoop.
Just moments earlier, he had tripped Toulon scrum-half Sebastien Tillous-Borde, a yellow card offence which referee Wayne Barnes missed.
With the scores level at 18-18, Yachvili made the most of his lifeline to land the winning penalty in a disappointing final of Europe’s second tier competition.
The win also meant Biarritz qualified for next season’s European Cup while big-spending Toulon, for whom Jonny Wilkinson kicked all the points, were left still waiting for a first European title.
In a tense season finale, Toulon had two players sin-binned early in the second half with former All Black prop Carl Hayman yellow-carded for a spear tackle on US winger Takudzwa Ngwenya.
He was quickly followed by English flanker Steffon Armitage.
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