Well that wasn't even close in the end, was it? Toulon's back row has too much nous, experience, knowledge and power to ever let relative Heineken Cup novices even think about playing a game of rugby and they gave the Premiership finalists a hell of a battering.

Attention will soon turn to next weekend for both sides. For Toulon, the Top 14 remains the priority competition and they will be keen to avoid the complacency that allowed Castres to nab the title from them last season. For Saracens you imagine it'll be a case of making sure they're not too beaten physically for the meeting with a Northampton side coming into the game with strong momentum.

That's all from me too. Many thanks for reading and for all your emails and tweets and whatnot. Have a good evening, folks. Bye!

Wilko speaks

"Hell of a feeling. Can't say enough just how proud I am to be part of that, of this team. To have played in this competition against teams like [Saracens]. This season's got one more week to run. Lot of relief, excitement, sheer adulation, I'll have a think about it later but just trying to take it all in.

"[The drop goal was] just a shot to nothing, sometimes they happen."

80 min The person who anonymously emailed to say that Wilkinson is a "one-trick pony" doesn't warrant a response.

79 min Saracens get a penalty at the lineout, but no one in the stadium cares anymore. The noise from the crowd is deafening, even before Wilkinson gets his face shown on the big screen. I'm welling up here, guys.

78 min Saracens look to attack in space down the left but Toulon switch to a drift defence and shut that down as Wilkinson departs to be replaced by Mermoz. Lobbe wins another turnover at the breakdown and it goes left to the substitute Bruni who gallops down the left touchline at pace before being tap-tackled into touch.

77 min That one collapses and Hodgson clears his lines from the penalty.

76 min Finally, the scrum is completed. Claassens, on at scrum-half, promptly runs into his own man so we'll have another scrum. Great.

73 min Armitage is almost in for a try as he bursts through a gap, taking a quick ball off the top of the lineout only to slip at the last moment. It's held up just short and we'll have a scrum to Toulon, 5m out.

72 min Lineout won. Ball cleared. Vunipola carries back up to halfway. Vunipola, who has been poor today, holds on. Armitage has won another penalty. Four turnovers won and 16 tackles made today by Steffon Armitage.

71 min Some thoughts on Steffon Armitage, while not much happens on the pitch:

I agree, he's been one of the best players in Europe all season. Ball carrying, tackling and an absolute monster on the ground, he's a complete back row who can play in any position.

On the pitch, Hodgson finds a good touch down the right inside the Toulon 22.

70 min The lineout is thrown by a new man, Jamie George having replaced Brits. It's a good throw and cleared upfield, whence Armitage boots one out on the full. This game is done.

69 min But the pass to Wilkinson isn't great and he has to pass. Toulon come down the right and it goes back to Bastareaud in the pocket. He tries a drop-goal off his left foot and several earthworms are decapitated as his effort scorches the Cardiff turf. Saracens clear but Giteau returns a wonderful kick into touch in the left-hand corner.

68 min Saracens are out on their feet now. Toulon are also going left to right and vice versa on the 22, but their ball carriers are making ground and you get the sense there's a try in the offing, although Wilkinson is back in the pocket.

65 min Farrell and Burger, their race is run. Hodgson and Wray are on. Saracens are attacking on the 22, going from side to side, but there's nary a gap in the defence in sight. Eventually Johnstone meets Armitage on the floor and all he can do is hold on. It's a penalty and Wilkinson clears. This is an astonishing display over the ball from Armitage: as good as you might see from Richie McCaw.

63 min Habana intercepts and chips over the top only to be floored by Farrell's shoulder charge. Given that was a shoulder charge I'd say that should be yellow, but Habana is being told off for milking it, which may have saved Farrell, who is prone to being a hot head. It is a penalty though from where the chip landed, which is 42m out and right in front. Wilkinson steps up and, obviously, kicks it. It's Toulon 23-6 Saracens.

62 min From the right-hand touchline, Wilkinson slots the kick because of course he does. It's 20-6.

57 min Here's an email from Matt Dony, as we wait for this scrum to happen.

"Bringing it all the way back to the twelfth minute (because I like to live in the past), yes, Ashton did occasionally come in off the wing more in the past, but never that much. He was roundly mocked in the last World Cup for complaining that he couldn't get involved when the ball didn't come out wide to him, causing every right-thinking person to think, 'Then go and look for the ball, you swan-diving muppet!' I'm not a fan."

I'm thinking in his first season in Union, down in what's now known as the Championship and – I think – the second half of his first in the Premiership. But no, I'm not a fan either.

56 min Er, apologies but that appears to have been given as a Saracens scrum for some reason. Saracens kick up to the 22 and Tillous-Borde kicks clear. Ashton carries it back and it's worked infield to Owen Farrell, who steps inside of Lobbe and looks to offload to Ashton in the tackle, but the winger knocks on. Castrogiovanni is on for Hayman.

55 min Burger knocks on after the restart hangs in the air for an age. Johnstone has come on for Mako Vunipola for Saracens.

54 min Whisper it, but Steffon Armitage is outshining his opposite number, the incumbent England number 8 Vunipola. The penalty is 43m out, about 12m infield from the left. It's a hell of a tough kick for a left-footed kicker. It's Toulon 13-6 Saracens.

52 min Toulon supporters aren't happy as they look to have nicked the ball against the head but Rolland calls it back to reset. Changes now as Botha and Rossouw are replaced by Williams and Suta in the second row, while Saracens get de Kock out in favour of Wigglesworth. Saracens win the reset scrum and look to run it, but they run into Steffon Armitage and Billy V holds on and concedes the penalty.

50 min Toulon peel off the back and Bastareaud then Smith punch holes in the defence before a pass goes behind Delon Armitage and the momentum is lost. Toulon have the ball still though, until Brits hammers Wilkinson and dislodges the ball. Sarries look to take advantage and counter but throw the ball away and, after a momentously long advantage, we'll go back for the scrum.

49 min Penalty to Saracens from the lineout as Smith blocks Hargreaves in the air. That's very soft. Oh no Rolland has changed his mind and said it's just a knock-on, so Toulon have the scrum.

48 min Wigglesworth slips as he clears but gets a good connection anyway and clears well. Botha has blood streaming down from his eye and it'd be good to see a replay of what happened when he was carried out as I thought I saw a Saracens boot in the vicinity of his head.

47 min Saracens are looking to pick and drive in their own 22, which is always dangerous against Toulon and indeed they turn it over! Here comes the inevitable wave of massive ball carriers, but that ends as Bakkies Botha is dragged into touch 10m out.

45 min An easy three points on offer as once again Saracens win the penalty at the scrum, with it going down on the loose head side. It's 22m out, it's straight in front and it's Toulon 10-6 Saracens.

44 min While we have a break, here's me being a good person an' all.

43 min Saracens can attack now as Wilkinson mis-kicks a clearance and Farrell carries well down the left. It's moved right and then left to Billy Vunipola on the touchline but he's dragged down. Saracens recycle and play the patient game before Bosch runs into the referee on the 22 and we'll restart with a scrum. Jacques Burger was, moments previously, thumped about six feet below the Millennium Stadium turf by Juan Smith.

41 min Here we go again. Surprisingly, Craig Burden has been taken off at half time to make way for Orioli. The first minute is kick-tennis, which ends as Giteau dots one down for a 22.

The view from the stands:

On Jonny. Three moments of classic Jonny out there and they've brought all of Toulon's points. The decision to switch the direction of play in the build-up to Giteau's try meant that the entire Saracens back line had been dragged out of position and allowed his inside centre to exploit that brilliantly. Then there was the conversion, nailed in the manner of old from the touchline. Then there was the drop goal, off the wrong foot, which we'd call his signature move if he wasn't such a complete player.

That brilliant try aside, it's been a game low on moments of wonderful skill so far. But then most rugby fans would agree that massive tackles and intense physicality are just as brilliant a spectacle and dear god have we been spoiled for those. In a way it's similar to last night's game, with two outrageously good defences been pummelled by the big ball carriers. Bath relented first last night having led by seven at half time, but – at the risk of tempting fate – Toulon look like an altogether different proposition.

40 min Chance for Saracens to hit back straight from the kick-off as they win the ball from the kick-off and sweep the ball back and forth across the field inside the 22. Farrell looks to step into a gap on the left and Juan Smith absolutely smashes him into touch.

38 min Oh my that's some maul. Saracens don't contest the lineout and are suddenly smashed 25m backwards in a matter of seconds. That was frightening and, with the penalty coming, it's passed infield to Wilkinson who, right-footed, swings the drop goal through the posts from 27m out. It's Toulon 10-3 Saracens.

37 min Free kick to Saracens and Billy Vunipola goes quickly, but Stevens goes off his feet at the ruck trying to prevent Steffon Armitage's counter-ruck and it's a penalty, which Wilkinson puts into touch around 35m from the Sarries line on the left.

36 min Patient play from Saracens as they go right the way across the field to the left and then right the way back again via a series of phases. Alex Goode then tries a clever little offload inside to his left and Habana is close to an interception, just knocking on on his own 10m line.

34 min Saracens knock on in midfield and Toulon clear to touch near halfway. Lobbe returns from the bin.

33 min Chance now for Saracens as Ashton chips down the right touchline from 40m after a lovely basketball pass out to him from Brits. Bakkies Botha goes back to sweep up 5m out and Burger smashes into him, but the South African lock does very well to recycle the ball. It's cleared and Sarries have a lineout 15m out.

32 min Habana may have been hurt here, he's been caught in the air by Ashton at the restart. He looks OK.

28 min Oh for.. we're going back to the TMO again now. Burden illegally clearing Stevens out from a ruck and this could be a yellow card. Rolland doesn't give anything though. That's ridiculous, it was an obvious foul, checked from multiple angles and then ignored anyway.

26 min From the lineout Wigglesworth puts up an excellent box kick, which Mitchell knocks on. It looked like he was blocked in the air and that's how he feels. And indeed he was. They're taking an age to check this but it's a fairly straightforward decision to make. This constant referral of every minor detail to the TMO is a real blight on the game – it's killed the tension. Wilkinson kicks the penalty to touch down the right. That's Toulon's first penalty of the match.

25 min A short break now, while Carl Hayman gets some treatment.

24 min We've got a scrum here for a Saracens knock-on and it looks like Bastareaud is packing down at openside flanker. Some kick tennis ensues.

22 min From a similar position to whence Bosch missed, Farrell is going to have a go; 48m slightly to the left. And slightly to the left is his kick, hooked wide. Earlier on, amid those breathless few minutes, there was another wonderful hit by Delon Armitage on Alex Goode. Those Saracens players must be mighty tough to be taking a battering like this.

21 min It's a yellow card here for Lobbe as he takes Hargreaves out in the air. He was going for the high ball, but had his hand on Hargreaves' shirt and pulled him down.

19 min The game is carrying on around an injured Schalk Brits here, it's breathless stuff. Vunipola carries down the left and offloads, with Toulon thinking the ball was out. It wasn't and now Saracens spin it right on the 22. They're driven backwards and Farrell goes for the drop goal, which flies wide.

Before that though, it looked like Brits was hurt by a massive hit from his opposite number Craig Burden. I don't think it was a legal tackle as he flew out of the line and smashed into Brits... oh no he has wrapped his arms around the player and that's an awesome tackle.

17 min Controversy here as Toulon fans think Mitchell is taken out after chipping ahead. He wasn't really, and Wigglesworth calls the mark even though I'm not sure he was actually in the 22 when he caught it. The Sarries scrum-half kicks long and the Armitage brothers allow it to bounce between them in the 22 and go out for a line-out. That was poor communication, you have to say. Or rather I do, what with it being my job.

16 min Ooh! Saracens win the lineout and Wigglesworth looks to box kick from the back of the maul, but he's isolated and Tillous-Borde charges his kick down 5m out. It goes dead though and we'll restart with a 22 drop-out.

15 min Aw that's lovely. Better scrum and S Armitage picks up at the base, passes to Tillous-Borde and the scrum-half, in the middle of the pitch on halfway, chips beautifully over the top and the ball hugs the right touchline, finding touch about 10m out.

14 min Saracens have the ball from a lineout 40m out, but Billy Vunipola knocks on looking to charge through. Saracens slow the ball down in the ruck with Toulon looking to counter and we'll go back for the scrum.

13 min Bosch drills it wide.

12 min Tillous-Borde box kicks clear and Goode fields it. He gives it to Ashton who runs into the Toulon half and the French side are penalised for hands in the ruck. Penalty 45m or so out, wide on the left, which is Bosch territory.

On Sky, Stuart Barnes is praising Ashton's progress as he's now coming off his wing and looking for work, but in truth he was doing that years ago at Northampton and had regressed. He looks to be getting back to his best now though.

11 min It looks to me as though Matt Stevens is doing a similar thing to Alex Corbisiero in the scrums and boring in at an angle. It's completely illegal but something that the best props seem to be very adept at getting away with. Toulon win the ball but the scrum-half is caught in possession on his own 22.

10 min Once again the scrum goes down and once again it's a penalty to Saracens. Chiocci is really having a tough time against Matt Stevens here and Richard Wigglesworth welts the kick up towards the 22. It finds touch but Saracens knock on at the lineout.

9 min I think we could be in for a long old day at the scrums on this pitch.

7 min Oh that's awful, Goode scuffs his clearance and Drew Mitchell collects it on the bounce 35m out on the right touchline. Toulon spin it infield but Danie Rossouw knocks on on the Saracens 10m line. Apparently Rossouw and Botha were a half-back pairing at school!

6 min Better ball carrying now from Toulon, epitomised by Steffon Armitage who carries up towards the 5m line. It goes left then back infield – the power of Toulon is fearsome – but then Barritt scythes down Armitage and the number 8 holds on. Penalty Saracens!

5 min Great kick-off from Wilkinson and Saracens do well to snaffle the ball. They don't do too well immediately afterwards though as Wigglesworth steps back into his 22 and kicks it out on the full. Toulon win the lineout but Bakkies Botha is being driven back. This is a phenomenally intense start from the English side.

4 min Actually he's taken it a bit further back, more like 23m. Nails it though and it's Toulon 0-3 Saracens.

2 min Cardiff may have the world's best stadium but the pitch is an utter disgrace. Ooh weirdly, Stuart Barnes has just said exactly the same thing moments after I typed it. The scrum goes down and Saracens get the penalty. This should be an easy kick for Farrell, 15m in, 15, out, if you get what I mean.

1 min Here we go, Alain Rolland – also retiring today – is the referee and as he blows his whistle, Owen Farrell kicks deep, wearing blue and white hoops. Lobbe collects and is smashed by, er, Chris Ashton! The ball goes loose and Sarries have the first scrum, 15m out on the right.

Five minutes to go! The roof is closed on the greatest rugby stadium in the world. Please, please, please stop piping crap music around to drown out the crowd.

The big question could be how Saracens cope in midfield with those Toulon centres? Giteau is capable of running rings around Barritt, who can be a little leaden-footed at times, while Bosch is going to be kept very busy by Bastareaud.

Meanwhile, it doesn't look as though all English teams' supporters are getting behind Sarries:

"Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby! Ahhhhhh!" Who hired the guy running the PA in Cardiff?

There's some atmosphere at the Millennium Stadium, as ever. We're 15 minutes from kick-off and it's as though Jonny Wilkinson – looking animated and as fired-up as I've ever seen him – is firing up the crowd as well as he is his team-mates.

Watching Scott Quinnell talking with the sound turned down on the TV is hilarious.

Perhaps I'm being unfair to describe Saracens' game as "defensive". Although their aggressive work around the fringes is the bedrock of their game, they have averaged around 35 points per game because of it and lead the way with 38 tries in the competition.

On an unrelated note, here's the report on the Wasps game from earlier.

If you're a fan of fast kicking, low-scoring, direct passing, dodgy haircuts, Wembley Stadium, teams who haven't got a prayer in the Premier League, Jacob Steinberg or football, then the Championship play-off final between Derby and QPR is over on the other side. Just promise you'll come back, yeah?

Heineken Cup XV time and the first entry comes from Paddy Blewer. "Yours is pretty outstanding. I'd go for:

15: potrenaud (when he was good, he was very good) 14: N'tmack 13: B'OD. 12: rob henderson 11: bernard-salles 10: Jonny W. 9: Strings 1: carl Hayman 2: Wood (for going round N'tmack) Hayes. 4: Martin Johnson. 5: Paul O'Connell 6: Jim Williams. 7: David Wallace 8: Axel Foley. (Actually probably Dallaglio)

Your backline might be better, and its obvious who I support, but that pack would be brutal and strings would give great service."

That's a good side and I was close to sticking Bernat-Salles in my side. I can't believe I forgot about Wood at hooker though – I was at the 2000 final and couldn't believe his pace. At the time I'd never seen anything like it from a hooker. Also I'm amazed that as a Munster fan you've picked Jonny ahead of RoG, mind; Wilkinson spent a lot of his career in a Newcastle side that had minimal impact on the competition whereas O'Gara is, I think, the all-time leading points scorer. That's a great pack though, although I'd still take Pagel over Hayman.

In case you missed it, last night Northampton won the Amlin Challenge Cup (woo-hoo!), beating Bath 30-16 thanks to a metronomic performance from the outstanding Stephen Myler. A Saracens win this evening would make next week's Sarries v Saints Premiership final a mouthwatering battle of the European champions. Anywho, here's Paul Rees's match report.

In other rugby news Wasps have just beaten Stade Français 20-6 in Paris – a very impressive result, that – in the European Rugby Champions Cup Play-off Second Leg. Very catchy name that. Anyhow, it means they win 50-35 on aggregate and qualify for the inaugural European Rugby Champions Cup next season.

He's here he's here he's here he's here! Now I know how my colleague Ian McCourt felt during Brian O'Driscoll's last game.

This is also a farewell to the Heineken Cup itself, so perhaps we should have a tribute to that of sorts? Today's riff therefore is going to be picking your all-time Heineken Cup XI. As I only just thought of that, here's mine, done off the top of my head, to kick you off.

15. Geordan Murphy 14. Emile Ntamack 13. Brian O'Driscoll 12. Gordon D'Arcy 11. Vincent Clerc 10. Ronan O'Gara 9. Rob Howley; 1. Garry Pagel 2. Raphael Ibanez 3. John Hayes 4. Paul O'Connell 5. Martin Johnson 6. Thierry Dusautoir 7. David Wallace 8. Pat Lam

Over to you guys.

Preamble

Evening folks. It's traditional – at least to my own self-important mind – to have a musical interlude at some point in the build-up to whatever sporting event we happen to be MBMing/OBOing/GBGing/WBWing (whatever-by-whatevering, that last one) here at Guardian Towers. Normally the choice of song is determined by the mood of your MBMer/OBOer/GBGer/WBWer; for tonight's Heineken Cup final however, there can only really be one ditty appropriate:

Tonight the biggest prize in club rugby will go, for the last time, to one of two of the biggest-spending outfits in the sport. Saracens, on the back of some wonderful performances by their accountants in the salary cap field, are aiming to take that final step into the big time. They're arguably the form team in Europe, finishing clear at the top of the Premiership by a distance artificially shortened by the last-day results and playing some of the most ferocious defensive rugby ever played by an English side. Win today, and even the most archaic rugby traditionalist will have to accept that money can buy you a good side.

Sarries' spending is dwarfed though, by that of Toulon, the PSG of rugby. While Saracens can proudly boast international players throughout both the starting XV and the bench, the French side can better that with a raft of some of the greats of the professional era. "You've got Chris Ashton? We'll raise you Bryan Habana. You have Kelly Brown and Jacques Burger? We have Juan Smith and Juan-Martin Fernandez-Lobbe. England fly-half Owen Farrell? Come on, now, this is Jonny effin' Wilkinson."

Ah yes, Jonny. It's in no small part down to the great, great man that Toulon are the reigning champions and given that making history is kinda his thing, who'd put it past him to guide his side to becoming only the third side ever to retain the cup? Wilkinson is retiring from rugby after the end of this season and you get the feeling that the majority of neutral England fans will be willing him to go out on a high today. For the purposes of journalistic integrity (HA! you cry), the MBM will be aiming for something approaching neutrality today, but we can't promise not to shed a tear if Jonny is lifting that trophy at around 7pm.

Kick-off is at 5pm, local time (that's Cardiff, folks). Here are your teams:

Saracens

15. Alex Goode; 14. Chris Ashton, 13. Marcelo Bosch, 12. Brad Barritt, 11. David Strettle; 10. Owen Farrell, 9. Richard Wigglesworth; 1. Mako Vunipola, 2. Schalk Brits 3. Matt Stevens, 4. Steve Borthwick (c), 5. Alistair Hargreaves, 6. Kelly Brown, 7. Jacques Burger, 8. Billy Vunipola.

Replacements 16. Jamie George, 17. Richard Barrington, 18. James Johnston, 19. Mouritz Botha, 20. Jackson Wray, 21. Neil de Kock, 22. Charlie Hodgson, 23. Chris Wyles.

Toulon

15. Delon Armitage; 14. Drew Mitchell, 13. Mathieu Bastareaud, 12. Matt Giteau, 11. Bryan Habana; 10. Jonny Wilkinson (c), 9. Sébastien Tillous-Borde; 1. Xavier Chiocci, 2. Craig Burden, 3. Carl Hayman, 4. Bakkies Botha, 5. Danie Rossouw, 6. Juan Smith, 7. Juan Fernández Lobbe, 8. Steffon Armitage.

Replacements 16. Jean-Charles Orioli, 17. Alexandre Menini, 18. Martin Castrogiovanni, 19. Ali Williams, 20. Virgile Bruni, 21. Maxime Mermoz, 22. Michael Claassens, 23. Jocelino Suta.

Dan will be here from 4.30pm. In the meantime have a read of Robert Kitson's preview of the match:

The last Heineken Cup final in its current guise could hardly be a more tantalising heavyweight contest between old and new. In the red corner will be Jonny Wilkinson and Toulon, the retiring hero and defending European champions respectively. In the wolf grey-and-blue stripes will be Owen Farrell and Saracens, the most ferociously dogged of challengers. A compelling variation on kickboxing awaits, with a dash of sumo, cage-fighting and rugby union attached.

It should, of course, be stressed that the number of influential on-field individuals stretches way beyond the head-to-head between two No10s. Billy Vunipola and the barely-fit Steve Borthwick will be pivotal, as will Steffon Armitage and the ever-dangerous Matt Giteau. Yet, like it or not, Wilkinson’s image adorns every promotional poster in a damp Cardiff and Farrell can no more avoid the inevitable centre of attention than live down his own familiar surname. If anyone has the incentive to deny Wilkinson a fairytale finish on his last competitive appearance on British soil, it is his fast-maturing mini-me.

It is necessary to rewind 13 months to the European semi-final between these same two clubs at Twickenham to understand the pair’s practical importance to their respective sides. That day Wilkinson kicked seven penalties and a drop-goal while Farrell’s composure gradually frayed. The latter wryly reminisced on Friday about lying on the ground next to his opponent after the former’s drop-goal had taken Toulon 21-12 ahead with six minutes left. “We realised the game had got away from us. I think my words to him were: ‘There’s no way you got that over.’ He just said: ‘Sorry’.”

Any accession to Twickenham’s throne, though, cannot happen until the dauphin has finally seen off the old French-based king. It is going to take some doing to judge from Wilkinson’s eve-of-match mood: “The thought of leaving this final without a happy ending to the journey is a painful one. Just like the rest of my career this next game is the biggest. Next week doesn’t exist. The last few years don’t really exist either. If things go well for me but not the team it wouldn’t please me one bit.”

Read the rest of the preview here.