Hello.

I see you’ve decided to treat yourself to some top class European rugby – liveblog edition.

Well, with a bit of luck, Ulster can dish up a treat today and avoid a third straight European defeat and also a hasty exit from the Champions Cup.

In town are the winners of the last two Heineken Cups. But just in case anyone needs reminding, this ain’t the Heineken Cup any more.

We’d love to hear your predictions for the game.

The bookmakers I’ve seen have Ulster as odds on favourites, but it’s hard to make sense of that when looking at this RCT XV:

Ulster Rugby: Louis Ludik; Tommy Bowe, Jared Payne, Stuart Olding, Craig Gilroy; Paddy Jackson, Paul Marshall; Andy Warwick, Rory Best (capt.), Wiehahn Herbst, Lewis Stevenson, Franco Van Der Merwe, Robbie Diack, Chris Henry, Roger Wilson

Replacements: Rob Herring, Callum Black, Declan Fitzpatrick, Clive Ross, Nick Williams, Michael Heaney, Ian Humphreys, Darren Cave

RC Toulon: Leigh Halfpenny; Delon Armitage, Mathieu Bastareaud, Maxime Mermoz, Bryan Habana; Matt Giteau, Michael Claassens; Alexandre Menini, Guilhem Guirado, Carl Hayman (capt.), Jocelino Suta, Romain Taofifenua, Juan Fernandez Lobbe, Steffon Armitage, Chris Masoe

Replacements: Craig Burden, Fabien Barcella, Levan Chilachava, Bakkies Botha, James O’Connor, Ali Williams, Sebastien Tillous-Borde, Juan Smith.

This man would love to be involved today, but he’ll have plenty of big occasions ahead of him.

Make of this what you will

And there it is, as the sun breaks through the clouds the first ‘Stand Up…’ of the day.

Ulster’s starting 15 are running a full defensive drill while RCT are still ambling about slightly in a more methodical warm-up.

Ah, I spoke too soon about the sun, but it makes for less glare from where I’m sitting. The dramatic music is pumping from the speakers and we’re ready to welcome the teams from the new tunnel.

I’d love to stick my neck out and predict Ulster win by four, but I just can’t pin a logic to it.

Llama says otherwise.

Right, Paddy Jackson will get this show on the road – ONCE THE FIREWORK THINGIES HAVE BEEN WHEELED OFF.

The locals are already baying for blood…

KICK-OFF.

A solid start from Ulster, hitting the visitors hard. Gilroy takes the clearance kick and they come roaring back,but just as Bowe gets a sniff of an intercept, we go back for an injury to Fernandez Lobbe.

Well, there’s an early blow to JMFL. He Argentine hobbles off the pitch.

It’s only Juan Smith coming on to replace him.

2 mins: Herbst is penalised on half way and Leigh Halfpenny doesn’t need a second invitation to have a crack. But he’s let it drift well wide.

The Ravenhill Roar is even louder now as the white shirts descend on the breakdown and force a turnover for holding on.

Jackson kick the penalty up the the 22. Line-out time…

The set-piece is clean Ulster are on the attack. The clear-outs are decent for 5-6 phases, but bit by bit Toulon are forcing them back and eventually win a turnover as Fernandez Lobbe gets a warm applause while the stretcher carts him round to the dressing room.

Boom! Bastareaud runs into the middle off a line-out, but the hosts D do a good job of wrapping him up. Mermoz knocks on on the next phase.

PENALTY: Ulster 0 Toulon 3 (Halfpenny ’5)

Warwick is pinged at the scrum and Halfpenny dispatches a relatively simple chance (for  him) from the 22.

Absolutely scintillating play from Ulster’s young backs in response.

Jackson picked out Gilroy on a gorgeous line in midfield and the winger jinked to gain a full 20 metres into the Toulon half before looking for Olding in support.

The centre popped the ball back inside for Bowe, but the wing was well marshalled and was instantly hit and taken down.

That move broke down with Toulon looking far superior at the breakdown. And after winning their way back to halfway, another penalty comes against Ulster for holding on in the tackle.

Halfpenny’s up again…

PENALTY: Ulster 0 Toulon 6 (Halfpenny ‘ 13)

After a frantic phase of play that left Ulster defending a scrum, Toulon stuttered wide but found the match-up they’ve been dreaming of. Bastareaud v Olding.

The big man drives over the little man, but on the next phase a roar goes up – Ulster won’t go down lightly here. Terrific turnover that allows Jackson kick the hosts back into the Toulon half.

Fair play to Stuey though, he’s still popping up looking for first-phase ball and though he only dances his way to a yard, there’s a penalty in the offing as Barnes says the French side have been holding on again.

PENALTY! Ulster 3 Toulon 6 (Jackson ’21)

It’s been a feature of Ulster under Doak that they are running the ball more and that takes guts when you’re on your own 22 against Toulon.

It’s a fine set play, with Payne making gains through the middle before they’re forced to kick it away.

Toulon kick it back, and Ulster feel themselves on the front foot. A penalty is quick-tapped and they’re up to half way.

Another penalty. Jackson kicks for touch. This just might be Ulster getting into a groove y’know.

The crowd want a penalty as Diack takes the line-out and is taken down a bit early. But we play on.

Well, interesting decision there as Ulster decline a kick at goals in favour of another line-out.

Have to say, I’d like a level scoreline before going all out for the try.

Toulon are not like any side you meet in the Pro12. The momentum is lost and Toulon’s defensive line keeps nudging up and up.

There is one plus from the move. After Payne grubbers forward Matt Giteau has appeared to pull a hamstring. James O’Connor is in the game.

Now, with James O’Connor at number 10 Toulon suddenly have a weakness. His first kick clear is straight at Ludik.

Can Ulster turn the Australian star to their advantage here?

It sounds odd to say, but after losing JMFL and Giteau, Toulon look a little rattled out there.

If not they are certainly taking their sweet time adapting to the changes.

Oh no.

Just as I had finished typing Delon Armitage went cruising into the corner to score a try. But we’ve been called back for a forward pass from Halfpenny.

I’ll keep my big mouth shut.

Yeah, Ulster are humming now. A high ball claimed and Marshall is quick to support. The half dinks a little reverse pass towards the corner and Halfpenny is forced to kick straight out.

Great platform now for Ulster.

The platform crumbles again. Suta does a good job of leading the maul defence and Ulster are on a back foot gain. Penalty conceded, easy exit for the visitors.

Whatever about game management, the Top 14 have lost nothing in the scrum. Another 40 metre penalty, the third scrum penalty against Ulster.

PENALTY: Ulster 3 Toulon 9 (Halfpenny ‘ 39)

Van der Merwe slaps the restart back in a desperate attempt to win possession back, but Masoe is onto it and Toulon get a chance to build a bit of fluency…

TRY! Ulster 3 Toulon 14 (Habana ’40)

Superb stuff from Toulon, Habana finishing off a long set of phases that brought the champions from their own half on the left wing to the right-hand corner with Masoe offloading to the South African speedster.

Halfpenny is on target to make it a maximum score and Ulster’s second half hope takes a big dent in the final minutes of the half.

HALF-TIME: Ulster 3 Toulon 16

Here we go then, folks. Can Ulster dig deep and come up with a 13 -point turnaround?

The Second half is under way.

Sorry folks, slight technical glitch interrupted the updates for a bit, but all you’ve missed is a game descending into kick-tennis.

Toulon will be only too happy to shut this down, frustrate the hosts and let Hababa, Mermoz and Armitage try to pick off scraps on the break.

Ooof. And we come alive as Olding chases well and forces a short kick.

Ludik is absolutely milled out by a terrific tackle as he runs back, but the crowd really get their back up two phases later when Armitage tackles poor wee Stuey Olding high.

PENALTY! Ulster 6 Toulon 16 (Jackson ’46)

After the restart, Olding thinks he spots two big heavy forwards. He’s right, but there’s no way through Suta.

This crowd still have a feeling of injustice and they might have a point again. The replay shows Olding was kicked in the head.

He didn’t get up for a long time after that ruck. Darren Cave is on in his place now.

Right, enough what might have been for now. Warwick has again been forced into a penalty by Hayman and Halfpenny can nudge Toulon further ahead from 42 metres….

… or he could set it high and let the wind take it right of the posts.

An infusion of energy from the bench and Ulster have a bit of a dander up again. Best and Ludik combine to force a penalty on the 10 metre line.

55 mins: After the wind took the ball off the tee, Jackson couldn’t keep it on a steady path through the posts. You have to feel that now actually is the time to start thinking about the corner.

The first half certainly wasn’t

Ooomph! You have to wince every time Bastareaud hits one of Ulster’s smaller backs.

TRY! Ulster 6 Toulon 23 (Armitage ’59)

That’s an absolute disaster for Ulster and it seals the game.

They recovered well after Basta hit Gilroy as the wing searched for a gap back on the inside and they were nicely set up with Cave doing well do claim a bouncing ball high above his head.

As they moved back left however, Nick Williams attempted a skip pass to Chris Henry and Armitage read him like a pop-up book. An easy 80-metre run under the posts.

A solemn enough SUFTUM rings around Kingspan Stadium. Ulster have a good platform with a line-out on halfway, but after spinning wide Ludik can only grubber on past a rock solid RCT defence.

As a unit, the visitors have been massively impressive without the ball.

It’s Ludik’s last act. Ian Humphreys is on, Jared Payne heads for fullback with ‘The Jackhammer’ at centre.

Paul Marshall cuts a disconsolate figure after his quick-tapped penalty is pulled back.

Maxime Mermoz gives him a little consolation hug.

That’s gotta hurt even worse than a high clothesline.

Credit Ulster here, they are certainly unwilling to give up this game. A raid down the right brings a penalty and the pack go in to a huddle before a 5-metre line-ouy.

No. Toulon’s maul defence is solid. Ulster spin it out to find Gilroy on a crash ball, but the next phase has Deccy Fitzpatrick on the carry and he is turned over.

74 minutes:

Another crushing blow as Barnes’ arm goes up in Toulon’s favour.I wouldn’t be surprised if Toulon ran up their possession stats for the remaining six minutes.

Toulon coughed the ball up and it’s Ulster on the attack. Bowe sets Payne on a line through the middle but he’s caught…

TRY! Ulster 13 Toulon 23 (Gilroy ’77)

Payne’s line break gave Ulster the space they needed and going left again they found Gilroy, who sidestepped inside to finish.

Ulster sniff a bonus point.

They’re not done yet. 79 minutes on the clock and Ulster are running from deep, desperate for a score that will give them something to cling to from this game.

Habana impinges. He’s off.

YELLOW CARD: Habana (79)

Ian Humphreys will try to kick from 50 odd metres to get a point from this game.

He’s on the halfway line, but well out of the centre….

FULL-TIME Ulster 13 Toulon 23

No, he never really caught it and the touch judges can keep their arms down.