 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  | |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  | |  |
Stade came so, so close to securing a first continental trophy last season before falling to a last-gasp Gonzalo Camacho try and a dramatic Nick Evans conversion.
But with Bastareaud now back on the brink of Amlin excellence following Toulon's semi-final success last Friday - ironically against Stade - the affable centre admits victory on May 18 would be a huge achievement both him personally and for Toulon as a whole.
"It's a great feeling to be in the final. It's great for our supporters and for the Club," said Bastareaud, who is facing a battle to be fit for tournament's showpiece after suffering a hand injury before the semi-final.
"I hope to be fit to play in what will be my second final in a row. Last year I was with Stade Francais and it was very disappointing to lose out to Harlequins in Cardiff. It meant I never won anything before I left Paris. Winning this oen would ease the pain of last year.
"Toulon has had big ambitions for the past two years and this season we said we wanted to reach two finals. To have already reached one is very good for us.
"Having the players that we have - players with a lot of experience like Matt Giteau and Jonny Wilkinson who have played in a lot of big games - is definitely a big plus for us. The final will be very difficult for us against Biarritz, though."
Bastareaud had to watch from the sidelines as Toulon beat his previous team-mates 32-29 at the Stade Felix Mayol and the 23-year-old admits it was a nerve-wracking experience.
Jonny Wilkinson landed a huge drop goal with just 45 seconds remaining to prevent extra time on the Cote D'Azur but the English legend uncharacteristically missed a hatful of kicks earlier on in the game to set up a tense conclusion.
"Jonny played with my heart!" added Bastareaud.
"He missed five kicks but I don't care about that. I know Jonny and I see how hard he works. He works for one or two hours per day on his kicking.
"His drop goal won us the game, like it did for England in the 2003 World Cup - it was a similar scenario to that match!"
