Bordeaux-Begles join the Northampton Saints in the Investec Champions Cup for the first time after knocking out six-time champions and title-holders Toulouse on Sunday.
France star Louis Bielle-Biarrey struck twice as Bordeaux came through a monumental all-French semi-final 35-18, and will face Northampton – who stunned favourites Leinster on Saturday – in Cardiff on 24 May.
Bielle-Biarrey, who scored eight tries during the Six Nations to help France to the championship, struck either side of half time at the Stade Matmut. No 8 Pete Samu scored the opening try for Bordeaux with replacement lock Pierre Bochaton and prop Ben Tameifuna going over in the second half. Dimitri Delibes and Pierre-Louis Barassi crossed for Toulouse but they were always struggling to stay with the pace.
It was a highly-anticipated clash between the two leading sides in France’s Top 14. They were in the same Champions Cup pool, although they did not play each other, and both emerged unbeaten.
Bordeaux took top spot, and duly claimed home advantage, by virtue of the bonus point that Toulouse failed to register against the Sharks.
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The six-time champions, who beat Leinster in last year’s final, went into the game underpowered with international quartet Antoine Dupont, Thomas Ramos, Peato Mauvaka and Blair Kinghorn all out injured.
They were soon behind when Bordeaux fly-half Matthieu Jalibert launched a counter-attack from a turnover in the fifth minute. He flew 50 metres upfield before offloading for Samu to gallop through for the score.
Jalibert converted and added a penalty before Argentinian fullback Juan Cruz Mallia put Toulouse on the board with a penalty.
After 15 minutes, wing Delibes went over in the right hand corner to bring Toulouse within two points. Mallia missed the conversion but popped over a penalty to put Toulouse ahead for the first, and only time, in the match.
It only lasted one minute before Bielle-Biarrey benefitted from some superb work by Romain Buros and Damian Penaud to skate through in the left-hand corner.
France’s record try-scorer Penaud later hobbled off with an injured left ankle.
Scrumhalf Maxime Lucu landed an outrageous 58-metre penalty to put Bordeaux 18-10 ahead at half time and within moments of the restart, Bielle-Biarrey struck a second time to give the home side a firm grip on the game.
Barassi gave Toulouse a foothold with a try in the 55th minute but late efforts from close range from forwards Bochaton and Tameifuna underlined Bordeaux’s dominance and sealed their place in the final.
“Dublin was a credit to the game,” said EPCR chairman Dominic McKay who was in attendance after being in Dublin on Saturday for the first semi-final between Leinster and Northampton. “Leinster and Northampton produced something special and the result was in the balance on the 80th minute. The crowd was incredible, the occasion lived up to the hype and the quality of rugby was befitting the moment.
‘Then, 24 hours later, the two giants of the Top 14 produced another epic battle. The match, a 42 000 sell-out within three hours, lived up to the billing of Top 14’s top two league teams and two teams that have given so much joy to us spectators in the Investec Champions Cup. It was a thrilling weekend of rugby, and it was a weekend in which two teams (Toulouse and Leinster), with 10 stars between them, bowed out.
“That alone is such a reminder of how tough it is to win this competition and Bordeaux and Northampton being the finalists in Cardiff later this month means we will have a new champion.”
McKay was as awed by the EPCR Challenge Cup semi-finals, won by the top Premiership side Bath, coached by South African Johann van Graan and Lyon, who will be the host city for the 2027 finals weekend.
“The quality of rugby, the passion, the crowd and the desire of the players was immense. Those who watched all four matches got something special. Cardiff is going to be huge later this month,” added McKay.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Lionel Hahn/Getty Images
