Giant Wallaby insider reveals what people don't get about Louis Bielle-Biarrey

Adam Coleman admits that he is impressed with how his Bordeaux team-mate Louis Bielle-Biarrey hasn’t allowed all of the success and adulation he has received over the last couple of years to go to his head.

Bielle-Biarrey, 22, has helped France win back-to-back Six Nations titles and been named player of the tournament in both, scoring 18 tries, which have put him fifth on the tournament’s all-time list, eight behind the record holder, Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll.

He has also touched down 58 times in 90 appearances for Bordeaux, who are bidding for successive Champions Cup Final wins, and Bath will need to find a way of stopping him if they want to feature in the Bilbao Final against either Toulon or Leinster.

And even though he is rightly lauded for his try-scoring, former London Irish lock Coleman says that there is so much more to his game that doesn’t get the same attention.

“He’s a once-in-a-generation player. I think the most impressive thing about Lulu is that, yes, he’s absolutely rapid, but he’s got a very good rugby IQ. You know, he’s quite smart with his option-taking and his support play.

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“The things people don’t necessarily see are a lot of what he does. The way he backs up and chases on the inside and chases kicks, the hard work off the ball. It’s really going to set him up for a long, successful career.

“But for me, I can’t speak highly enough about how level-headed he is. I think he’s renegotiating now with the club, so that’s a good thing. I’m so happy for him, how successful he’s already been. I think he’s already one of the highest try scorers in the Six Nations.

“He hasn’t got many more tries to score to be number one on the list, and he’s only played three competitions. I mean, that’s, that’s unheard of. I can’t think of a player that’s done that.

“So he’s already special, but I think there’s more to come from him. He’s definitely got the potential to be the best winger there has been, if he continues on the trajectory that he’s on.

“He’s still got more to give, but what he’s done now is already very impressive. He scores tries for fun, and I get the pleasure of going back to halfway when he’s run 40 metres. I tackle for him, and he runs for me,” he said.

One of the mouthwatering prospects at the Stade Atlantique on Sunday will be the battle between Bordeaux playmaker Matthieu Jalibert, Coleman and his opposite number Finn Russell, but Coleman says they won’t be paying too much attention to just the Scotland star.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say shutting him (Russell) down is the key to our game. He’s obviously a key cornerstone for Bath, and he organises the team. But it’s, for me, a collective effort, not focusing too much on one player.

“But making sure that the fundamentals of our game are on for the weekend. I think there are a lot of reasons why he plays well. Whenever Bath have momentum, they seem to be on the front foot.

“He has a lot more time with the ball and can make decisions. So, you know, our defence this week and our set piece are really important to make sure we can stop that momentum,” added Coleman.