Red hot Bordeaux dump Toulouse out of Champions Cup to book Saints final

Bordeaux-Begles booked their place in their first ever Investec Champions Cup final with a 35-18 victory over reigning champions Toulouse on Sunday at the Matmut Atlantique.

The injury-hit Top 14 leaders Toulouse just did not have enough to overcome the side that sit second in the league, and their absences were noticeable as Bordeaux’s France stars booked a meeting with Northampton Saints in Cardiff.

Neither side wasted any time before putting width on the ball and testing each other’s defence, with Toulouse gliding through their rival’s defence early on. However, the reigning champions coughed up possession moments later to ignite an incandescent counter-attack, spearheaded by Matthieu Jalibert, who scorched his way up the field before popping the ball to Pete Samu for the opening score of the match.

Jalibert was adding another three points soon after to give his side a 10-point lead after nine minutes, before Juan Cruz Mallia responded with three points of his own.

The six-time champions were able to get a foothold in the game after, and were provided a chance to attack deep in Bordeaux’s half following a Jack Willis penalty. Dimitri Delibes dotted down in the corner, closing Bordeaux’s lead to two points.

A further three points suggested Toulouse were taking control of the match, but with the firepower Bordeaux’s backline possesses, they could never be discounted. A Romain Buros break resulted in Louis Bielle-Biarrey scoring to leave the score 15-11 to the hosts.

With ferocious defence and hotly contested breakdowns, penalties were frequent, which stopped either side being able to dominate possession or field position. Bordeaux went in at the break with a 18-11 lead.

That lead was extended seconds after the kick-off after the break, as Bielle-Biarrey hared down the left flank to score, helped by a quick 1-2 with Samu.

With Bordeaux leading 25-11, Toulouse were offered a lifeline when Marko Gazzotti was yellow carded. The visitors opted for a scrum in the Bordeaux 22, with Pierre-Louis Barassi soon crossing the line to reduce the deficit to seven points.

A game that looked well and truly in Bordeaux’s control soon started to unravel, and their misery was compounded when winger Damian Penaud limped off the field in a lot of discomfort.

Toulouse were ultimately unable to capitalise on their man advantage though, and Gazzotti’s return was soon followed by a try to his team-mate Pierre Bochaton following an attacking lineout.

Toulouse enjoyed the bulk of the ball in the final ten minutes, but could not find the spark to close the lead with attacks punctuated by penalties conceded and handling errors.

Bordeaux put the game to bed emphatically when replacement prop Ben Tameifuna crashed over to give his side a fairly convincing win.