Bordeaux-Bègles Stuns Champion Toulouse To Reach Champions Cup Final
Bordeaux-Bègles Stuns Champion Toulouse To Reach Champions Cup Final
Bordeaux-Bègles stuns Toulouse 35-18 in the Champions Cup semifinals to book a May 24 clash with the Northampton Saints at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
Union Bordeaux-Bègles banished the ghosts of past heartbreaks with a sensational 35-18 victory over defending champion Toulouse in the Investec Champions Cup semifinal on Saturday, setting up a date with the Northampton Saints in the final at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on May 24.
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The hosts delivered a high-octane performance from the opening whistle, led by dynamic halfback pairing of Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert, whose game management and pinpoint kicking consistently kept Toulouse on the back foot.
A raucous Stade Chaban-Delmas crowd witnessed UBB defeat Toulouse for the third time this season, none more emphatic than this.
Former Wallaby Pete Samu lit the fuse early, finishing a length-of-the-field move in the sixth minute to give Bordeaux the lead. Jalibert’s boot added a penalty soon after, but Toulouse responded with grit.
Juan Cruz Mallia slotted two penalties and converted a try by Dimitri Delibes to edge Toulouse ahead 11-10 midway through the first half.
But Bordeaux struck back with flair and precision.
Rising star Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored his seventh try of the tournament in the 22nd minute, before Lucu landed a stunning 55-meter penalty to make it 18-11. Bordeaux entered halftime in control, and that dominance only grew in the second period.
Bielle-Biarrey pounced again straight from the second-half restart, blazing through the Toulouse defense to extend the lead. Jalibert’s conversion made it 25-11, but a yellow card to Bordeaux flanker Marko Gazzotti in the 52nd minute handed Toulouse a lifeline.
Pierre-Louis Barassi exploited the extra-man minutes later to cut the deficit to seven.
The defining moment came in the 63rd minute, when Bordeaux’s pack forced a turnover deep in Toulouse territory. Jalibert kicked for touch, and after a powerful maul and several phases, Pierre Bochaton crashed over to restore a two-score advantage.
Despite losing Damian Penaud to injury, Bordeaux’s forwards stood tall, and a late try by Ben Tameifuna sealed the win.
Jalibert and Lucu controlled proceedings, while the Bordeaux pack outmuscled a depleted Toulouse lineup. The result marks a cathartic moment for UBB after falling short in last year’s Top 14 final and the Champions Cup quarterfinals.
With momentum on its side, Bordeaux-Bègles now sets its sights on European glory in Cardiff.
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