Bordeaux Bègles underlined their championship credentials with an impressive win over the Vodacom Bulls in their Investec Champions Cup opener at Loftus.
The visitors claimed a 46-33 win in a 12-try thriller in a match already a contender for the best of the tournament.
The first half lived up to the pre-match hype, with both teams playing enterprising rugby and scoring eight tries between them.
Defending champions Bordeaux were first to score after just four minutes, with Les Bleus winger Damian Penaud weaving his way through a few defenders to dot down. Fellow French international, Matthieu Jalibert added the extra two points.
But the Bulls struck back just four minutes later, with dynamite winger Sebastian de Klerk sliding over in the corner. Flyhalf Handré Pollard made no mistake from the kicking tee to level the scores.
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World Rugby Player of the Year nominee Louis Bielle-Biarrey also got his name on the scoresheet in the 12th minute. Jalibert’s conversion restored Bordeaux’s seven-point advantage.
The men from Loftus started turning the screws in the second quarter, with the forwards starting to dominate. It yielded almost immediate success as flanker Reinhardt Ludwig stretched over in the corner.
Hooker Akker van der Merwe, winger Canan Moodie and Juandre Rudolph all crossed the whitewash in a breathless first half which saw the Bulls take a 33-22 lead into the sheds.
How good is this finish from Canan Moodie?
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The Bulls’ discipline slipped a bit early in the second half, with centre David Kriel and Pollard given yellow cards for deliberate knock-ons. Bordeaux benefitted from the numerical advantage, with lock Boris Palu crashing over for the visitors’ fourth try.
Bielle-Biarrey got his second of the night through some clever footwork, skills and speed as Bordeaux showed exactly why they’re the defending European champions. Scrumhalf Maxime Lucu’s conversion took them into a narrow one-point lead going into the final quarter.
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The Bulls appeared to run out of steam as tries from Jalibert and replacement back Salesi Rayasi sealed the result for Bordeaux.
The Bulls now travel to England where they’ll take on the Northampton Saints.
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BULLS – Tries: Sebastian de Klerk, Reinhardt Ludwig, Akker van der Merwe, Canan Moodie, Juandré Rudolph. Conversions: Handré Pollard (4).
BORDEAUX BÈGLES – Tries: Damien Penaud, Louis Bielle-Biarrey (2), Maxime Lamothe, Boris Palu, Matthieu Jalibert, Salesi Rayasi. Conversions: Jalibert (2), Maxime Lucu (2). Penalty goal: Jalibert.
Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
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