Union Bordeaux-Bègles delivered a devastating performance to defeat six-time champions Toulouse 35-18 in a pulsating Champions Cup semi-final at the Matmut Atlantique, booking their place in a historic first final where they’ll face Northampton Saints in Cardiff on May 24.
Key moments:
3′ – Pete Samu scores opening try after Matthieu Jalibert’s 50-meter break and offload from the ground, Jalibert converts (7-0)
9′ – Matthieu Jalibert extends Bordeaux’s lead with a penalty after early pressure (10-0)
11′ – Juan Cruz Mallia kicks penalty after Julien Marchand turnover to get Toulouse on the scoreboard (10-3)
15′ – Dimitri Delibes scores in the right corner after multiple phases from a lineout in Bordeaux’s 22, Mallia’s conversion misses (10-8)
20′ – Juan Cruz Mallia kicks second penalty to give Toulouse their first lead of the match (10-11)
22′ – Louis Bielle-Biarrey acrobatically scores after Romain Buros’ break and Damian Penaud’s bullet pass, Jalibert misses conversion (15-11)
28′ – Maxime Lucu lands monster 58-meter penalty after Maxime Lamothe’s turnover to extend lead before halftime (18-11)
41′ – Louis Bielle-Biarrey scores his second try just 19 seconds after restart, exchanging passes with Pete Samu who delivers behind-the-back return pass, Jalibert converts (25-11)
52′ – Marko Gazzotti yellow-carded for killing the ball after Thibaud Flament’s break into the 22
54′ – Pierre-Louis Barassi scores for Toulouse, cutting back inside from scrum move against 14-man defense, Mallia converts (25-18)
56′ – Damian Penaud limps off with knee injury, replaced by Arthur Retière
64′ – Pierre Bochaton powers over from close range after series of pick-and-go drives following lineout, Jalibert’s conversion misses (30-18)
78′ – Ben Tameifuna seals victory with Bordeaux’s fifth try from short range, Joey Carbery’s conversion misses (35-18)
In front of a raucous capacity crowd of 42,029 spectators, Bordeaux wasted no time asserting their authority. The match exploded into life in just the third minute when a defensive tackle on Emmanuel Meafou forced the towering Toulouse lock to spill possession. UBB immediately capitalized on the turnover with a devastating counter-attack. Matthieu Jalibert, who would prove instrumental throughout the contest, scythed through the Toulouse defensive line with a mesmerizing 50-meter run. As he was finally brought down, the fly-half managed an exquisite offload from the floor to the supporting Pete Samu, who raced unopposed under the posts for the opening score. Jalibert’s straightforward conversion made it 7-0 with barely three minutes played.
The hosts maintained their early momentum, pinning Toulouse back with tactical kicks and aggressive defense. Their pressure yielded a penalty in the 9th minute, which Jalibert confidently slotted to extend Bordeaux’s lead to 10-0. Toulouse, despite missing their talismanic scrum-half Antoine Dupont along with several other key players including Thomas Ramos, Blair Kinghorn, and Peato Mauvaka, gradually worked their way into the contest.
Toulouse captain Julien Marchand secured a crucial turnover that allowed Juan Cruz Mallia to register their first points with a penalty in the 11th minute. The defending champions then began to showcase their trademark offloading game. After winning a lineout in Bordeaux’s 22, they patiently built through multiple phases, probing for weaknesses. The breakthrough came in the 15th minute when they shifted the ball wide to Dimitri Delibes, who finished expertly in the right corner despite minimal space. Mallia couldn’t add the difficult touchline conversion, but Toulouse had narrowed the gap to 10-8.
The momentum continued to swing the visitors’ way when Mallia landed another penalty in the 20th minute, giving Toulouse their first lead at 11-10. However, Bordeaux’s response was both immediate and breathtaking. From a lineout near halfway, Romain Buros exploded through the Toulouse defensive line, beating England flanker Jack Willis with a devastating step before charging into the 22. After several forward carries had sucked in defenders, the ball was swiftly moved wide where Damian Penaud, showing remarkable vision, fired a bullet pass across the face of multiple defenders to find Louis Bielle-Biarrey unmarked on the left wing. The 21-year-old France international produced a spectacular acrobatic finish in the corner, somersaulting over the line to regain the lead for Bordeaux. Though Jalibert’s conversion attempt from the touchline drifted wide, UBB now led 15-11.
The frenetic pace of the game continued unabated with both sides trading territorial kicks and bone-crunching tackles. The first half’s final significant moment came in the 28th minute when Bordeaux hooker Maxime Lamothe secured a crucial turnover penalty. From well inside his own half, captain Maxime Lucu stepped up to attempt an enormous 58-meter kick. The diminutive scrum-half struck it perfectly, the ball sailing between the uprights to audible gasps from the crowd and extending Bordeaux’s advantage to 18-11 at the interval.
The second half began with one of the most spectacular moments of the tournament. Bordeaux coach Yannick Bru had clearly identified a weakness on Toulouse’s right flank, and his team exploited it to devastating effect straight from the restart. Jalibert collected the kickoff and immediately fed Bielle-Biarrey on the left wing. The speedster showcased his extraordinary footwork, leaving Toulouse scrum-half Paul Graou completely bamboozled with a devastating step that sent the defender spinning in a 360-degree turn. Racing down the touchline, Bielle-Biarrey drew the last defender before passing inside to Samu. The Australian number eight, showing remarkable skill, returned the ball with an audacious behind-the-back pass that found Bielle-Biarrey who had continued his support line. The winger gleefully collected the ball and accelerated between the posts, raising his left arm in triumph as he crossed the line just 19 seconds after the restart. Jalibert’s simple conversion pushed the lead to 25-11.
Toulouse, with their title defense hanging by a thread, responded by emptying their bench of reinforcements. Anthony Jelonch, introduced at number eight, made an immediate impact with a series of powerful carries that pushed Bordeaux onto the back foot. As the pressure mounted, lock Thibaud Flament burst into the Bordeaux 22, where Marko Gazzotti illegally killed the ball, earning himself a yellow card in the 52nd minute.
The champions immediately capitalized on their numerical advantage. After winning consecutive scrum penalties near Bordeaux’s line, they struck with clinical precision. Graou fed Pierre-Louis Barassi who hit a perfectly timed inside line to slice through the depleted defense for Toulouse’s second try. Mallia’s conversion reduced the deficit to seven points at 25-18, and suddenly the momentum had shifted dramatically.
Bordeaux’s cause wasn’t helped when record-breaking try-scorer Damian Penaud was forced off with what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the 56th minute. Arthur Retière entered the fray as his replacement, but the hosts were clearly rattled by both the loss of their star winger and Toulouse’s resurgence.
However, this Bordeaux team has developed remarkable resilience over the past year. With Gazzotti returned from the sin bin, they withstood wave after wave of Toulouse attacks, with Nicolas Depoortere securing a crucial turnover in the 62nd minute. From the resulting penalty, Bordeaux found touch five meters from the Toulouse line. Their forwards took control with a series of pick-and-go drives, eventually creating the space for replacement lock Pierre Bochaton to power over from close range in the 64th minute. Though Jalibert’s conversion attempt missed, Bordeaux had reestablished a commanding 30-18 lead.
The final quarter saw Toulouse throw everything at their opponents in increasingly desperate attempts to salvage their title defense. Despite controlling possession and territory, they repeatedly ran into a brick wall of Bordeaux defenders. The home side’s breakdown work was exceptional, with Ben Tameifuna and Arthur Retière both winning critical turnovers deep in their own territory.
Fittingly, it was Tameifuna who delivered the coup de grâce in the 78th minute. After Lucu’s kick had forced Toulouse to concede a lineout near their line, Bordeaux’s forwards launched a relentless series of short-range drives. The massive Tongan prop eventually crashed over from a meter out for Bordeaux’s fifth try, sending the Matmut Atlantique into raptures. Joey Carbery, on as a replacement for Jalibert, couldn’t add the conversion, but it mattered little as the final whistle confirmed Bordeaux’s emphatic 35-18 victory.
“The plan was perfect,” said a delighted Jalibert afterward. “We had the chance to score at the start of the second half, and I think that hit them hard. They dominated for ten minutes, but we didn’t crack. We’re so happy to qualify in front of our fans as we’ve been through very tough moments.”
Romain Ntamack offered a measured response in defeat: “They were super clinical, scoring every time they came into our half. We weren’t. They are far from being above us, but they were more clinical, that’s what makes the difference in matches like this.”
The victory was particularly sweet for Bordeaux who suffered a humiliating 59-3 defeat to Toulouse in last year’s Top 14 final. It also completes a remarkable hat-trick of wins for UBB over Toulouse this season, having already beaten them home and away in the league.
For Toulouse, the defeat marked the end of their title defence and their first knockout loss to French opposition in the competition’s history. Despite the setback, their focus will now shift to retaining their Top 14 crown.
Bordeaux will face Northampton, surprise conquerors of Leinster, in what promises to be a fascinating final between two first-time finalists at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. The only potential dampener for the French side is the status of Penaud, who was seen in tears at the final whistle, suggesting his knee injury could be serious enough to rule him out of the showpiece match.
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