Bordeaux Bègles sent out a warning to their Top 14 rivals with a clinical dismantling of champions Toulouse on Sunday.
With superstar scrumhalf Antoine Dupont rested after France’s Six Nations triumph, the visitors were exposed by a ruthless Bordeaux outfit inspired by halfbacks Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert.
Lucu racked up 17 points as the hosts’ 44-20 victory saw them surge into fourth on the table, closing to within two points of second-placed Montpellier in the race for an automatic semi-final spot.
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The clash had been billed as a showdown between France’s leading playmakers, with Jalibert facing off against returning Romain Ntamack – and it delivered.
“Like every time we play Toulouse, they are open affairs,” Jalibert told Canal+. “By turning the screw little by little we found opportunities.
“We claimed five points so it’s good for the rest of the season.”
Ntamack, back from a lengthy injury layoff, looked sharp early on, scoring 13 points including a try to give Toulouse a 13-10 lead inside the opening 35 minutes.
But Bordeaux edged ahead before the break, with Jalibert pulling the strings and setting up Madosh Tambwe to hand the hosts a narrow half-time advantage.
The game turned decisively after the interval.
A second try for Ntamack was ruled out by the TMO, and Bordeaux capitalised, taking control through Damian Penaud and Lucu, both finishing off attacking movements sparked by a Jalibert interception.
By the hour mark, the hosts had stretched their lead to 30-13, and there was no way back.
Late tries from replacements Arthur Retiere and Xan Mousques added gloss to the scoreline, with Kalvin Gourgues grabbing a consolation for Toulouse in stoppage time.
Despite their first defeat since January, Toulouse remain top of the table, 10 points clear ahead of a crunch clash with Montpellier next weekend, when Dupont is expected to return.
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Elsewhere, Montpellier moved into second with a 20-17 win at Clermont, while Stade Francais thrashed Toulon 46-27 in the return of coach Pierre Mignoni.
La Rochelle also strengthened their position with a 20-6 win over Pau, denying the visitors a chance to climb the standings.
– AFP
Photo: Union Bordeaux Begles/Facebook
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