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France star Penaud pokes the Bears as Bordeaux ease past Bristol
By Ian Cameron
Bordeaux-Bègles secured a commanding 36-17 victory over Bristol Bears in the Champions Cup, with France wing Damian Penaud delivering an outstanding performance.
The win in front of a full house at Stade Chaban-Delmas, puts Bordeaux at the top of Pool One with two bonus-point wins, underscoring their strong start in the tournament.
The French side scored five tries through Penaud, scrumhalf Maxime Lucu, wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey, centre Ben Tapuai, and replacement scrumhalf Théo Nanette.
Penaud in particular was instrumental in the first half, contributing to Lucu's and Bielle-Biarrey's tries before scoring one himself.
Lucu added further points with two conversions and a penalty, giving Bordeaux a substantial lead by halftime, while Bristol's response was a single penalty from flyhalf Sam Worsley.
The second half saw Bordeaux maintain their dominance, with Tapuai scoring in the 55th minute to secure the bonus point. Lucu, who amassed 14 points, was later substituted to a standing ovation.
Bristol Bears managed two tries towards the end of the game through replacement James Dun and flyhalf Oscar Lennon, both converted by Sam Worsley.
Despite ending the game with 14 men due to a yellow for centre Yoram Moefana, Bordeaux's victory was decisive. The team will now face Saracens and the Bulls in their pursuit of what would be a first-ever Champions Cup title.
The scorers:
For Bordeaux:
Tries: Lucu, Bielle-Biarrey, Penaud, Tapuai, Nanette
Cons: Lucu 3, Jalibert
Pen: Lucu
For Bristol:
Tries: Dun, Lennon
Cons: Worsley 2
Pen: Worsley
Yellow card: Yoram Moefana (Bordeaux, 79? – repeated infringements)
Teams:
Bordeaux: 15 Romain Buros, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Yoram Moefana, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Lucu, 8 Pete Samu, 7 Mahamadou Diaby, 6 Bastien Vergnes, 5 Thomas Jolmes, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Carlü Sadie, 2 Maxime Lamothe, 1 Jefferson Poirot.
Replacements: 16 Clément Maynadier, 17 Ugo Boniface, 18 Sipili Falatea, 19 Kane Douglas, 20 Marko Gazzotti, 21 Antoine Miquel, 22 Théo Nanette, 23 Pablo Uberti.
Bristol: 15 Rich Lane, 14 Noah Heward, 13 Piers O’Conor, 12 James Williams, 11 Kalaveti Ravouvou, 10 Sam Worsley, 9 Sam Wolstenholme, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Jake Heenan (captain), 6 Joe Owen, 5 Josh Caulfield, 4 Ed Holmes, 3 George Kloska, 2 Gabriel Oghre, 1 Max Lahiff.
Replacements: 16 Will Capon, 17 Sam Grahamslaw, 18 Steven Longwell, 19 James Dun, 20 Paddy Pearce, 21 Oscar Lennon, 22 Joe Jenkins, 22 Jack Bates.
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Peter Martin (Ireland), Padraic Reidy (Ireland)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
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Latest Comments
Don't think you've watched enough. But let's see how the future pans out. I'm quietly confident we have a row of 10's lined uo who would each start in many really good teams.
Go to commentsHopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
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