Bordeaux-Bègles blitz lacklustre Connacht in European opener

The groans were audible all over the stadium when Mack Hansen, who was playing superbly, went to ground holding an already heavily bandaged right foot. That ended his night.

Fri, 08 Dec, 2023 - 22:15

John Fallon, The Sportsground

Connacht 5 Bordeaux-Bègles 41

Supporters wearing maroon and white hats are no strangers celebrating in Galway but this was the first time Connacht have been really turned over in their own backyard to this level in the Champions Cup.

Bordeaux-Bègles were on top in just about every sector.

A six tries to one defeat at home on the opening weekend of the Champions Cup leaves little room for dispute and Pete Wilkins and his coaching team now face a huge task to get them ready for a trip to Saracens next weekend.

Bordeaux-Bègles opted to play against the wind and rain in the opening but while Connacht, with Bundee Aki back for his first action since the World Cup, penned them back in the early stages, they were unable to make them pay.

Two penalties to the left corner in the opening eight minutes failed to yield a score. Hooker Dave Heffernan was held up on the first assault and there was a crooked throw on the second one.

It got worse for Connacht when Bordeaux-Bègles broke and the intensity of their pace in attack cut through the home defence when Japanese international Tevita Tatafu took an inside pass from former Wallaby Ben Tapuai and full-back Romain Buros raced in to score under the posts.

Connacht hit back and when they went with a scrum penalty to the right corner, they got the set-piece right this time.

Darragh Murray collected Heffernan’s throw to the front, they got the drive before flanker Shamus Hurley-Langton peeled away for a good try to cut the gap at 18 minutes.

The groans were audible all over the stadium when Mack Hansen, who was playing superbly, went to ground holding an already heavily bandaged right foot. That ended his night.

It was Bordeaux-Bègles who struck again with another flowing move as Connacht struggled to deal with their rapid line speed.

Once more Tatafu was involved twice, delivering the final pass out wide on the left for French winger Damian Penaud to score his eighth try in his fifth game for Bordeaux-Bègles since his summer move from Clermont Auvergne.

Hanrahan went for maximum distance from a penalty on the ten-metre line but it went dead, while it took a superb turnover from the impressive Cian Prendergast to bring another Penaud onslaught to an end.

Bordeaux-Bègles also messed up a penalty to the right corner after Connacht had again failed to make it count down the left and they went in trailing by 12-5 at the interval.

It took less than three minutes to strike after the restart. Scrum-half Lucu with full-back Buros on his shoulder and he put winger Pablo Uberti raced through to score another converted try to lead 19-5.

Connacht countered with two penalties to the left corner. They kept the first in tight but were held up, went wide with the second and several phases later, with an advantage, Hurley-Langton knocked on in the tackle as he went over.

They tapped the penalty, looked set to go over after a switch pass but Seán Jansen spilled and within 60 seconds Brodeaux-Bègles and were over for their fourth try to get the bonus after another flowing movement which full-back Buros finished in the left corner after 54 minutes, much to the delight of the couple of hundred fans who travelled from Bordeaux.

Their fifth was a penalty after they piled on from a five-metre scrum to make it 34-5 after 67 minutes and they completed the rout when Uberti got over for his second try two minutes from the end.

Connacht: M Hansen (J Porch 22); B Ralston, C Forde (D Hawkshaw 60), B Aki, A Smith; JJ Hanrahan, C Blade (M McDonald 65); D Buckley (P Dooley half-time), D Heffernan (T McElroy 60), F Bealham (J Aungeri half-time; D Murray (N Murray 60), J Joyce; C Prendergast, S Hurley-Langton, S Jansen (C Oliver 54).

Bordeaux: R Buros; D Penaud, N Depoortere, B Tapuai, P Uberti; M Jalibert (N Ducuing 72), M Lucu (P Abadie 66); U Boniface (B Tameifuna 51), C Maynadier (M Lamothe 48), S Falatea (C Sadie 60); G Petti (A Miquel 60), T Jolmes; P Bochaton (A Richard 72), P Samu (B Vergnes-Taillefer 48), T Tatafu.

Referee: K Dickson (England)