Ceiling 'a long, long way away' yet for breathtaking Bordeaux

The French outfit had too much for Leinster in Bilbao on Saturday. 

THUMBS UP: Former Leinster Academy coach Noel McNamara as now won two consecutive Champions Cups with Bordeaux Begles. Photo: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Leinster 19 Bordeaux-Begles 41 

Yannick Bru had warned pre-game -- before Saturday's Champions Cup decider -- about the perils of overconfidence. Maybe the Bordeaux-Begles boss had already seen the ‘Back 2 Back’ t-shirts printed up and duly dispersed within minutes of this statement win over Leinster in Bilbao.

Noel McNamara sported one as he made his way out of the Estadio San Mames on Saturday, and what was equally plain to see was the sense of unfinished business from the winners’ attack coach and everyone else associated with this slick operation.

Overconfidence? These guys are only getting started.

The Clareman spoke about various motivations within the playing group ahead of this standout win. Among them was the desire to be more than one-hit wonders. Another was the knowledge that this title would outrank the first.

UBB started their Champions Cup defence trailing the Bulls by a double digit score at half-time in Pretoria. They responded with 24 unanswered points, swept unbeaten through the pool stages and then accounted for Toulouse, Bath and Leinster to wrap it all up.

This was a campaign for the ages.

“There is a feeling within the group that nobody can argue with the title if you go and beat the champions of the URC, champions of the Premiership, champions of France three times in a row and Leicester Tigers who are flying high in the Premiership,” he explained.

McNamara spoke of a perfect outcome but a performance that didn’t always match. He reminded us all of an imperfect start that actually made what followed – five first-half tries for a 35-7 lead – all the more satisfying.

For all the talk of their attacking elan, the defensive shifts and hits they put in caught the eye every bit as much. Leinster looked like clicking at times but they met a stone wall manned by superb and physical players plugged in to a slick machine.

There was luck. Everyone on the winning side admitted as much, but that was an extra on top off the quota rather than a swing state in a tight presidential vote. They sourced scores from loose ball, turnovers, setpiece and blistering pace.

“The goal is to be all-terrain,” said their Irish assistant coach. “The goal is to have the ability to score tries and win games in whatever way is required, and we talk about it sometimes, about 'medicine' for our game.

“So if our lineout strikes are struggling, then having the ability to have something else. We don't want to be somebody that you can say, 'if you [want to] stop Bordeaux, don't give them lineouts, they can't score'. You don't give them turnovers, they can't score'.” This is a side that fears nothing.

Montpellier and Stade Francais had claimed wins in the Stade Chaban Delmas this season with a blitz defence similar to the Jacques Nienaber version they faced here, but they ate up the very idea of working their way around and through that.

McNamara touched on the “fool’s gold” that the province offers on the outside and the need to earn the right by going direct at first. He highlighted the work of grunts like Marco Gazotti, Jeff Poirot, Carlu Sadie in setting those foundations.

Yoram Moefana too. What a game he had. Add to all these guys to your Matthieu Jaliberts, Maxime Lucus, Louis Bielle-Biarreys and Cameron Wokis and you have all the ingredients needed to reduce a heavyweight of the game to a state of naked vulnerability.

Leinster’s ability to slow down opposition rucks was withered by the speed at which UBB worked and the power they packed. Leo Cullen went into some detail on that issue of pace after, Jalibert spoke about how this competition suits their attacking style.

McNamara agrees, pointing to the manner in which games are refereed and the absence of the sort of “toxicity” at rucks that are often a part and parcel of life in the Top 14 where they sit fifth with two games to go and uncertain of a playoff spot.

All of which brings us to what’s next for this generational side.

Toulon remain the only club to do the three-in-a-row. Bordeaux-Begles, who have lost the last two Top 14 finals to Toulouse, will feel that is within their compass. If Leinster are ageing then their betters at the weekend haven’t yet matured.

“The ceiling is a long, long way away, and some of that is linked to the work that the players put in. Where is the ceiling for someone like Louis Bielle-Biarrey? I'm not sure. Matthieu Jalibert: we talk about tens reaching their peak when they're in their thirties.

“Max Lucu is like Benjamin Button. He seems to be getting better all the time. And Marco Gazzotti is really young. The goal is that this team continues to get better and we've got an opportunity in the Top 14.

“We're not in a position that we would like to be. We'd like to be slightly stronger [in the table] but this group are motivated to really write their history because that's what they're doing.” 

Leinster: H Keenan; T O’Brien, G Ringrose, R Henshaw, R Ioane; H Byrne, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, D Sheehan, T Clarkson; J McCarthy, J Ryan; J Conan, J van der Flier, C Doris.

Replacements: T Furlong for Clarkson and C Frawley for Byrne (both 45); J Osborne for Henshaw (51); R Kelleher for Sheehan (54); M Deegan for Conan (60); P McCarthy for Porter (64); R Henshaw for Keenan (65); D Mangan for J McCarthy (71); L McGrath for Gibson-Park (74).

Bordeaux-Begles: S Rayasi; P Uberti, D Penaud, Y Moefana, L Bielle-Biarrey; M Jalibert, M Lucu; J Poirot, M Lamothe, C Sadie; B Palu, A Coleman; P Bochaton, C Woki, M Gazzotti.

Replacements: T Matiu for Bochaton (10-17) and for Woki (50); L Swinton for Coleman (41); B Tameifuna for Sadie and U Boniface for Poirot (both 49); G Barlot for Lamothe B Vergnes-Taillefer for Gazotti (both 55); A Retiere for Uberti (64); H Reus for Jalibert (71).

Referee: K Dickson (Eng).