Holders Bordeaux advance to Champions Cup final after 38-26 win over Bath

Holders Bordeaux Begles eased past Bath with a 38-26 victory on May 3 to reach their second Champions Cup final in a row, where they will face Leinster.

The French side scored tries through Marko Gazzotti, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Maxime Lucu, Ben Tameifuna and Temo Matiu at the Matmut Atlantique stadium, with Lucu kicking 13 points.

Winger Will Muir shone with two tries for Bath with Louie Hennessey and Tom Carr-Smith adding further tries. Finn Russell contributed with six points from the tee.

“They gave us quite a few problems, but we rose to the challenge and managed to turn the match around,” Bordeaux fly-half Matthieu Jalibert told France TV.

“We are off to Bilbao to compete once again for this trophy we love so much, and we will face a tough challenge because Leinster are a tough side. Leinster are among the very best in Europe.”

The final will take place in Bilbao on May 23.

After a 10-minute delay to kick-off due to the weather conditions, Bordeaux scored and converted the first try within two minutes as Gazzotti powered over the line following his team’s opening possession.

Bath, however, refused to let Bordeaux dictate the pace and quickly equalised as a brilliant cross-kick from Ben Spencer set up Muir.

The title holders regained the advantage through clinical try-scorer Bielle-Biarrey, who touched down in the corner for his eighth try of the campaign.

Muir responded once again for Bath, diving in at the corner under pressure from Bordeaux captain Lucu.

The French side opened the first significant gap, with 10 points in a row scored by Lucu – a converted try between the posts and a penalty – to hand them a 24-12 lead at half-time.

Bath, who won the Challenge Cup and the Premiership last season, emerged from the changing rooms revitalised and narrowed the gap when Hennessey stretched his arm over the line in the 52nd minute to reward a period of dominance.

In a tense second half, Lucu restored a 12-point lead for Bordeaux in the 69th minute when he converted Tameifuna’s try, a minute after Bath lost Charlie Ewels to a yellow card.

As the clock ticked down, Matiu sealed the win for Bordeaux in the 77th minute. He luckily picked up the ball from the ground to cross the line and send the home crowd into celebration.

Bath, chasing their first Champions Cup final appearance since their title win in 1998, scored a late consolation try through Carr-Smith, but it was too late to derail Bordeaux.

“We will be better for this loss. That won't be the mindset now, as there is a lot of frustration,” Bath fly-half Russell said on Premier Sports.

“It is amazing what we have achieved in a short period of time. We are gutted to be knocked out, but we will be back again next year.” REUTERS