Bordeaux beat Bath 38-26 in Champions Cup semi-final
French side progresses to final after thrilling encounter at The Rec
Quick Look
- Bordeaux (Union Bordeaux Bègles) defeated Bath 38-26 in a thrilling Champions Cup semi-final at The Recreation Ground in Bath.
- The French side scored five tries to secure victory despite a competitive display from Bath, who led 12-7 at one point.
- Bath's Beno Obano admitted his side didn't take their opportunities, while Bordeaux prop Ben Tameifuna praised his team's season and home advantage.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
This was a Champions Cup semi-final between two top European rugby sides. Bath had beaten Northampton in the quarter-final in an entertaining match, while Bordeaux are having an excellent season in the competition. The venue at The Rec has been questioned by some regarding its suitability for semi-finals.
“It’s a sad feeling … but there were opportunities we didn’t take,” says Beno Obano of Bath. “I don’t know if we can take solace in that, but it’s kind of on us. We can get better. It’s a matter of taking those moments. We didn’t take them today. We have to look at ourselves. There’s a lot we can do better, if I am honest.
“We are close. We believe in each other. We trust in each other. It’s a matter of being honest with ourselves … and making sure we don’t make those same mistakes in big games.
“They attack really well. They move the ball really well. If you get caught too narrow they exploit it … that’s what they did exceptionally well … you can’t make mistakes in these big games. You can’t make errors. Good teams like that exploit that.
“We didn’t really feel pressure. We wanted to be the best version of ourselves, and we were at times … but the times we weren’t, we were punished.”
“It’s incredible,” says try-scoring prop Ben Tameifuna. “We’ve had a great season in the Champions Cup. We are just fortunate to have the game here in our back yard. The crowd was amazing, big up to them.
“Conditions weren’t the best today. It was about keeping the ball and building phases and apply pressure. We just happened to get the bounce of that, and a few calls our way.
“We’re not done yet. We’ve got another big game to come.
“They’ve got class players. They didn’t give up. They still wanted to have a crack. Credit to them and best of luck for the rest of their season …
“Leinster are a top side. Just like Bath. It’s going to be a good one … It’s going to be who can hold the ball the longest and build pressure.”
“We are gutted,” says Finn Russell. “We went behind, fought ourselves back in the second half, and didn’t take our chances and gave them soft entries into our 22 … at this level, you give soft penalties away and make silly mistakes, you get punished.
“We’ll be better for this … there is a lot of frustration and disappointment … but when we come back in tomorrow we’ll look at it, and how we get ready for Exeter next weekend.”
Full-time: Bordeaux 38-26 Bath
Try! Bordeaux 38-26 Bath (Carr-Smith)
Try! 77 min: Bordeaux 38-19 Bath (Matiu)
Try! 69 min: Bordeaux 31-19 Bath (Tameifuna)
Try! 50 min: Bordeaux 24-19 Bath (Hennessey)
Try! 35 min: Bordeaux 21-12 Bath (Lucu)
Try! 27 min: Bordeaux 14-12 Bath (Muir)
Open Questions
- Will Bath learn from their defensive errors?
- Can Bordeaux win the Champions Cup final?
