Ulster Rugby led 19-14 against Union Bordeaux-Begles at the end of the first half, however, twenty-six unanswered points scored by Union Bordeaux-Begles in the second half secured their second win of the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup.
It was as if Bordeaux had had no time away from the pitch since last week’s impressive Leicester Tigers win as they put new meaning into ‘hit the ground running’.
A dangerously positioned line-out ended in Tevita Tatafu forcing the ball into touch for the opening try after just two minutes.
But this was not to set the tone for the rest of the first half, as Ulster instantly struck back through Cormac Izuchukwu.
The Irish side’s afternoon got even better when Nick Timoney wriggled over the line to end a clever move from the hosts.
Fired up by suddenly finding themselves behind, Bordeaux started to change the momentum of the game. Their renewed efforts soon paid off as last week’s Investec Player of the Match and captain Maxime Lucu led by example by touching down for the French side.
But with two men in the sin bin, as the break approached, Ulster made their man advantage count as Werner Kok found space after a textbook switch of play to dive home to give the Irish side a 19-14 lead.
It was a much-improved performance from Ulster following on from last week’s defeat to Stade Toulousain, but the undeniable talent of a strong Bordeaux side eventually shone through.
The French side was pegged back to a scoreless second half until past the hour mark until a rapid cross-field move saw Damian Penaud swan into the Ulster red zone untouched.
That was not enough for the visitors as they maintained their foot well and truly on the gas following finding the lead.
And their efforts were soon rewarded when Guido Petti sealed off a delightful assist to seal the bonus point.
It was then the turn of the youngster of the moment, Louis Bielle-Biarrey to get his name on the scoresheet as his pace proved decisive to the Bordeaux counter as he powered down the wing and into touch.
This set the tone for the rest of the affair, with Bordeaux controlling the latter stages and even forcing over a final try in the last two minutes thanks to a Ugo Boniface try at the death.
Inflicting a second consecutive loss on Ulster after last week’s Stade Toulousain defeat, Bordeaux come from behind once more to prove exactly why they are pipped as one of the favourites for the tournament.
Union Bordeaux-Bègles cruised to a 40-19 win over Ulster following a dominant second half.
Scorers:
Ulster Rugby: Tries: Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney, Werner Kok. Conversions: Nathan Doak (2).
Union Bordeaux-Bègles: Tries: Tevita Tatafu, Damian Penaud, Guido Petti, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Ugo Boniface, Penalty Try. Conversions: Joey Carbery (2), Matéo Garcia (2).
Teams:
Ulster Rugby: 15 Mike Lowry, 14 Werner Kok, 13 Jude Postlethwaite, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Zac Ward, 10 Aidan Morgan, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Dave McCann, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 5 Kieran Treadwell, 4 Iain Henderson (c), 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Eric O’Sullivan. Replacements: 16 John Andrew, 17 Andrew Warwick, 18 Scott Wilson, 19 Harry Sheridan, 20 Marcus Rea, 21 Dave Shanahan, 22 James Humphreys, 23 Rory Telfer.
Union Bordeaux-Bègles: 15 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Arthur Retiere, 10 Joey Carbery, 9 Maxime Lucu (c), 8 Tevita Tatafu, 7 Lachie Swinton, 6 Marko Gazzotti, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Guido Petti, 3 Carlü Sadie, 2 Romain Latterrade, 1 Jefferson Poirot. Replacements: 16 Maxime Lamothe, 17 Ugo Boniface, 18 Ben Tameifuna, 19 Adam Coleman, 20 Alexandre Ricard, 21 Bastien Vergnes, 22 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 23 Matéo Garcia.
