Champions Cup: Ulster 19 Bordeaux Bègles 40
That’s now two heavy defeats in Europe, four on the spin if you bolt on their recent URC slump, and the figures don’t improve as Ulster have shipped 101 points and 15 tries from their Pool One encounters with Toulouse and Bordeaux-Bègles.
It was all understandably rather sombre in the aftermath on Saturday, with the French visitors racking up 26 unanswered points in the final quarter and this coming just six days after Richie Murphy’s rotated selection had been soundly whacked in Toulouse.
With the noise of Bordeaux’s raucous supporters celebrating outside after – they had already taken ownership of the Kingspan Stadium long before their side had secured the result – Iain Henderson was left to try and provide some explanation about what had happened and just how Ulster move forward for their must-win home interprovincial with Munster on Friday.
Is the Champions Cup on its last legs?
It was another challenging assignment for the skipper, after Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey had made their contribution with two of Bordeaux’s second-half tries as the visitors, bolstered by their bench, turned on the power and pace to put considerable distance between the sides after Ulster had reached half-time leading 19-14.
“Nobody wants to ship 100 points in two games,” said a clearly downbeat Henderson. “We’ll be judged on how we react to that internally and externally, the last three weeks we have played Leinster [in the URC], Toulouse and Bordeaux and they are three of the top teams in Europe.”
“We knew this was going to be the start of a tough period for us, we are going to measure ourselves on how we turn up on Monday morning and approach the week [leading to the Munster game].
After slipping to URC reverses to Cardiff and Leinster, Ulster are now 10th in the table, a place above fellow strugglers Munster, meaning that both provinces are under considerable pressure to deliver a result on Friday in Belfast.
“Munster are definitely a team that can score from anywhere as well, and although their league position mightn’t seem as threatening as the last three games that we have played, we know they’ll be coming up wanting to rattle us a bit,” he added.
“I have no doubt in my mind that when the guys come in on Monday no one will be sulking or trying to throw anyone under the bus. We are in this as a process together to ensure we continue to work on what we have been working on over the last number of weeks.
“From last week, to this week and the week before there was a lot within those games, playing those three teams, who are arguable the top three teams in Europe, there is a lot to be said there for patches in those games.”
“We can see that we can compete with them at times, but we don’t compete with them for a full 80 minutes,” he pointed out.
“It is about making sure the guys can understand what they have to do and putting that into practice.”
Easier said than done of course, but Ulster just have to get back on track in the URC and especially so with their Champions Cup campaign already looking like damage limitation.
Despite surrendering a soft early try to Tevita Tatafu, Ulster scored tries from Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney and Werner Kok to lead 19-14, though the latter score came against 13 men as both Jefferson Poirot and Yoram Moefana – the centre could have been red for his high collision with Timoney – were in the bin from the half-hour mark. Bordeaux’s third yellow card of the half saw Marko Gazzotti also spent 10 minutes off the field.
Gianluca Gnecchi had been busy in the opening 40 as he had also yellow carded David McCann when awarding Bordeaux a penalty try.
The second half only erupted into life 20 minutes in when Penaud stepped and raced over, Joey Carbery kicking his second conversion and soon after Penaud was the supplier for Guido Petti.
Trailing 28-19, Ulster tried to find a way back but Bielle-Biarrey had his say after a Bordeaux break out from deep and the endgame brought more misery for the hosts as Ugo Boniface crashed over from close range.
ULSTER: M Lowry; W Kok, J Postlethwaite, S McCloskey, Z Ward; A Morgan, N Doak; E O’Sullivan, R Herring, T O’Toole; I Henderson (capt), K Treadwell; C Izuchukwu, N Timoney, D McCann.
Replacements: A Warwick for O’Sullivan (46 mins); Marcus Rea for Izuchukwu, D Shanahan for Doak (both 55); H Sheridan for Henderson, J Humphreys for Morgan (both 63); J Andrew for Herring, S Wilson for O’Toole (both 69); R Telfer for Lowry (76).
BORDEAUX BÈGLES: L Bielle-Biarrey; D Penaud, N Depoortere, Y Moefana, A Retiere; J Carbery, M Lucu; J Poirot (captain), R Laterrade, C Sadie; G Petti, J Gray; M Gazzotti, L Swinton, T Tatafu.
Replacements: A Coleman for Gray (24 mins); U Boniface for Tatafu (32-40 mins) and for Poirot (46); M Lamothe for Laterrade, B Tameifuna for Sadie (both 46); B Vergnes-Tallefier for Swinton (53); M Garcia for Carbery (64); A Ricard for Tatafu (71).
Referee: G Gnecchi (Ita).
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