Defending Investec Champions Cup champions Bordeaux-Begles showed their class as they almost put a half century on a brave Vodacom Bulls side, winning 46-33 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
Bordeaux scored 24 unanswered points and ran in seven tries on the day as the Bulls defence went from bad to worse and dealt a massive blow to the Pretoria side’s hopes of making the playoffs this season.
It was always going to be a big ask to face the defending champions in round one, but it also means that if they lose next weekend’s game against the other finalists from last season, Northampton Saints, they may find that their season is over before it even began.
To make the playoffs will be extremely difficult especially if the talk is true that the Bulls are likely to send a virtual second string side for the round two fixture.
But while they were brave and mostly played like individuals, losing to a stellar side like Bordeaux is no shame. Yannick Bru’s side are the cream of Europe and have a budget that makes the Bulls contracting look like small change.
Yet to come to Loftus and put up almost 50 points on a Bulls side that had their chances, takes some doing.
DEFENCE RAISES ALARMS
It also raises alarms about the Bulls defence this season since Johan Ackermann has taken over. While the same defence coach is there in Jean Tiedt from last season, the Bulls have now conceded 27 tries in six games in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and conceded seven on Saturday at Loftus.
This, at this level, is simply not good enough and while some may want to excuse this stat because it is the defending champions, the Bulls were also the masters of their own downfall.
In the first half their defence conceded soft tries at times, and allowed Bordeaux to dictate matters early on, then took control of the game to lead by 11 at the break.
However, two poor yellow cards - both similar for attempted intercepts that went wrong, meant the Bulls had to play for 20 minutes with 14 men as David Kriel and Handre Pollard both spent time in the sin bin.
Those 20 minutes gave Bordeaux the perfect opportunity to take control of the game, and given half a chance they made the Bulls look ordinary.
The way they finished was a firm reminder of the mountain the Bulls still have to climb if they want to conquer Europe, and the quality that resides in other teams.
Twice in the dying minutes the Bulls were on attack and came close to scoring, only to lose the ball and watch Bordeaux score at the other end.
COULD HAVE BEEN A BIGGER LOSS
And if Bulls fans are to be honest, their bravery saved them from a bigger hiding, as they held Bordeaux up over the line four times in the game, and while they were brave moments, had the French side scored, the scoreline would have ballooned to a scary situation.
The Bulls selection was also a strange one - they left their Springboks on the bench for a bomb squad impact, only to negate that by not getting the advantage in the scrums they needed - save for two scrums in the second half.
Losing Cobus Wiese in the second half allowed Bordeaux to get the upper hand in mauls and even when the Bulls were on attack at a crucial stage, Boks Johan Grobbelaar and Ruan Nortje missed each other in the lineout and the ball was overthrown.
Mattieu Jalibert was a worthy man of the match and French wingers Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey were class and worthy of their status, while Cameron Woki and Maxime Lamothe starred as well.
For the Bulls Canan Moodie was exceptional and Marcell Coetzee stood out. Akker van der Merwe was a handful and Wiese provided physicality. Paul de Wet also had a standout game but in too many cases they were individual performances and not the unit Bordeaux were.
DEFENCE WANTING
The game had hardly started and Jalibert already put his side up by setting up the opening try for Penaud to swing around in the corner and score.
Some pressure by the Bulls gave them a chance to strike back, hitting Bordeaux behind the gain line and forcing them over their own line with a clever kick. From the five metre scrum they moved the ball quickly to Sebastian de Klerk to score their first try.
But straight after they scored World Player of the year nominee Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored the first of his two tries, easily beating the Bulls defence with three men outside of him.
In a first half that saw 55 points, there was hardly a defensive play worth talking about but it seemed overly easy for Bordeaux when they scored their points.
The Bulls found space when they moved it straight and direct and a break by JF van Heerden was recycled and Jeandre Rudolph moved it quickly to Reinhardt Ludwig to score in the corner.
But again, just from the kickoff, Bordeaux forced a penalty and sent the ball to the corner. A lineout move caught the Bulls napping with hooker Lamothe going in at the corner to restore their lead.
The Bulls hit back a few minutes later, this time when Handre Pollard backed himself and took a half break, offloading to Akker van der Merwe to score under the posts.
MOODIE TRY A GEM
The Bulls took control in the last 10 minutes of the first half, first through an excellent try by Canan Moodie - who took the ball, then stopped, and accelerated to beat Romain Buros on the outside and score in the corner.
Rudolph added his name to the scoresheet just before halftime to give the Bulls an 11 point cushion at the break and a lot to look forward to.
But Bordeaux were exceptional after the break, with the Bulls holding them up over the line three times before Kriel tried to intercept and received his marching orders.
There was another stop over the line but eventually Bordeaux were going to get over with Boris Palu finishing off a poor kick return that saw Penaud prominent as well.
Kriel hadn’t made it back onto the field before Pollard joined him with a desperate dive that was ruled deliberate.
Bielle-Biarrey made the most of a dropped ball to grubber through and beat Sebastian de Klerk over the line to add his second before a lineout drive saw former Bok Rohan Janse van Rensburg combine with Penaud and Jalibert for the flyhalf to go over and take control of the game.
Moodie broke and almost scored at the other end as the Bulls desperately tried to get back into the game, only to have a loose pass picked up and watch as Salesi Rayasi scored at the other end. Replays showed he may have been short but it was given anyway.
The Bulls never recovered and limped off the field well-beaten by the Champs, and knowing their European campaign already hangs on a thread.
SCORERS
Vodacom Bulls - tries: Sebastian de Klerk, Reinhardt Ludwig, Akker van der Merwe, Canan Moodie, Jeandre Rudolph. Conversions: Handre Pollard (4)
Bordeaux-Begles - tries: Damian Penaud, Louis Bielle-Biarrey (2), Maxime Lamothe, Boris Palu, Mattieu Jalibert, Salesi Rayasi. Conversions:Jalibert (2), Maxime Lucu (2). Penalty: Jalibert.