Bordeaux Champions Cup victory based on method behind the flair

RTÉ News​

5 days ago

Bordeaux Begles were crowned the Investec Champions Cup winners after a dominant second half got them over the line.
It's great for the competition to have another name on the trophy.
Both Bordeaux and Northampton contesting a final meant that other European juggernauts were beaten, which brought excitement to the game.
These two teams bring enough excitement on their own merit.
They're two of the most free-flowing attacking teams when they get possession and fully deserved their place in the final.
What was more surprising is that the second half finished 8-0 to the French side.
Despite a frenetic start to the game by Northampton, and a 20-20 first half, Saints failed to score in the second half.
Bordeaux average 17 points in the final quarter of games, yet they only scored eight points in the second half.
It shows how finals can be different to the game played for most of the year. Pressure builds and the game goes from set-piece to set-piece with many turnovers in between.
With the attacking flair and individual brilliance in the Bordeaux team, they haven't been getting the credit they deserve for their tactical awareness and ability to control the game.
That's most likely due to the distraction of Matthieu Jalibert's spontaneous decision-making, and the speed of both wingers when they get possession from him.
However, they won the game last weekend because of their kicking and rucking tactics.
Their kicking certainly increased when they took a two-score lead in the second half. Every team would have done the same.
They kicked off first phase and boxed Northampton into areas that made it much more difficult to launch any attack that was worthy of changing the momentum of the game.
However, they kicked regularly throughout the game, maybe not always in a structured way, but they still used a strong kicking game to dominate proceedings.
"Scrum-half Maxime Lucu was the puppet master of the whole game"
Add to that the ruck pressure that they put the English champions under.
Not only did it slow the Northampton attacking quality, but Bordeaux turned over many balls from their counter-rucking. It was a clear tactic from early in the game.
It's funny that an attacking team can adopt 'negative' tactics in the game and nobody will call them out for it.
If you put a different emblem or colour on the jersey, there would have been calls for less kicking.
However, even when they could have kept possession in the final two minutes, Jalibert still kicked a cross-field pass to Damian Penaud.
They're a class team with a strong identity and they back themselves fully.
Still, it's worth recognising the balance of their game. Scrum-half Maxime Lucu (above) was the puppet master of the whole game.
He took control in both 22 metre areas.
He kicked long and even unorthodox at times from the base of the ruck.
They chipped balls from the middle of the 22 in their own half.
It was a clear exit strategy because defensive teams so often give up that space in the middle of the pitch, in favour of covering the sidelines and filling the front field to put pressure on their opposition.
There were two distinct times when Lucu kicked a run-on wedge-type kick that Jalibert was fully committed to chasing.
It's a brave tactic, and one that only a confident and progressive team will uphold during the pressure of a final.
Jalibert may get the credit for flashes of brilliance in attack, but Lucu, man of the match, controlled which side of the ruck that the Bordeaux attack would go.
He bounced left and right and never allowed the Northampton defence to settle or regain control.
The Top 14 side should have won the game twice over with the amount of territory and entries that they had in the Northampton 22.
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Lucu guided his powerful and explosive forwards over the gain line around the ruck.
There were times when you wondered how Northampton were stopping the Bordeaux surge at their line.
The fact that they were able to survive the onslaught was a small victory in itself, not that it will mean much at this point.
It's helpful to have individuals like Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Penaud. There are others in the pack like Pete Samu and Ben Tameifuna.
The Bordeaux back line is star-studded. Yet, they still did basic things unbelievably well to grind out a deserving win throughout the second half of a tight contest.
It would be thoughtless not to mention the two Irish contributors to the Champions Cup winners.
Noel McNamara has done an excellent job since moving to Bordeaux.
He must really be enjoying his time at the club with the talent at his disposal.
There can be no excuse for not implementing your ideas when you've a team of highly skilled operators.
There's no doubt that gelling and controlling a team with that level of individual flair must be difficult.
McNamara (above) has contributed massively to their victory and his stock continues to rise.
You'd have to wonder when the next Irish opportunity will open up for him.
Joey Carbery didn't make it on the match-day squad for the final, which must be disappointing, no matter the result.
However, he has made many positive contributions to this star-studded Bordeaux side across the season.
Considering how his career stalled at the back end of his time with Munster, through injury and competition, it's great to see his resurgence.
A fit and confident Carbery is a seriously attractive proposition to all the Irish provinces.
It's back to domestic rugby from here, as Bordeaux continue to battle in the ultra-competitive Top 14.
BKT URC action returns this weekend with more play-off excitement on the cards.