Munster's second-half surge not enough to overcome Bordeaux's rampant attack
Kenneth Fox
Munster’s Champions Cup hopes were ended by a rampant Bordeaux-Begles side in an engrossing quarter-final on Saturday but Ian Costello’s side went down fighting to the end.
A week on from a heroic Round of 16 victory over Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle, a return trip to France seven days later saw the 2006 and 2008 winners run out of road as top seeds UBB booked their place in the semi-finals and an all-French clash with the winners of Sunday’s last-eight clash between Toulon and defending champions Toulouse.
First-half tries from Damien Penaud, captain Maxime Lucu, Pete Samu and Jon Echegaray powered the home side into a 29-3 lead before an Alex Nankivell try in first-half overtime gave Munster a lifeline, though the visitors were still left with a mountain to climb in the second half.
They quickly began scaling the heights with Andrew Smith scoring his second try in as many matches on 51 minutes, but a helter-skelter second period saw Munster concede two yellow cards, earn a penalty try to reply to Maxime Lamothe's maul try, only for Louis Bielle-Biarrey to break Irish hearts at the death.
Munster had received a twin boost on their return from La Rochelle last weekend, with a two-year contract extension for fly-half Jack Crowley ending speculation about him departing for Leicester Tigers this summer, and a successful appeal against the red card centre Alex Nankivell’s received against Connacht freeing the New Zealander to return to the starting line-up having missed the Round of 16 win.
Nankivell was one of two changes to the side which won 25-24 seven days earlier, Sean O’Brien vacating the number 12 jersey and moving to the bench, with Josh Wycherley starting at looshehead prop having replaced the injured Jeremy Loughman just 12 minutes into the La Rochelle game.
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Despite only a week between trips to France, there was also a sizeable contingent of travelling supporters, at least 2,000 making the return journey and providing big vocal support among a sold-out Stade Chaban-Delmas crowd.
UBB had defeated Ulster the previous Sunday having raced into a 21-0 lead after just 21 minutes and they made another fast start against Irish opposition six days on, right wing Penaud once again opening the scoring on five minutes, though Matthieu Jalibert, who had replaced former Munsterman Joey Carbery at fly-half missed the conversion from wide out.
That continued after the break when UBB lost lock Cyril Cazeaux to a yellow card on 47 minutes for a high tackle on Josh Wycherley and Munster scored four minutes later.
Jalibert had missed a penalty for the home side, and with a man advantage, Tom Farrell made a strong carry in midfield before the ball reached left wing Andrew Smith.
The former Ireland Sevens player and short-term loanee from Connacht scored for the second week in a row after chasing down his own kick to score on 51 minutes.
Crowley’s touchline conversion struck a post, but Munster had narrowed the deficit to 32-15. The volume inside Chaban-Delmas had risen steadily throughout the second half, and it went up another notch when replacement Munster forward Tom Ahern incensed the home crowd by refusing to hand over the ball after UBB won a penalty. It cost Munster dearly.
Ahern made the trudge back to the dugout after picking up a needless yellow card by referee Nika Amashukeli for his actions, and Munster were up against it once more just as they had regained something of a foothold in the contest.
That foothold was quickly lost when UBB scored from the resulting penalty, their maul rumbling over against a weakened Munster pack with hooker Maxime Lamothe the scorer, Jalibert missing the conversion but adding a penalty soon after to make it 40-15.
Munster were hanging in at 40-29 with Bordeaux now also briefly down to 13 men when Cazeaux received a second yellow card on 74 minutes.
Yet the home side were not be denied, a barnstorming assault on the Munster line getting the ball out to the previously quiet Louis Bielle-Biarrey, the France wing finally adding his name to the scoresheet, with Lucu’s conversion sending Bordeaux into their first Champions Cup semi-final.
