Bordeaux-Bègles player ratings: ‘Outrageous’ Maxime Lucu ‘the beating heart’ of Investec Champions Cup final win as Louis Bielle-Biarrey proves himself the ‘apex predator’ again
Maxime Lucu (right) and Louis Bielle-Biarrey (left) were among the key performers for Bordeaux-Begles in their Investec Champions Cup final win over Leinster
Following Bordeaux-Bègles’ 41-19 win over Leinster in the Investec Champions Cup final, here is how we scored Yannick Bru’s men.
Bordeaux-Bègles player ratings v Leinster
15 Salesi Rayasi: Always made something positive happen when given time on the ball, and got good change out of the Leinster defence in the process. 7
14 Pablo Uberti: Like his full-back, managed to make some decent dents in the Leinster defence ball-in-hand and got himself a try for his troubles. 7
13 Damian Penaud: Unusually quiet in attack, but stepped up well in defence and kept his opposite number quiet for most of the afternoon. His one flash of brilliance ball-in-hand also directly set up a try. 6
Leinster v Bordeaux-Bègles: Result, scorers, match stats, line-ups
12 Yoram Moefana: Excellent on both sides of the ball, in a proper all-court effort. Was always exactly where his side needed him to make things happen, notably leading the way for his side in the carry with 100 metres, and got a nice try in the process. 8
11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey: Yet another poacher’s effort from rugby’s apex predator, who bagged two very well taken tries. Also posed serious questions for the Leinster defence ball-in-hand, which capped off a fine outing. 8
10 Matthieu Jalibert: Some really gorgeous injections into the game, as he again offered a lick of flair to Bordeaux’s attack. Offered real threat at the line, either with his playmaking or in the carry, and managed to link up superbly well with Maxime Lucu alongside him too. 8
9 Maxime Lucu (c): It’s always easier when you’re playing behind a dominant pack, but Lucu was utterly outrageous at times today, even if he copped a yellow card in the second-half. His influence on the side was no more visible than upon his return to the pitch following that spell on the naughty step, with him acting as the beating heart of their attack and having Leinster on strings at times. Superb. 9
Back-row
8 Marko Gazzotti: Will be very sore in the morning, after an imposing effort in the tight. Just rolled up his sleeves and looked for work. 7
7 Cameron Woki: Continued his fine form in this competition with another exceptional effort. He trucked really hard in the tight to get his pack on the front-foot, and bossed proceedings in the lineout too. It was such a shame to see his final end with what looked like a serious injury. 9
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6 Pierre Bochaton: Bloodied and bruised, but that reflected just how hard he grafted in the tight. 8
Tight five
5 Adam Coleman: Not a headline-grabbing shift by any means, but drove his side forward in the tight. 6
4 Boris Palu: A real workhorse effort from the lock, who was a real force to be reckoned with in defence. 7
3 Carlü Sadie: Solid effort, as he did all the fundamentals well. By no means set the pitch alight, but didn’t take a backwards step, either. 6
2 Maxime Lamothe: Did all the ugly stuff really well to help lay the platform for this thumping win. Nailed the set-piece work and got about in the loose to decent effect. 7
1 Jefferson Poirot: Another reminder of why he is so valuable to this Bordeaux side. Worked his socks off around the park with 11 tackles and a turnover, and backed that up with proper grunt in the set-piece as well. 7
Replacements: Did what was required to get Bordeaux over the line. The replacements were deployed at a time when Leinster were starting to claw their way back into the game, albeit in the context of the game already being decided, but they managed to stem the flow a touch and settle things down. 6
READ MORE: Bordeaux-Bègles crush Leinster to secure second successive Investec Champions Cup title