Bordeaux-Begles v Ulster: Winners and losers as Damian Penaud ‘beauty’ overshadowed by Irish wings

Following Bordeaux-Begles’ 43-31 win over Ulster in the Investec Champions Cup, here are our winners and losers from an entertaining fixture at Stade Chaban-Delmas.

Winners

Zac Ward

The Ulster wing shone all afternoon as Ward, who didn’t stop in terms of work-rate, was hugely unlucky to have one well-taken score chalked off. Justice was served soon after though as he got a brace his performance deserved. The former Sevens star really caught the eye on Sunday and higher honours could come later in the year.

Maxime Lamothe

An all-action try-scoring shift from the hooker as he popped up on numerous occasions, offering lovely touches such as an offload that led to a try. The 26-year-old would probably walk into many an international matchday 23 but is stuck behind a certain Toulouse pair. However, if he keeps performing like this, minutes will come.

Damian Penaud

When he does things like this it’s no surprise he is rated so highly. Penaud‘s try after six minutes was a thing of beauty as his perfectly timed switch back inside was then followed by a slalom score from distance as he raced to the whitewash. The France international is such a joy to watch but he did struggle to impress thereafter.

🟣 Damian Penaud, that is ridiculous!#UBBvULS #InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/YLzlUaJAzm

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) April 6, 2025

Joey Carbery

Carbery v Jack Crowley in the Champions Cup quarter-final already whets the appetite and on this form both number 10s come into the game full of confidence. Carbery was silky with ball in hand and is relishing leading this star-studded team alongside Maxime Lucu. He was in great touch and one hopes the injury is not serious.

Jacob Stockdale

Up against the great Penaud, Stockdale certainly gave as good as he got this Sunday. His outing started with a hulking charge over the top of one defender and he grew from there, making plenty of strong carries that demonstrated his pace and offloading ability. He looks very much back to his best form from a few seasons ago.

Losers

Bordeaux replacements

Fell way short in terms of impact as there was a big drop-off from the substitutes which coincided with Ulster clawing their way back to within touching distance. Only a late score from Rohan Janse van Rensburg flew the flag for those coming off the bench and those on duty next week against Munster will have to bring much more.

James Hume

Struggled to have the same impact his centre partner Stuart McCloskey did in the first half and was replaced at the break by Stewart Moore. His attempted clearing kick with seconds remaining in the half led to Romain Buros going over, which will have stung badly. One wonders whether that ultimately led to him being replaced.

Substitute half-backs

While the UBB bench in general did not have the required impact in the closing stages, Matthieu Jalibert and Yann Lesgourgues in particular will be disappointed with their individual showings. Jalibert’s sloppy pass led to Ward grabbing a score while Lesgourgues – on for Lucu late on – sent a shocking first box-kick out on the full.

READ MORE: Ronan O’Gara admits to Jack Crowley ‘irony’ as Munster star puts La Rochelle in ‘freefall’