Stade Toulousain defeated Union Bordeaux-Bègles 48-12 in a Top 14 match, dominating so completely in the first half that Bordeaux-Bègles' own scrum coach admitted he had feared his team might concede as many as 80 points by full time.
Toulouse led 36-0 at halftime after overwhelming their opponents in every phase of play. Bordeaux-Bègles, who had arrived with a squad containing all of their international players under manager Yannick Bru, fought back to draw the second half 12-12, but the damage from the opening 40 minutes proved decisive.
The scale of the first-half gap was unusual for a match billed as a heavyweight clash, with both sides having named their strongest available squads. Fans and pundits had expected a close contest between two of the Top 14's leading teams.
Jean-Baptiste Poux, a former Toulouse player who is now Bordeaux-Bègles' scrum coach, faced reporters after the match on a pitch he knows well from his own playing career. He said he was disappointed with his team's performance, particularly for the supporters and for rugby fans in general, who had expected a good match between the two clubs.
Poux said the Top 14 could turn on moments like this, and that conceding 36-0 at halftime was rare, especially in a fixture between two leading sides. He admitted he had feared Toulouse would score as many as 80 points by the final whistle, and said his team had clearly gotten something wrong during the week's preparation.
Two of French rugby's biggest clubs
Stade Toulousain are one of the most decorated clubs in French and European rugby, with a long history of domestic and continental success. Union Bordeaux-Bègles, generally known as UBB and based in the southwestern city of Bordeaux, are the reigning European champions and have become one of the Top 14's strongest sides in recent seasons. The Top 14 is France's top-flight domestic rugby union competition.
A response in the second half
Poux credited his players for not collapsing after the interval, saying his side had shown more character even though the situation remained difficult. He said Bordeaux-Bègles had been beaten for pace and had failed to slow down Toulouse's rucks, which allowed their opponents to play a lot of rugby and eventually cross for tries. He added that his players had also lost the ball in contact on several occasions.
He said there was a great deal to debrief from the match, but stressed that his team had reacted and had not given up during the second half.
What comes next
Bordeaux-Bègles, the European champions, will now spend a studious week working on their game before looking for redemption at home against Stade Français next Sunday at 21:05.
