Successful departure. Despite an elastic defense in the first period, the reigning European champion, enthusiastic and spectacular, asphyxiated the Blue Bulls at home in South Africa this Saturday (33-46), during the first day of the Champions Cup. An ideal start for the UBB, which scored seven tries and left no stone unturned in this long inaugural trip.
It was an open afternoon in Pretoria. A chase and a crossover also throughout the first period. Enough to give rhythm, cascade tests and lots of air currents too. In front of practically empty stands, the Bordelais quickly got into action, deceiving a surprisingly static South African defense.
It only took four minutes for Damian Penaud to flatten at the end of the line, eight more for his left wing friend Louis Bielle-Biarrey to infiltrate on the right side and eleven more for hooker Maxime Lamothe to find a mouse hole still in the same area.
With three tries in just 23 minutes, one might have thought the Girondins were on a stroll. The opposite happened. Did the European champions who lined up all their international back lines – Lucu, Jalibert, Moefana, Depoortere, Bielle-Biarrey, Penaud, Buros – suffer the effects of the altitude or the summer temperature? At 1300 meters above the sea, and under 25°C, Yannick Bru’s players multiplied the air holes in the first act. They were thus never able to take shelter, enduring tests like boomerang returns after each of their achievements.
UBB even seemed to collapse at the end of the first half, going into the break with a significant delay (33-22, 5 tries to 3). Returning from the locker room, change of scenario. The Bordelais tightened the game. More compact, more serious, sharp and solid, they muzzled the Bulls who saved three tries on their line but were forced to bow to a charge from Boris Palu (49th) and a counter with a favorable rebound concluded victoriously by Louis Bielle-Biarrey (62nd). Having thus regained the advantage in the score (33-34), the UBB was able to stem the South African reactions, making the break with a nice combination between Depoortere, Penaud and Jalibert (69th, 33-41) and completing its success with a counter concluded by winger Salesi Rayasi (72nd).
