Ulster v Bordeaux Begles: Five takeaways as 'clunky' French ...

Following Bordeaux Begles’ 40-19 win over Ulster, here are our five key takeaways from a pulsating game at the Kingspan Stadium.

Ulster came into the game licking their wounds after last weekend’s humiliation in Toulouse, but it wasn’t any easier for them this week with fellow French juggernauts Bordeaux Begles.

It looked like a repeat of last weekend early doors, as Tevita Tatafu reaped the rewards of a clever lineout move over the line after 90 seconds, but Ulster quickly rallied to pull level just three minutes later through Cormac Izuchukwu.

After this early flurry, the hosts started to gain the upper hand and eventually took the lead as Nick Timoney spun his way around the defence to score a deserved try.

This, in turn, set the visitors back in motion, and they hit back with a penalty try, with David Mccann sent to the sin-bin as a result.

Not to be outdone though, the URC outfit retook the lead on the stroke of half-time through Werner Koch.

The second-half was fairly even for the most part, but a rapid blitz from the visitors allowed them to romp to victory. Damian Penaud was the first to cross after 61 minutes, but in the following 10-minute spell both Guido Petti and Louis Bielle Biarrey added their names to the scoresheet.

Adding the cherry on top, Ugo Boniface powered his way over the line just as the clock stuck 80.

It wasn’t their usual 80-minute brilliance, but when Bordeaux turn it on they are simply superb.

For the most part of the game, something felt off about their game. They were clunky with ball-in-hand and simply lacked that venom we’ve come to know of them, but then, seemingly out of nowhere, they turned it on and showed just what they can do.

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One thing that was clearly missing from their performance was talismanic fly-half Matthieu Jallibert, with replacement Joey Carberry not able to live up to the Frenchman’s brilliance. Jallibert is arguably one of the most creative and naturally talented fly-halves in the world, and that makes him so crucial to this side, and if Carberry wants to oust him from the shirt – a hard task – he needs to have better outings than this one.

Despite this, Maxime Lucu put in a stellar performance to keep his side within touching distance when they found themselves down on the scoresheet, and around that the likes of Bielle-Biarrey, Damian Penaud – who didn’t have his best game until his try – and Man of the Match Tevita Tatafu turned it on. The introduction of Garcia Mateo was also influential in turning the game on its head.

This victory for the French side, though, again proves they are one of the front-runners for the title. They just stayed in the game despite it seemingly getting away from them, and then were able to just pull away with ease when at their best.

Yes, Ulster rotated heavily between the two games, but they looked vastly improved in almost every area after their capitulation in Toulouse and should take pride from it despite the scoreline.

They packed a serious punch up front, inspired by the likes of Rob Herring, Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney and David Mccann, but it was what they did off the back of this work that should please Richie Murphy. They used this as a platform to launch some classy strike plays, and crucially get the ball into danger men Stuart McCloskey, Jude Postlethwaite and Michael Lowry. Ulster just found different ways to unlock the Bordeaux defence that simply wasn’t on show against Toulouse.

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Ulsters’ defence was also better, minus the sudden turn around in the scoreline. Last weekend, the likes of Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack and Emmanuel Meafou were able to slice through the line with ease, but today Bordeaux just couldn’t replicate this until around the 65th. Iain Henderson, Timoney, Eric O’Sullivan, Kieran Treadwell and Izuchukwu were at the heart of this defensive improvement and managed to really restrict their French opponents usually champagne attack.

Ulster face a fairly tough draw in this year’s Champions Cup, with a visit to Welford Road in the next round before facing Exeter Chiefs at home, but the opening spells will certainly give them something to take away from the game.

Antoine Dupont might have clouded our judgment of the hard transition between XVs and Sevens, but winger Zac Ward certainly shone on his Ulster debut after making the reverse move.

The former Irish Sevens star, who joined the club on an initial trial basis after the Olympic Games, made himself incredibly busy around the park and came up with some seriously delicious touches too.

His sheer size and power made him a real handful for Bordeaux’s backline, but he also managed to consistently find gaps around the park to drag his side up the pitch. Additionally, he made himself a consistent option in attack and, as every good winger in the modern game does now, he came off his edge to look for work and this again really complimented the Ulster attack and

This performance will certainly prick the ears of temporary Ireland boss Simon Easterby ahead of the Six Nations, with a potential spot open in the back three after their lacklustre Autumn.

Former Champions Cup winner Jonny Gray is, when fit, one of the premier locks in Europe, but unfortunately, he picked up another knock early doors against Ulster.

The new arrival, who joined from Exeter Chiefs at the start of the season, spent the entirety of the 2023/24 season on the physio table with a serious knee injury, and he was withdrawn again today with what appeared to be an ankle injury. He did signal he wanted to continue, but yet still walked off the pitch with a hefty limp.

This injury will certainly cause Gregor Townsend some heartache too, after he opted to rest during the Autumn Nations Series to prioritise club games and this European block, but now he could once again find himself without his star lock for the upcoming Six Nations.

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