The China Mail - Holders Bordeaux-Begles see off Toulouse to reach Champions Cup semis

The highly-anticipated crunch between the two best sides in France was a chance for Toulouse, who beat Bordeaux in the last two domestic Top 14 finals, to gain revenge for their Champions Cup semi-final defeat last year.

But Bordeaux brio ruled the day as scrum-half Maxime Lucu and fly-half Matthieu Jalibert outshone their international colleagues Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack.

In the semis they will meet English Prem leaders Bath, who edged fellow Prem side Northampton on Friday. Irish province Leinster will host another French side Toulon.

Both sets of players, many of whom shared France's Six Nations triumph last month, tore into each other as they looked to release the power of their forwards and the pace of their backs.

Yet the game remained pointless until the 24th minute when Bordeaux-Begles reverted to the line-out playbook, walking in hooker Maxime Lamothe from five metres.

There was an immediate response as the Toulouse forwards, led by the outstanding Jack Willis and Emmanuel Meafou, took the ball up to the Bordeaux line, opening the way for Ntamack to slide over.

Thomas Ramos converted to put Toulouse in front 7-5.

Three minutes before the break Toulouse were reduced to 14 men as international prop Dorian Aldeghiri was shown a 20-minute red card for a cheap, late, head-high clattering of Jalibert.

The visitors responded in spectacular style with a sweeping move down the right, started by Ramos, which ended with former France wing Teddy Thomas crossing for the try.

Ramos missed the relatively straightforward conversion but Toulouse still went in with a 12-7 lead.

Ramos extended the lead with a penalty on the restart but Bordeaux hit back thanks to some deft work from Jalibert who was quick enough to save his own grubber kick as it was crossing the touchline and fall over for the try.

After Dupont, the golden boy of French rugby, was yellow-carded for a deliberate trip on Cameron Woki close to his own line, Bordeaux made the most of the brief two-man advantage, Tonga prop Ben Tameifuna forcing his way over from close range.

Lucu's conversion took the home side into a 19-15 lead and the scrum-half followed up with another long-range penalty.

Bordeaux put the game to bed five minutes from time. The ball moved quickly from a ruck on the left to the right where Arthur Retiere went in at the corner.

Lucu missed the conversion but hammered over a penalty a couple of minutes later to stamp the holders' passage into the semi-finals.

E.Choi--ThChM