365 Sporting Days

Saracens and many of their fans headed to Bordeaux for their first Champions Cup match of 2024, they went on the back of a loss to Leicester Tigers. Owen Farrell kicked off and Bordeaux cleared into Saracens half. A pass from Farrell missed everyone which gave the home team a chance to attack, Ivan van Zyl touched the ball down behind the Saracens line. 

The first penalty went the way of Saracens as Elliot Daly playing at 13 took the ball into contact. Farrell took the posts option and slotted the ball between the posts. An error by Ben Earl from the kick off gave Bordeaux a scrum put in deep in the Saracens half. with the Irish referee laying out his stall the scrum was re-set twice before the ball came to the 9 from the back of the scrum. Bordeaux scored a beauty, with Louis Bielle-Biarrey running in after a couple of lovely passes, one from Matthieu Jalibert, then Romian Buros. Chris Ashton is obviously a fan of the young winger, and I do get that, but to say he’d been shining all night, after just 8 minutes was a bit odd. The conversion was good.

Ben Earl very nearly put in a 50/22 kick, a man of many talents, Saracens did come away with the ball from the line out but soon lost it, after another wayward pass from Farrell, Bordeaux scored their second with just 11 minutes on the clock as Jalibert gave a lovely pass to Buros who stormed up the pitch to score just to the right of the posts, another cracker. It was looking like men against boys in this opening salvo.

Saracens held up a maul, but as it was from the kick off the ball went the way of Bordeaux, the first scrum resulted in a free kick against Saracens, the next, quick ball for Bordeaux. Jalibert put in a lovely cross field kick for Bochaton, but he was forced into touch before he could get the ball away. 

Sean Maitland was penalised after Damien Penaud went up early for a high kick, the crowd were unhappy, but it was a harsh penalty, nothing more. That gave Bordeaux a great attacking platform, bettered by another penalty which Jalibert kicked to the corner. Maxime Lamothe wa snot going to be stooped in the maul, they went very quickly and Saracens had no answer. No Backs required for this try! The score was Bordeaux 19 Saracens 3 after 21 minutes.

Saracens just couldn’t get the basics right in the first 25 minutes as they dropped the ball and wayward passes. Saracens were walked 10 metres after Daly disagreed with a penalty call against him, I must admit it wasn’t clear on the TV that Daly had shouted at him, but Sir knows best. 

Another error by Saracens, Farrell, saw a line out for Bordeaux on the Saracens 22 after he kicked the ball straight out after the ball had been passed back into the 22, the referee clearly called that fact. A training ground move from Bordeaux didn’t quite come off and Saracens won the resulting line out. The ball was ultimately knocked on as Daly was tackled after a couple of passes.

Damien Penaud scored Bordeaux’s 4th try after a lesson in attacking play by the home team, Jalibert making a stunning pass as he was falling, after beating 2 defenders. France are going to be a team to watch in February and March! 

With 90 seconds remaining Saracens were awarded a penalty, Farrell kicked to the corner, Earl passed back to Theo Dan on the shirt side but he was stopped, playing with a penalty they passed the ball out, intercepted by Jalibert the play went back to the penalty, they had a choice of 2. The 2nd line out went the more traditional way, with the Forwards being held up to the delight of the defenders. The teams went in a half time with the score on Bordeaux 24 Saracens 3.

Jalibert kicked off an Mare Itoje took the ball safely, van Zyl kicked the ball towards Buros, Jalibert sent the ball high to be taken well by Alex Goode, Bordeaux were penalised but the kicked missed touch, a schoolboy error. wWe had some kick tennis before Jalibert put the ball out, a poor line out throw saw Bordeaux on the attack and scoring through Nicolas Depoortare going over after great work from Sam in particular. That was 5 tries for the home team, Jalibert missed the conversion again, a small mercy for Saracens.

Buros put in a mighty kick from his own half to win a 50/20 and a line out throw deep in the Saracens half, Bordeaux gave away a penalty as they attacked, Farrell tried for a quick penalty but play was pulled back, he found touch this time. The line out ball found Tizardf and Saracens had a first attack when they looked like a team that knew each other! Nick Tompkins pulled Lucu into touch after Farrell had chipped the ball ahead. Saracens won the line out and played the ball through the Forwards, Goode took the ball and Saracens conceded a penalty in the ruck after he was stopped.

Albert scored Bordeaux’s 6th after starting off the move, Andy Christie had passed off the floor to a man in blue, Penaud and Jalibert combined and the Fly Half scored a deserved try. This was hard watching for a Saracens fan, but also hard not to admire the play from the French team. I will not be listening to the chat after the. game!

Try 7 came from another intercept, this time a no look pass from Daly that went straight to Penaud, with an empty back field it was a total no brainer. the score was Bordeaux 43 Saracens 3 after 58 minutes. A nightmare away game for the team from North London, they looked totality disheartened.

Saracens scored a try with 61 minutes on the clock, a quick pass from a line out to Nick Tompkins and he ran straight through to score, the conversion was taken quickly and was good. If Saracens are to have any hope of progressing they needed to better the points difference. 

As I was typing up that first try Theo Dan showed his heels to score a try worthy of a Winger, a poor offload from V+Bordeaux this time, he stormed down the pitch. Farrell missed the conversion. 

In worrying signs for the France management team Halbert had his bicep and lower arm bandaged up after a double tackle, he seemed to fall down badly on his elbow, hopefully that comes to nothing.

Farrell had a kick charged down close to the Bordeau line, rather than immediately get involved again he raised a problem, Pablo Uberti caught the ball kicked ahead to run in and score, the kick took the home team to 50, chastening for Saracens. They must have been praying for the final whistle as I was! Yet, there was another try to come, after Billy Vunipola lost the ball on the floor Bielle-Biarrey scoring his second of the game, the conversion missed but. the final score was Bordeaux Begles 55 Saracens 15.

Bordeaux played some wonderful rugby and were fully deserving of their win, but Saracens were poor, for much of the game they played like strangers, something isn’t quite right in North London.