Bordeaux-Bègles player ratings vs Toulouse | 2023/24 Top 14 final

Bordeaux player ratings: Bordeaux-Begles suffered a record 59 – 3 defeat at the hands of Toulouse in Marseille in what was a tough pill to swallow for a side that has been magnificent this season.

Unable to contain the intensity of their opponents, Bordeaux were never in the contest as Antoine Dupont got his team off the mark in the 6th minute as he sniped underneath the Bordeaux defence. This score would open the floodgates as Toulouse scored nine tries to secure a historic double by winning both the Investec Champions Cup and Top 14.

Here is how the Bordeaux players fared in today’s defeat.

1. Jefferson Poirot – 3
Like a ship passing in the night, Poirot had a forgettable outing as was bowled over by the might of the Toulouse front row. Initially holding his own at scrum time, the loosehead was anonymous as soon as the packs disengaged, and when the scrum stopped holding court, he was plucked from the action.

2. Maxime Lamothe – 3
Fizzing around the park without landing any noticeable blow, the hooker was penalised on a few occasions, the first of which stopped a promising attack in its tracks.

3. Ben Tameifuna – 5
Clearly not 100% healthy as he grimaced through each contact before being replaced in the 46th minute for a shoulder injury. Whilst it was far from a vintage performance for the Tongan powerhouse, he was the most willing of Bordeaux carriers and more than held his own at scrum time. As is often the case, his team noticed him more when he departed the action as the Bordeaux scrum simply capitulated.

Territory

15%

33%

24%

27%

51%

Territory

48%

4. Cyril Cazeaux – 3
It was one of those evenings where the Bordeaux ‘enforcer’ was a half step behind his opponents as he continually chased that big moment without ever capturing it, resulting in a fruitless outing.

5. Adam Coleman – 4
The former Wallaby-turned-Tongan international saw Toulouse ransack his department as they went after the Bordeaux line-out from the off. Whilst he secured several balls, they were never in a good position from which to launch any meaningful assault on Toulouse’s resolute defensive maul.

6. Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer – 3
Running into a brick wall time and again, the backrow didn’t leave a scratch on the Toulouse defence in a devastating blow for any aspirations Bordeaux harboured about getting over the gain line.

7. Mahamadou Diaby – 3
Wrapped up snuggly by the Toulouse pack, the danger man in the Bordeaux pack all season when it came to disrupting opponent’s rucks was nowhere to be seen. On the other side of the fence, Jack Willis and co put the clamps on the Bordeaux ruck, forcing Lucu to shuffle slow ball around the park.

8. Tevita Tatafu – 5
Hands down the most potent of carriers for Bordeaux this evening, his time spent in the sin-bin was costly. This indiscretion aside, he was just about the only Bordeaux forward who looked capable of punching holes in the black wall.

9. Maxime Lucu – 4
As they say, there are levels to this game. Bordeaux’s general is a top-class player in his own right, but when on the same pitch as Antoine Dupont, the evidence is there for all to see that he is at least two rungs below the Toulouse skipper. Given the lack of platform presented to him, it is unsurprising that he had an underwhelming performance, but a handful of mistakes and a distinct lack of attempts to snipe around the rucks cost his team big time.

10. Matthieu Jalibert – 3
Seemingly playing from touchline-to-touchline, Jalibert had an aversion to taking on the Toulouse defensive line. Instead, he ran laterally, which saw his backline routinely chopped down meters behind the gainline or forced into touch.

11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey – 4
Despite an air of anticipation every time the ball came his way, the exceptional young talent had an evening to forget. In his defence, any time he received the ball, the defence was in his face, and the space had been closed down due to the lateral running of his inside backs.

12. Yoram Moefana – 4
Quite clearly, Bordeaux’s ‘plan a’ to generate gainline success, Moefana mirrored Jalibert with his lateral running as he looked for a gap to magically appear. Unfortunately, this gap never appeared as the Toulouse line led by Pita Ahkie slammed the door shut time and again.

13. Nicolas Depoortère – 5
The pick of the lot in terms of Bordeaux backs, especially in the first half. The 21-year-old fought for every inch but fell victim to a lack of incision from those around him, making him an easy target for the defence to isolate him before lining him up and knocking him back.

14. Damian Penaud – 3
Hands down, this was the most lacklustre showing we have seen from the world-class winger, who was dead on his feet as Ange Capuozzo carved him up for the final try. Uncharacteristically he stuck to his touchline and didn’t go looking for work despite his team crying out for willing and able options to do something.

15. Romain Buros – 4
Always threatening but often isolated is perhaps the quickest summation of his evening. Faced with an astute kicking game from Dupont, Ntamack, and Ramos, he rarely had much time but managed to have a few half breaks, only to find that he had no support before being turned over.

Replacements:

16. Clement Maynadier – 3
Playing for the final twenty minutes, Mayandier was clutching at straws as Toulouse slipped through the porous Bordeaux defence with ease.

17. Ugo Boniface – 3
Pulverised at scrum time, Boniface got knotted up by Dorian Aldegheri and then Joel Perez in what was a night to forget.

18. Kane Douglas – 3
Entering the contest with a highlight reel of dominant tackles to rival any in the game, he spent his time on the field chasing ghosts as Toulouse powered forward at a rate of knots.

19. Pierre Bochaton – 3
Replaced Diaby early in the second half but had no notable impact on the contest.

20. Pete Samu – 3
Renowned as a steam train of a ball carrier, the Wallaby had no joy in this department as he was sent packing on a handful of occasions before slipping into the background as a non-factor.

21. Paul Abadie – 4
Encountering the same issues Lucu faced before him as Bordeaux was blitzed at the ruck, conservative at the line-out and creaky in the scrum, leading to zero platform for him to operate from.

22. Pablo Uberti – 3
Beginning his outing with an absolute howler where he let a ball bounce before gathering it with a foot in touch, the usually glistening utility back had a night he would like to forget.

23. Toma Taufa – 3
He replaced Ben Tameifuna in the 46th minute and proceeded to let slip the one area in his team that had some semblance of parity as the Toulouse front row bulldozed him at scrum time.