Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s electric start lit the fuse as Bordeaux-Bègles blew Toulon away in a one-sided Top 14 clash on Sunday night.

The France winger struck inside three minutes, latching onto a clever bouncing kick from Matthieu Jalibert to underline Bordeaux’s intent early and set the tone for a dominant 46-7 rout at their home ground.

Fresh off impressive Champions Cup wins over the Vodacom Bulls and Scarlets, Bordeaux played with confidence and tempo from the outset. Their reward was a ruthless first-half display that left Toulon reeling.

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Fullback Romain Buros and centre Nicolas Depoortere both crossed as Bordeaux tore holes in the visitors’ defence, racing into a 27-0 lead by the break. Scrumhalf Maxime Lucu was flawless from the tee in the opening stanza, converting all three tries and adding two penalties to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Toulon briefly found some relief early in the second half when Junior Alainuuese powered over, capitalising on a yellow card shown to replacement lock Boris Palu. But any hope of a comeback was short-lived.

Jalibert muscled his way over for Bordeaux’s bonus-point try, before Ugo Boniface added another as the hosts reasserted complete control. Winger Salesi Rayasi delivered the final blow in the dying moments to cap a bruising night for the visitors.

Lucu ended with 16 points, missing only with the final kick of the match, as Bordeaux ran out emphatic winners.

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The result lifts Bordeaux to third on the Top 14 standings, eight points adrift of joint leaders Pau and Toulouse, while Toulon slip to fourth after suffering their fifth defeat in six away matches this season.

– AFP