Top 14: Bordeaux humiliate Castres
Two tries from Australian wing Blair Connor helped Bordeaux-Begles to a stunning 59-7 thrashing of last season's beaten French championship finalists and 2013 champions Castres on Saturday.
Connor was not the only Bordeaux player to run in two tries as Fijian scoring machine Metuisela Talebula and scrumhalf Yann Lesgourgues also grabbed a brace in what was a record victory for the hosts since their return to the Top 14 four years ago.
The only Castres player who might have reason to celebrate on Saturday is their South African-born kicking scrumhalf Rory Kockott, who did not play, as two rivals for kicking duties during the November Tests suffered injuries.
Montpellier flyhalf Francois Trinh-Duc is set to miss at least three months with a broken right leg suffered in the first-half of his side's 25-9 win against Oyonnax and was due to undergo an operation later on Saturday.
There was also an injury scare for Clermont scrumhalf Morgan Parra – who had been left out of the three day France get together in September – as he went off just after the half hour mark in the 30-10 victory over La Rochelle.
"I had no strength in my arm," said 25-year-old Parra, who will undergo scans later on Saturday.
Clermont's victory took them top of the table, three points clear of Toulon, who play ailing Toulouse on Sunday.
Bordeaux are third a further point adrift of defending champions Toulon with Montpellier fourth one point behind them.
Stade Francais moved into fifth after they won the Paris derby later on Saturday, beating Racing-Metro 23-19.
Bordeaux raced into a 14-0 lead within the first 20 minutes, scoring two tries through Talebula and Connor both converted by former France fly-half Lionel Beauxis, who had created the second try with a super break and then wonderful pass behind his back.
Fijian wing Talebula – who scored 15 tries last season – doubled his tally of tries three minutes from half-time as he outjumped Romain Martial to collect the deft crosskick by Felix Le Bourbis.
Beauxis missed with the conversion attempt but the hosts still went in to half-time with a commanding 19-0 lead.
However, they gave a bedraggled Castres outfit no way back as they scored two tries in the first three minutes of the second-half, first Lesgourgues went down the blindside and chipped over the unfortunate Martial, who slipped as the scrum-half ran on to touch down.
Beauxis failed to convert but made no mistake after flanker Louis-Benoit Madaule had intercepted the ball and ran it back to score his try, the conversion stretching Bordeaux's lead to 31-0.
Castres were shellshocked and in the 48th minute Lesgourgues added another try, Talebula deftly and unselfishly passing inside to the scrum-half whose turn of foot blitzed the despairing Castres defenders to touch down.
Beauxis converted for 38-0.
Castres grabbed a try to stem the one way traffic through Thomas Combezou – which was converted – but normal service was resumed with further tries by Baptiste Serin and Connor to bring up the half century.
Despite understandably easing their foot off the pedal Bordeaux still ran in their ninth try through Adam Jauilhac four minutes from time which Pierre Bernard converted for 59-7.
"It is a huge and deserved defeat given the quality of Bordeaux's play and our apathetic attitude throughout the match," said Castres manager and former player Matthias Rolland.
"We have been in a bad place for some time now away from home and this confirmed it while Bordeaux are riding on a cloud and are real contenders in this championship."
Results:
Bordeaux-Begles 59 Castres 7
Clermont 30 La Rochelle 10
Lyon 24 Bayonne 19
Montpellier 25 Oyonnax 9
Stade Francais 23 Racing-Metro 19
Grenoble 26 Brive 25
Top 14 table (played, won, drawn, lost, points for, points against, bonus points, total points):
Clermont 9 7 0 2 229 149 3 31
Toulon 8 6 0 2 255 140 4 28
Bordeaux 9 6 0 3 274 194 3 27
Montpellier 9 6 0 3 201 155 2 26
Stade Francais 9 6 0 3 195 202 2 26
Racing-Metro 9 5 0 4 208 197 4 24
Grenoble 9 5 0 4 224 241 4 24
Bayonne 9 3 0 6 190 193 5 17
Lyon 9 4 0 5 164 207 1 17
Castres 9 3 0 6 187 265 3 15
La Rochelle 9 3 0 6 199 280 3 15
Toulouse 8 3 0 5 165 173 2 14
Brive 9 3 0 6 185 251 2 14
Oyonnax 9 2 0 7 180 209 4 12
AFP
