Bordeaux-Begles v Toulouse - teams and prediction

SEMIFINAL PREVIEW: Rugby fans are in for a thrilling all-French showdown as Bordeaux-Begles take on Stade Toulousain in the semifinal of the Champions Cup at Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux in the heart of Bordeaux.

This clash between the Top 14 heavyweights, who currently occupy the top two spots in their league, promises to be a humdinger of a French derby.

Bordeaux, unbeaten this season and boasting the highest points tally in the tournament, are riding a wave of momentum.

Led by Head Coach Yannick Bru, their line-up features Player of the Year nominees Maxime Lucu and Damian Penaud – the latter setting a record for most tries in a single season at 12. They are now just 80 minutes away from a historic first-ever Champions Cup Final appearance.

Toulouse did the double by winning both the Champions Cup and Top 14 last year, but Bordeaux has been marginally better than Toulouse in the Champions Cup this year. Which is why they are playing this game in Bordeaux.

That home ground advantage could be significant in this potentially high-quality and closely fought clash between two teams that effectively field the entire France international team’s backline.

Standing in their way are tournament giants Stade Toulousain.

Like their opponents, Stade Toulousain are unbeaten in this competition this season and bring a wealth of knockout experience as they chase a record seventh Champions Cup title in Cardiff.

Ever since Antoine Dupont’s injury, his absence has hogged the discourse around Toulouse, and there is no counter to the argument that he has been missed.

The degree to which he has been missed, though, is perhaps the pertinent question, and his childhood friend Paul Graou has done reasonably well in his absence, and a lot will depend on how he goes in the No. 9 jersey on Sunday.

Toulouse were pushed by Toulon in their quarterfinal, and this game should be much harder for them.

Besides Dupont, who is still sidelined with a knee injury, Blair Kinghorn (knee), Richie Arnold (hamstring), Peato Mauvaka (knee), Theo Ntamack (ankle), and Ramos (calf) are also out.

Kinghorn and Ramos’ absences mean utility player Juan Cruz Mallia starts at fullback and may take over the goal-kicking duties, although Romain Ntamack is another option, while scrumhalf Paul Graou continues to deputise for Dupont.

Bordeaux have named prop Ben Tameifuna on the bench for his first appearance since injuring his calf in last month’s win over Munster.

Scrumhalf Maxime Lucu captains Les Girdondins and is joined in the halves by Matthieu Jalibert, with former Ireland man Joey Carbery on the bench.

Bordeaux has obvious weaknesses, but few teams can match them in attack, and with Toulouse significantly impacted by injuries, backing the home win looks too good to turn down, especially in front of their local crowd.

Extra-time protocol

In the event of a drawn match at the end of normal time during the knockout stage, extra time will be played. If the scores remain tied at the end of extra time, the winner will be determined as follows:

(a) The team that has scored the most tries in the match (including extra-time) shall be deemed the winner; or,
(b) If equal on tries, by a place-kick competition.

Prediction:

@rugby365: Bordeaux-Begles by nine points

Teams

Bordeaux-Begles: 15 Romain Buros, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Lucu (captain), 8 Pete Samu, 7 Guido Petti, 6 Mahamadou Diaby, 5 Cyril Cazeaux, 4 Adam Coleman, 3 Sipili Falatea, 2 Maxime Lamothe, 1 Jefferson Poirot
Replacements: 16 Connor Sa, 17 Matis Perchaud, 18 Ben Tameifuna, 19 Pierre Bochaton, 20 Marko Gazzotti, 21 Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer, 22 Arthur Retiere, 23 Joey Carbery

Toulouse: 15 Juan-Cruz Mallia, 14 Ange Capuozzo, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Dimitri Delibes, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Paul Graou, 8 Alexandre Roumat, 7 Jack Willis, 6 François Cros, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Dorian Aldegheri, 2 Julien Marchand (captain), 1 Cyril Baille
Replacements: 16 Guillaume Cramont, 17 Rodrigue Neti, 18 Joel Merkler, 19 Clement Verge, 20 Anthony Jelonch, 21 Mathis Castro-Ferreira, 22 Naoto Saito, 23 Santiago Chocobares

Venue: Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
Kick-off: 16.00 (14.00 GMT)
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Christophe Ridley (England), Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
TMO: Mike Adamson (Scotland)

Source @ChampionsCup