These days, the Stade Atlantique is home to a football team in the fourth division. FC Girondins have tumbled down the leagues since they were declared bankrupt in 2022, so it is rare for the stadium on the outskirts of town to be treated to entertainment like this.
While the regulars here are used to watching fourth division football, this felt like the place had been taken over by Brazil.
Matthieu Jalibert plays with a freedom that Ronaldinho would be proud of. Every turn is unpredictable. He bamboozled Bath defenders with sleight of hand, playing with fire, running penalties from deep inside his own half. He rallied against rugby’s safety-first attitudes.
Bath were beaten with rhythm and style and movement. In a rugby era defined by structure and exploiting opposition weaknesses, this Bordeaux team remind us how the game can be treated like an art form.
Ben Spencer, the Bath scrum-half, delivered a tactical masterclass in the first half, dominating the aerial contest, with Will Muir chasing balls like a dog.
Yet on days like this, Maxime Lucu, his opposite man for Bordeaux, brings a tempo that nobody in club land can live with.
Bath crashed out of the Champions Cup on Sunday with a 38-26 semi-final defeat by Bordeaux
The sensational French giants reminded us how the game can be treated like an art form
Towards the end of the match, as his pack set up for a scrum – relieved that Thomas du Toit had finally been hooked – Lucu turned to his adoring fans behind the posts. He had terrorised Bath around the ruck for 75 minutes yet still had the energy to lead chants in the stands, bouncing up and down on his toes with them.
Lucu operates in the shadows of Antoine Dupont on the international stage. Dupont has been the world’s best player over the past five years but, in France this season, Lucu is the man in form.
‘He’s the king of the Basque territory first – and then the king of Bordeaux,’ said Bordeaux coach Yannick Bru. ‘I know it means a lot for him to play in the final in Bilbao, near his home, and maybe that’s one of the reasons he had so much energy.
‘He’s like another coach on the pitch. At international level he has had not had much recognition, I don’t know why, but as a club coach he’s a perfect player… and a perfect guy to have a party with.
‘It’s difficult to be a very good French No 9 at the moment, as you live in the shadow of Antoine, as he’s been the best player in the world recently, so it’s difficult for Max, but he’s so humble. When he is with us he is special. He’s more than just a number. His voice is really important, and is an inspirational leader of the team, and his kicking is fantastic. In one game he makes around 20 tackles, 80 other jobs, he’s just amazing.’
Throw in Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud and Bordeaux boast one of the most exhilarating attacks this competition has seen. Bath contained them for large parts of the game yet the hosts still managed to score five tries. When they find their flow state, running support lines and keeping the ball alive at all costs, you simply cannot take your eyes off them.
It was backed up by a defensive backbone. Bath battered the Bordeaux tryline, scoring four tries of their own, yet the French team made 191 tackles and missed just 20.
Bath coach Johann van Graan pointed out three high tackles on Alfie Barbeary which went unpunished, yet Bordeaux are the deserving finalists, regardless of refereeing decisions.
Matthieu Jalibert plays with a freedom that Brazil football legend Ronaldinho would be proud of
‘If you come here, you know you’ve got your hands full. They’ve got some of the best players on the planet in their team,’ said Van Graan. ‘I watched their warm up and they certainly focus on the offloading game. The way the game is refereed at the moment, if you get momentum and you get the offload then you’re certainly going to get behind teams. They are one of the great teams and that is where we want to get to.’
Bordeaux were ruing the absence of their international loosehead prop, Jefferson Poirot. His name was printed in error in the starting lineup of the matchday programme, before he was banned for two weeks for a high tackle. The lesser-known Mathis Perchaud was instead handed the No1 jersey, thrown into a daunting scrum battle against Thomas du Toit.
Bath won two penalties from the first three scrums yet they did not share the execution level of their hosts. Bordeaux are setting out to defend their title in the final against Leinster. In contrast, this was Bath’s first semi-final for 20 years and, if they can ride out the summer departure of Du Toit, then it will not be such a long wait until they are back at the top table.
‘You’re coming to the backyard of the champions and it was like two heavyweight boxers trying to knock each other out,’ added Van Graan. ‘There was five points in it with 20 minutes to go and then it becomes small margins. We came here to win and we felt like we had opportunities to do that. Will we learn from it? Yes. We had an opportunity to get into a final, our first time in 20 years, and we’ll look back on the game with a smile knowing we gave it all we’ve got.’
Bath’s focus will now turn to defending their Premiership title, although this battling defeat left some casualties. Muir and Louis Hennessey both suffered injuries in crunching tackles. Entertainment like this comes at a cost.
