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N. Depoortere (4'), C. Woki (6', 44'), S. Rayasi (19'), L. Bielle-Biarrey (27'), T. Willis (34'), L. Pkhakadze (38'), H. Reus (63')
Tries
J. Wainiqolo (30'), T. Moukoro (58'), T. Regard (72'), L. Allen (80')
H. Reus (20', 34', 38', 45')
Conversions
M. Meliande (30', 59'), P. Jackson (73', 80')
H. Reus (15')
Three Pointers
This said more about how dangerous Union Bordeaux Bègles are when the internationals are back on the sheet than it did about any fragility in an in-form Lyon. With tempo, clean lineout ball and a cutting edge on the edges, UBB turned a tricky fixture against a top-three visitor into a romp. The scoreboard was big because the rugby was, not because the game was loose.
The difference wasn’t at scrum time – parity there – but everywhere else the hosts stacked advantages. The returns of Maxime Lamothe, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Yoram Falatea-Moefana and, off the bench, Jefferson Poirot restored balance: reliable throw, a direct 12 to fix shoulders, and genuine pace and finishing out wide. That combination let UBB play on the front foot for long stretches and punish Lyon’s discipline and lineout wobbles.
For all Lyon’s form, their defence struggles when repeatedly asked to fold to both touchlines. Bordeaux exploited that, and once the hosts found their rhythm the visitors’ spacing frayed. The first half was brutal in how efficient it was: every trip to the red zone felt like points, and when Lyon did punch back through Jiuta Wainiqolo in the open field, the next sequence was usually a lost lineout or a penalty that put them straight back under their posts.
CARRIES
CLEAN BREAKS
TACKLE
TACKLES MISSED
TURNOVERS WON
PENALTIES CONCEDED
YELLOW CARDS
POSSESSION
SCRUMS
LINEOUTS
Look at the nuts and bolts. UBB took 12 of 14 lineouts and launched cleanly; Lyon lost six of fifteen and never built sustained pressure. Discipline was lopsided too – nine penalties conceded by the visitors, three by Bordeaux – gifting territory to a side that hardly needs handouts at Chaban. Lyon actually finished with more clean breaks, which tells you about their strike runners, but it also underlines how clinical Bordeaux were when they created theirs.
The game’s balance was shaped by what Bordeaux did with that platform. Cameron Woki was the tone-setter, two tries and constant energy around the ball. Tom Willis was outstanding at eight: 14 carries, five offloads, a try and an assist. When the game loosened, Romain Buros ran Lyon back from deep, and the wings were decisive. Salesi Rayasi finished with authority and linked beautifully; Louis Bielle-Biarrey took his score and, more importantly, twice put others through with sharp decisions on the edge. That’s the “sharper edge” UBB have lacked in their ropey away outings; here it was ruthless.
If there was any window for Lyon, it closed seconds after the interval when Woki dotted down again off a clean launch. At 39–7 at the break, you need the next score; Lyon didn’t get it. By then, Poirot’s presence – even coming on later – had done its job in the week: a steadier pack, a calmer set-piece. He then tidied the closing scrum and made his tackles. Lamothe’s throw gave Bordeaux their access; Moefana absorbed traffic and kept the shape tidy so the ball could go past him with defenders fixed.
Lyon deserve some credit for how they still threatened from nowhere. Jiuta Wainiqolo was electric in broken field and got his reward; Thomas Moukoro and later Thibaut Regard and Liam Allen finished chances when Bordeaux lost numbers to the bin. Dylan Cretin and Janse Roux worked themselves to a standstill in defence. But none of it mattered because the two core away-day pillars – set piece and discipline – weren’t there. When your lineout sits at 60% and you cough up nine penalties against a side carrying 122 times, you’re living on scraps.
Does 51–28 flatter Bordeaux? Not really. If anything, Regard and Allen’s late tries with the hosts down to 14 put a gloss on Lyon’s side of the ledger. The contest was long gone by the time Martin Page Relo saw yellow. If there’s a Bordeaux caveat, it’s that even in command they shipped four tries and gave up ten clean breaks. Yannick Bru will enjoy the strike work but know transition defence and composure after changes need tightening.
Context matters. Lyon came in among the leaders on three wins and had been tidy starters all year; they were benchmark opposition, not cannon fodder. Bordeaux’s ability to accelerate at Chaban – we’ve seen it already this season – is real, and it’s tied to personnel. Get Lamothe, Bielle-Biarrey, Moefana and Poirot on the team sheet and the attack has both order and bite. The trick now is what their captain flagged: “We’ve alternated the very good and almost the very bad — we need more consistency,” said Jefferson Poirot. Putting this level on the road is the next test.
For Lyon, the takeaway is simple: fix the lineout and clean up the penalty count away from Gerland and their punch in the backs will win them games; Wainiqolo and company showed there’s speed to burn. For Bordeaux, this was confirmation that their ceiling is high when the internationals are back and the ball is quick. Keep that discipline, sharpen the scramble, and Chaban won’t be the only place they take teams apart.
