Champions Cup: Exeter 17 Bordeaux Bègles 69
Exeter’s suffered a record Champions Cup defeat as Bordeaux-Begles destroyed them 69-17 at Sandy Park.
Chiefs need a landslide bonus-point win in their final pool fixture against Ulster to have any chance of reaching the last-16, but an early exit still beckons because of their poor points difference.
French Top 14 leaders Bordeaux cut loose during a dominant first half that saw captain Maxime Lucu claim a try double, while wing Damian Penaud, replacement Louis Bielle-Biarrey and hooker Maxime Lamothe also touched down.
Outhalf Matthieu Jalibert kicked three conversions, and Exeter could only muster a breakaway Paul Bampoe-Brown try in response.
The second period was similarly one-way traffic, with Penaud and Bielle-Biarrey each adding their second tries, before Penaud completed a hat-trick, while Jalibert, Cyril Cazeaux and Yann Lesgourgues also crossed. Jalibert finished with seven conversions for a 19-point haul.
Exeter, meanwhile, managed two tries for Brown-Bampoe and one by Ben Hammersley, plus a Henry Slade conversion.
Sharks 8 Toulouse 20
Tries from Emmanuel Meafou and Blair Kinghorn saw Toulouse maintain their unbeaten record at the in Pool 1 with a 20-8 win over Sharks in Durban.
Jurenzo Julius scored Sharks’ only try for a side that was still missing a number of Springboks including talisman Eben Etzebeth.
Thomas Ramos scored two penalties for the French side, while Sharks outhalf Hendrikse scored one for the hosts. Toulouse failed to get a winning bonus point, however, so it leaves them one point behind Bordeaux in a tightly contested Pool between the top two sides in France.
Stormers 40 Sale Sharks 0
Sale’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions Cup suffered a big blow after they were thrashed 40-0 by Stormers in Cape Town.
South Africa outhalf Manie Libbok scored 13 points as the hosts, who had failed to pick up a point in their first two games, roared to a bonus-point win and replaced their opponents in the final qualifying spot in Pool 4.
Sale coped well enough in the opening quarter but JD Schickerling opened the scoring before Libbok burst clear to extend the home side’s lead.
The visitors were guilty of missed chances as Stormers pushed further in front with tries from Sti Sithole and Warrick Gelant to secure the potentially crucial bonus point.
As the English team’s challenge fell away, Paul de Wet scored the home side’s fifth try and Andre-Hugo Venter wrapped up victory, leaving Sale with all to play for in their final home game against Toulon.
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