Until the end, the party was great in Bordeaux against the Sharks. And it even became historic for Damian Penaud. The figures are dizzying for Yannick Bru's intractable armada. 10 tries scored, 66 points passed consecutively after conceding a 12-0 in 7 minutes and 6 tries for the only winger of the XV of France and the UBB.
For his last group match in this 2024-2025 edition of the Champions Cup, and while he will join the French XV on Monday to prepare for the first match of the 6 Nations Tournament, Penaud demonstrated once again why he remains a player apart. And an incredible finisher. Author of a remarkable performance, he led the entire Bordeaux team to a fourth victory in as many matches and a 20/20 ensuring him first place in the group even before the match at Stade Toulousain. Since the integration of the South African franchises, only two teams had achieved the perfect course: Leinster, finalist in 2023, and Toulouse, winner in 2024.
A failed start then a demonstration
This Sunday, Damian Penaud became the first man to score a sextupt in the competition. And his stats sheet testified to a match that will go down in history for the international winger: 98 meters covered, 6 defenders beaten, 5 crossings, 10 races, 3 offloads… and therefore his 6 tries scored, three in each period. A week after his hat-trick against Exeter, the former Clermont player is still panicking the scorers.
Damian Penaud author of six tries with Bordeaux in the Champions Cup against the Sharks.
Credit: Getty Images
“We had a great match even though we missed our start” said the hero of the day at the microphone of beIN Sport at the end of the Bordeaux demonstration. “Playing in a stadium like this is incredible and it pushes us” he continued, referring to the once again incandescent atmosphere at the Chaban-Delmas stadium. “We continue to progress, we were a little scared at the start of the match, but we were able to get back on track” added Maxime Lucu.
Sheepish, “special” player
The satisfaction was the same for Yannick Bru, manager of UBB: “The first part of the path is very successful. In the European Cup, we often give ourselves a comfortable spring in December or January. In this competition, we know the importance of hosting and being in the logistical comfort of home. The players successfully completed this challenge.”
-Asked about Damian Penaud's performance, Yannick Bru was rave: “Damian is someone special. We are super happy to have it“. “Frankly, he spends more time doing chess tutorials than looking at game plans during the week but he scores six tries, he's incredible. He has a capacity for anticipation, for being in the right place at the right time, which is much higher than normal. He has above-average rugby intelligence. So it's no coincidence that he's brilliant at chess too” Bru continued.
You don't need ten Damians in a squad but when you have one, it's good
In his praise, the Girondin technician insisted on “his athleticism which is just incredible. He clears the defenders, it seems like he's not accelerating but he's already going very fast. He's a protean player, it's a record for a player who is also special. Damian is a specific model and perhaps not the methodology to follow for all young hopefuls. But with him, it works“.
“The worst thing is that he is not obsessed with the test otherwise today he scores seven because the discount on Maxime Lucu, he can go there alonecontinued Bru. He is super altruistic and honestly, he doesn't care as much as he doesn't care about putting his ego forward in the media, with sponsors. He's a good guy, simple, original, super endearing. You don't need ten Damians in a squad but when you have one, it's good“.
“We wanted to continue our momentum and even if we weren't really in it at the start of the game, we were able to come back and score tries little by little.“, Marko Gazzotti explained to him after the match.
There were 10 tries, all scored between the 13th and 80th minute of play. Asked if he remembered a match in which he had already scored so many points in his rich career, Damian Penaud played the card of honesty… and humor. “This never happened to me, even among young people. It’s remarkable, but above all it’s the work of the entire team. Every time, I am in the right place. But as I usually say, if it's not me who's there, it's the referee… and since the referee doesn't play, well, it's me who will mark.” To the great happiness of the UBB, and we hope, soon the XV of France.
