DMines felled. KO players. Some took a while to get up from the pitch at the Vélodrome stadium in Marseille on Friday evening after the final whistle. Watching Stade Toulousain raise the Brennus Shield, the Union Bordeaux-Bègles could only see how much separates it from a first title. The 59 points conceded are likely to resonate in Bordeaux’s minds for a long time. “It feels like a humiliation,” admitted manager Yannick Bru. “It’s hard for the players, they don’t deserve this. But we quickly saw that we weren’t invited. And against Toulouse, when you start to lose control, they break your wrist on the table. This is what happened. »
After breaking the glass ceiling in the semi-finals, UBB completely missed out on its first final. Dominated throughout the match, powerless, it literally exploded. “We never felt like we could cause them problems,” confided fly-half Matthieu Jalibert. “There was a level gap. When you fight all season and it ends like that, it’s complicated.”
Hard to swallow
UBB wanted to make history. But certainly not by suffering the heaviest defeat in a French championship final. “59 points, 40 or 30, for me, it’s the same thing,” sighed scrum half Maxime Lucu. “We gave up after a while because we felt we weren’t able to do the right things. It’s difficult to accept, after having put in so much effort to reach the final. »
“We have laid the foundations for the future, I think we will be better next year”
Despite the collective sinking during this last meeting in Marseille, the Bordelais did not want to put their heads a little more underwater and wanted to highlight their journey. “We still invited ourselves to this last meal with them,” recalled Yannick Bru. Today (Friday) was not the real UBB. We must not overshadow all the good things we have done this year. We are at the start of construction. We have laid the foundations for the future, I think we will be better next year, maybe even better the year after. We were undoubtedly ahead of the passing times, we were also perhaps out of breath during this final. And we are simply not as good as Toulouse… Slaps like that remind you of humility and work. They are always engines to start again. I hope we get over this next year. »
“The lesson is that to beat Toulouse in the final, you have to go straight to the half”
To be able to compete at the highest level, the Bordelais will have to rely on an even more solid workforce, capable of holding the boat during international periods, so as not to always pull on the rope of the same elements, and to compete up front with a even thicker pack. The signings of Perchaud (Bayonne), Gray (Exeter) and Swinton (Waratahs) were designed with this in mind. At the opening, Carbery (Munster) will take over from Jalibert. In the season which has just ended, the Gironde club used around ten fewer players than Stade Toulousain.
A new milestone to cross
In order to reach a new milestone at the end of the season, UBB will also have to be able to take the shortest route so as not to arrive “burned out” at the fateful moment. Because in its final against Toulouse, “we lacked freshness,” notes Yannick Bru. The lesson is that to beat Toulouse in the final, you have to go straight to the semi-finals. The stats confirm it, it’s very complicated to compete in the final when you’ve been through a play-off.” “We need to grow on that,” confirms Maxime Lucu.
Friday’s big defeat will at least have allowed Bordeaux to become aware of their shortcomings. “You have to know how to recognize when you are outclassed by your opponent,” declared Yannick Bru. “We were outclassed, we weren’t invited. There are 20 points too many, that’s what tarnishes the decor. But the reality is that Toulouse is way above us.” And there is still a lot of work to do.
