Darcy Graham is off and running again. In the blink of an eye, the Edinburgh winger races from one 22 to the other - jinking past three men, then hunting down his kick. Again, the bounce of the ball goes against him.

Johnnie Beattie
Former Scotland back row on Sportsound

TMO time... A Bordeaux attack is interrupted and the home fans are crying foul.

Was the ball punched away by an Edinburgh hand. Not at all. The officials have a look and decide there was nothing in it.

A few half-hearted boos and on we go...

A rather harsh penalty for a high tackle, which didn't look particularly high.

Matthieu Jalibert slots it over and we're all square.

The hosts are starting to go through the gears now, with Argentina winger Santiago Cordero prominent. However, Edinburgh are holding firm.

Concern for Bill Mata, who appears to have taken a bang to the head, and the big Fijian is being led off.

Former Scotland captain John Barclay is not a bad replacement though...

Johnnie Beattie
Former Scotland back row on Sportsound

The hosts look rattled ater a very enterprising opening from Edinburgh and Jaco van der Walt knocks over a straightforward kick in front of the posts.

Bordeaux currently lead the Top 14, having never finished higher than seventh since promotion in 2011.

They have won 10 of their 13 league games and they are unbeaten in this competition.

Les Girondins are particularly strong on their own turf. This season they have played nine matches at home and they have won them all.

Johnnie Beattie
Former Scotland back row on Sportsound

Bill Mata powers past an opponent and offloads to Darcy Graham, who goes haring after his own kick but the bounce doesn't go the winger's way just five metres short and the visitors are penalised in the frenzy to get the ball back.

It's been a breathless start.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer on Sportsound

And away we go...

These two played out a 16-16 draw at Murrayfield in November.

One try each and a late penalty from Matthieu Jalibert ensured the points were shared.

Both sides have three wins and that draw but Bordeaux have their noses in front with one more bonus point in the bag.

Image source, SNS

"Bordeaux are a very big physical team," said visiting head coach Richard Cockerill on Friday. "I think we've got to be smart in how we play and clever around our tactics.

"Of course, there are parts of the game where you've got to front up and match them, but we can be a little bit smart in how we approach the game and make sure we don't get into an arm wrestle that suits them more than it suits us."

Bordeaux make 10 changes from their last outing, a comfortable home win against Bayonne.

But it's not like they are resting their big guns; not a bit of it.

It's a team packed full of internationals, with rising star Matthieu Jalibert pulling the strings at number 10.

Jalibert, just 21, made his France debut in the 2018 Six Nations but a first-half tackle from Ireland's Bundee Aki put him out of the game for the best part of a year.

Image source, Getty Images

Viliame Mata returns from a minor injury as Edinburgh make eight changes from the side that demolished Southern Kings on Pro14 duty.

The Fijian number eight is joined by Hamish Watson in the back-row, while props Rory Sutherland and Simon Berghan are called up, along with lock Sam Thomson.

Winger Darcy Graham and centre Mark Bennett are back, with Nic Groom leading the side from scrum-half.

The muscle of Pierre Schoeman, Stuart McInally, WP Nel, Ben Toolis and Grant Gilchrist is missing but it's still a team full of attacking menace, underlining the depth now available to head coach Richard Cockerill.

Bordeaux Begles: Ducuing, Cros, Radrada, Lamerat, Cordero, Jalibert, Lucu; Poirot, Maynadier, Cobilas, Douglas, Cazeux, Roumat, Woki, Higginbotham.

Replacements: Pelissie, Kovekalou, Kaulashvili, Marais, Diaby, Lesgourgues, Botica, Dubie.

Edinburgh: Kinghorn, Graham, Bennett, Scott, Van der Merwe, Van der Walt, Groom; Sutherland, Willemse, Berghan, Thomson, Carmichael, Bradbury, Watson, Mata.

Replacements: Cherry, Schoeman, Ceccarelli, Barclay, Crosbie, Shiel, Hickey, Johnstone.

The weather is foul, so we must be getting to the business end of the group stages in European rugby.

Edinburgh are in a good place, unbeaten so far and looking nailed on to progress in the Challenge Cup. However, they face a stern test against the stars of Bordeaux this afternoon.

Glasgow Warriors are up against it after two wins and two defeats in the Champions Cup. They really need two bonus-point wins to have any chance. Can they pull off a seismic shock against English Premiership leaders Exeter later on?