European Challenge Cup: Bordeaux Begles 32-17 Edinburgh

Bordeaux turned on the style to dispatch Edinburgh and seal top spot in European Challenge Cup Pool 3.

Semi Radradra and Santiago Cordero scored first-half tries as the hosts established a 17-3 lead at the break.

Duhan van der Merwe's breakaway score gave Edinburgh hope, but Yann Lesgourgues and Peni Ravai rendered Mark Bennett's late score meaningless.

Edinburgh can still book a place in the quarter-finals with victory over Agen at Murrayfield next weekend.

But the bonus-point win secures Bordeaux's passage into the last eight as pool winners.

• Reaction & as it happened

Bordeaux show class to thwart Edinburgh

Riding high at the top of the French Top 14, Bordeaux head coach Christophe Urios resisted the temptation to rest key players and sent his team out fully loaded as they looked to secure top spot in the pool.

Richard Cockerill tinkered with his team, and while the back-line and back-row were close to full strength, the tight five was without front-liners such as Stuart McInally, Ben Toolis and Grant Gilchrist.

The sides could not be separated in a 16-16 draw at Murrayfield earlier in the campaign, and the opening quarter was similarly tight here with Jaco van der Walt and Bordeaux fly-half Matthieu Jalibert trading penalties.

Darcy Graham sparked into life with a breathtaking run. He showed great positional sense to cover a chip ahead from the home side and then set off in the other direction, kicking ahead and only a cruel bounce prevented him from gathering to score a sensational try.

Moments later, Bordeaux conjured a brilliant score, albeit with a controversial ending. Jalibert found Geoffrey Cros with a pin-point cross-field kick and he set Radradra clear. The Fijian was hauled down just short by Van der Merwe and, though he appeared to lose the ball from his grasp before grounding, the try was awarded.

Edinburgh were well in the hunt and if they could get to half-time just seven points adrift they would be in decent shape. However, just before the break Bordeaux struck again.

Van der Merwe was stripped of the ball in contact and the visitors were in trouble. Radradra danced away from a couple of tackles and put Cordero away for a run to the corner.

The French side continued to put Edinburgh under the cosh early in the second half before the visitors hit back against the run of play.

After several phases of pressure, Cyril Cazeaux threw a loose pass that was picked off by Bennett. He fed Hamish Watson and he got it to the speedster Van der Merwe, who raced 60m to touch down and give his side a glimmer of hope.

It did not last. Eight minutes later the home side re-established the 14-point lead, a breathless passage of offloading rugby given the ending it deserved when Lesgourgues crashed over.

The Edinburgh line-out misfired for most of the match and another butchered set-piece near their own line gave Ravai the opportunity to cross for the bonus-point clinching fourth try.

From turnover ball, Blair Kinghorn broke free and sent Bennett over for a consolation score on a day when they were second best as Bordeaux showed their class.

Cockerill looks at 'bigger picture'

Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill: "In some ways, today was a free shot and I made some selections around that. I looked after some of my internationals who have had a big work load.

"We can still qualify. It's always disappointing when you lose but you have to look at the bigger picture of where we are. You could come here with the Scotland national team and still get beaten by that side.

"We gave it our best shot with the group we had. We weren't good enough, but we made Bordeaux work very hard."

Bordeaux Begles: Ducuing, Cros, Radradra, 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.