Bordeaux Begles 36-17 Bristol: Bears outclassed in Investec Champions Cup as Damian Penaud stars

Bordeaux Begles wing Damian Penaud was too hot for Bristol to handle

Bristol's inexperienced side fought hard but fell to a 36-17 defeat by Bordeaux Begles in Pool 1 of the Investec Champions Cup on Saturday.

The Bears, who made 13 changes from last week's win over Lyon, rallied well after trailing 22-3 at half-time.

France wing Damian Penaud set up Bordeaux's first two tries and scored the third before Ben Tapuai and Theo Nanette added two more after the break.

Replacements James Dun and Oscar Lennon scored Bristol's tries.

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With a busy Premiership schedule coming, Bristol's Pat Lam decided to rest a host of senior players for the tough trip to a packed Stade Chaban-Delmas.

The director of rugby gave Champions Cup debuts to seven players, including England Under-20 international fly-half Sam Worsley, despite facing a Bordeaux side littered with international stars and fresh off a thumping 41-5 win over Connacht in their opening pool match.

Bordeaux, unbeaten at home in the Top 14 this season, roared into an early lead after Penaud swept past his defender to start a move that ended with scrum-half Maxime Lucu diving over.

Lucu, who hopes to start for France in the Six Nations when Antoine Dupont switches to sevens, kicked the first of his three conversions as Bordeaux dominated.

Worsley, starting instead of last weekend's drop-goal hero Callum Sheedy, got his side off the mark with a penalty but that was Bristol's only scoring chance in the half.

Bordeaux shifted through the gears at will. A floating long pass from Penaud gave France wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey the chance to dive into the corner for the hosts' second try.

Penaud, who joined Bordeaux from Clermont in the summer, then shimmied past three defenders to score a try his dynamic performance deserved. He would have had a hat-trick of first-half assists but for Bielle-Biarrey's elbow going out of play before he grounded the ball.

Bordeaux's bonus-point fourth try came early in the second half when Australian centre Tapuai, who won the Premiership with Harlequins before moving to France, side-stepped three players to touch down.

Bristol struggled to keep possession in the first half but improved significantly in the second and got their rewards when Dun rumbled over from a line-out maul.

Nanette burst through to get the home side's final try, but there was still time for fellow replacement scrum-half Lennon to dot the ball down after Bristol's forwards did the hard work.

Bristol, who face Newcastle in the Premiership on Friday, will face South African side Bulls at Ashton Gate before travelling to face Irish province Connacht when the Champions Cup pool stage concludes in January.

Bordeaux, who top Pool 1 with a maximum 10 points, will face Saracens and Bulls in January as their search for a first Champions Cup title continues,

Line-ups

Bordeaux Begles: Buros; Penaud, Moefana, Tapuai, Bielle-Biarrey; Jalibert, Lucu; Poirot (capt), Lamothe, Sadie, Petti, Jolmes, Vergnes, Diaby, Samu.

Replacements: Maynadier, Boniface, Falatea, Douglas, Gazzotti, Miquel, Nanette, Uberti.

Bristol: Lane; Heward, O'Conor, Williams, Ravouvou; Worsley, Wolstenholme; Lahiff, Oghre, Kloska, Holmes, Caulfield, Owen, Heenan (capt), Bradbury.

Replacements: Capon, Grahamslaw, Longwell, Dun, Pearce, Lennon, Jenkins, Bates.

Referee: Frank Murphy

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