Bordeaux (AFP)

Bordeaux-Bègles qualified on Saturday evening for the first time in its history for the semi-finals of the Top 14 after his victory in the play-off against Clermont (25-16), who sent him to Lille to face the Toulouse ogre. .

Faced with the leader at the end of the regular phase, who also kicked the European Cup in the semi-finals, UBB will have nothing to lose and everything to gain to make history even more. , ten years after his accession to the elite.

Next Friday, the other semi-final will pit La Rochelle against Racing 92, which emerged victorious from the Paris derby in the play-off on Friday evening against Stade Français (38-21).

"It will be necessary to starve", had repeated this week his manager Christophe Urios, his players took him at his words to get rid of the ASM who said goodbye to Franck Azéma on this defeat.

"Everything is allowed when you are in the six", recalled the Clermont manager this week.

Even elimination, after a roller coaster season.

It's hard for the Auvergnats, more experienced and used to the final stages, who started this jump-off with a lot of intentions, dominated most of the time without managing to get rid of the Girondin defensive vice, imperial at the end of the match. .

Because if the flashes were above all in Clermont, realism was the seal of Matthieu Jalibert and his men who recovered in the rucks zone the penalties which made the difference in the score and deprived by their against in touch the ammunition of the hope of the Jaunards.

- Defensive roughness -

Surely impressed by the stake, the UBB took a good quarter of an hour before completely entering this dam.

Its novice side surely.

Between approximations and lack of precision, she was a spectator of the asemist know-how, the most prolific collective of the season that came without complex and almost received a reward.

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After a first ball in the poorly mastered opening (4), winger Damien Penaud transplanted three minutes later to open hostilities (0-7).

It is the charges and the impact in the middle of the field of Rémi Lamérat which put the Girondins back in the advance but it is above all the miraculous rescue of Maxime Lucu (31) making Arthur Iturria commit a forward in the Girondin started while ASM led 7-3 which left them in the match.

Jalibert having set the sights well after a first failure, confidence returned and luck stepped in.

A throw-in from Etienne Fourcade, lost on his 5-meter line, failed in the hands of Clément Maynadier for a try putting Bordeaux ahead of the score for the first time (13-7, 37).

He will not let go during a second act much more strategic, making the scorers honey (4/4 for Morgan Parra, 6/7 for Matthieu Jalibert) to increase the score (19-16, 63).

With the entry of the benches, the visiting domination was accentuated, the defensive roughness of the Aquitaine too.

"In the final stages, it is played on details", the credo took on its full meaning during the last ten minutes with Bordeaux not giving up anything in defense and recovering the penalties necessary to make the difference and afford the last four .

The first in its history!

© 2021 AFP