Advertisement We need your help now Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open. You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough. If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it. One-off amount I already contribute Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you. An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more. Investigates Investigates Money Diaries Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Bordeaux-Bègles' Louis Bielle-Biarrey.Dan Sheridan/INPHO Bielle-Biarrey brilliance helps Bordeaux beat Toulouse in Champions Cup semi-final The winger scored two of Bordeaux’s five tries in a cracking semi-final clash. 5.22pm, 4 May 2025 Share options FRANCE STAR LOUIS Bielle-Biarrey struck twice as Bordeaux-Begles came through a monumental all-French semi-final to defeat defending champions Toulouse 35-18 and book their place in the Champions Cup final. In Cardiff on 24 May, they will face English side Northampton who stunned favourites Leinster on Saturday. Bielle-Biarrey, who scored eight tries during the Six Nations to help France to the championship, struck either side of half-time at the Stade Matmut to tee up Bordeaux to their first ever Champions Cup final. That is some Bordeaux Bègles try! 🤯 Flying start to the second half for the hosts as Bielle-Biarrey scores within 20 seconds 🟣#InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/N3aJ91wlzy— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) May 4, 2025 No.8 Pete Samu scored the opening try for Bordeaux with replacement lock Pierre Bochaton and prop Ben Tameifuna going over in the second half. Dimitri Delibes and Pierre-Louis Barassi crossed for Toulouse but they were always struggling to stay with the pace. It was a highly-anticipated clash between the two leading sides in France’s Top 14. They were in the same Champions Cup pool, although they did not play each other, and both emerged unbeaten. Bordeaux took top spot, and duly claimed home advantage, by virtue of the bonus point that Toulouse failed to register against Durban-based Sharks. The six-time champions, who beat Leinster in last year’s final, went into the game underpowered with international quartet Antoine Dupont, Thomas Ramos, Peato Mauvaka and Blair Kinghorn all out injured. Advertisement Toulouse player Emmanuel Meafou and Bordeaux-Bègles' Guido Petti.Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO They were soon behind when Bordeaux fly-half Matthieu Jalibert launched a counter-attack from a turnover in the fifth minute. He flew 50 metres upfield before offloading for Samu to gallop through for the score. Jalibert converted and added a penalty before Argentinian full-back Juan Cruz Mallia put Toulouse on the board with a penalty. After 15 minutes, wing Delibes went over in the right hand corner to bring Toulouse within two points. Mallia missed the conversion but popped over a penalty to put Toulouse ahead for the first, and only time, in the match. It only lasted one minute before Bielle-Biarrey benefitted from some superb work by Romain Buros and Damian Penaud to skate through in the left-hand corner. France’s record try-scorer Penaud later hobbled off with an injured left ankle, and was in tears after the game. Penaud was forced off with injury and was in tears after the game.Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO Scrum-half Maxime Lucu landed an outrageous 58-metre penalty to put Bordeaux 18-10 ahead at half-time and within moments of the restart, Bielle-Biarrey struck a second time to give the home side a firm grip on the game. Barassi gave Toulouse a foothold with a try in the 55th minute but late efforts from close range from forwards Bochaton and Tameifuna underlined Bordeaux’s dominance and sealed their place in the final. – © AFP 2025 Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here. Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Bielle-Biarrey brilliance helps Bordeaux beat Toulouse in Champions Cup semi-final”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Bielle-Biarrey brilliance helps Bordeaux beat Toulouse in Champions Cup semi-final”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. Trolling or Off-topic An attempt to derail the discussion. Inappropriate language Profanity, obscenity, vulgarity, or slurs. Advertising, phishing, scamming, bots, or repetitive posts. Please provide additional information Thank you for the feedback Your feedback has been sent to our team for review. Leave a commentcancel Newly created accounts can only comment using The Journal app. This is to add an extra layer of security to account creation. Download and sign into the app to continue. Access to the comments facility has been disabled for this user View our policy ⚠️ Duplicate comment Post Comment have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion European Rugby Champions Cup Bordeaux-Bègles Stade Toulousain News in 60 seconds Galway edge Mayo in thriller to win fourth straight Connacht title 31 mins ago The Bayesian Experts start complex recovery of Mike Lynch superyacht that sank off Italy 38 mins ago Camogie Association may be called before Oireachtas Sports Committee over skort debacle Copacabana Beach Brazilian police arrest two over foiled Lady Gaga concert bomb plot Premier League Brentford put four past Man United as they ring changes before Europa League semi-final Ireland's Eurovision act EMMY and Team Ireland fly out to Basel ahead of competition Trump says he's not looking to run for a third term in tone-shift from previous remarks White House Donald Trump posts AI-generated image of himself as the pope Skorts v Shorts Camogie players forced to change to skorts after protest-wearing shorts at Kilkenny-Dublin match Temperatures to drop almost to freezing point in parts of country tonight Ever wonder about your co-worker's salary? New laws are set to bring wages right into the open Paul O'Donoghue more from us Investigates Daft.ie Property Magazine Allianz Home Magazine The 42 Sports Magazine Money Diaries The Journal TV Journal Media Advertise With Us About FactCheck Our Network FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition more from us TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Journal Media Advertise With Us Our Network The Journal FactCheck Knowledge Bank Terms & Legal Notices Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition © 2025 Journal Media Ltd Terms of Use Cookies & Privacy Advertising Competition Switch to Desktop Switch to Mobile The Journal supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and the Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at https://www.presscouncil.ie, PH: (01) 6489130, Lo-Call 1800 208 080 or email: mailto:info@presscouncil.ie Report an error, omission or problem: Your Email (optional) Create Email Alert Create an email alert based on the current article Email Address One email every morning As soon as new articles come online