Match Centre: Champions Cup: Connacht 5-41 Bordeaux Begles

Connacht 5-41 Bordeaux Begles, Pool 1, The Sportsground

Bordeaux Begles kick-started their Champions Cup campaign with a 41-5 victory over Connacht in the opening round at The Sportsground on Friday.

Despite early dominance from Connacht, their defence let them down as the Top 14 side made a statement of intent scoring the first try in the 8th minute when Romain Buros finished under the posts and scrum-half Maxime Lucu added the extras to make it 0-7.

The response from the Irish province came in the 15th minute as debutant Shamus Hurley-Langton touched down at the back of a line out but JJ Hanrahan missed out on the conversion.

Connacht's trouble were further compounded by injury to Mack Hansen but Bordeaux stretched their lead just before the break as Damian Penaud completed his eighth try for the club in five games after collecting a midfield offbreak. Lucu missed out on the conversion but the French side headed into the break with a 5-12 lead.

The visitors extended the lead further at the start of the second half as a perfect offload from Lucu allowed Pablo Uberti to crossover and in the 53rd minute they worked the ball in phases and passed it wide for Buros to dot down as the French side stretched the scoreline to 5-24.

Lucu missed out on the conversion but made amends with a penalty goal in the 63rd minute and three minutes later referee Karl Dickson awarded the visitors a penalty try following yet more French pressure making it 5-27.

Any chance of a Connacht comeback was put off as Uberti completed Bordeaux's sixth try with a dive in corner to complete a comfortable victory.

Team line up:

Connacht: Hansen; Ralston, Forde, Aki, Smith; Hanrahan, Blade; Buckley, Heffernan, Bealham; Murray, Joyce; Prendergast, Hurley-Langton, Jansen.

Reserves: McElroy, Dooley, Aungier, Murray, Oliver, McDonald, Hawkshaw, Porch.

Bordeaux-Begles: Buros; Penaud, Depoortere, Tapuai, Uberti; Jalibert, Lucu; Boniface, Maynadier, Falatea; Petti, Jolmes; Bochaton, Samu, Tatafu.

Reserves: Lamothe, Tameifuna, Sadie, Ricard, Vergnes-Taillefer, Miguel, Abadie, Ducuing.