Late Santiago Cordero try sees Northampton slip to cup defeat against Bordeaux
Bordeaux-Begles wing Santiago Cordero scored a late try to earn his side a 16-12 win over Northampton and get Saints’ Heineken Champions Cup campaign off to a poor start.
Northampton have now lost 11 consecutive matches and 16 of their last 18 but for the second week running, it was a game the hosts should have won.
Last week at Bristol they lost 18-17 to the last kick of the match and against the French side they dominated in terms of territory and possession but fell to defeat thanks to a try from Cordero, the former Exeter Chiefs favourite.
Bordeaux Begles – European Champions Cup – Group A – Franklin’s Gardens” />
Matthieu Jalibert converted the try, while Ben Botica added three earlier penalties. Four penalties from Dan Biggar was Saints’ response.
Saints began strongly with some sustained early pressure and were rewarded with two straightforward penalties from Biggar.
The penalties were the only scores of a lively opening quarter, with Saints having the better of the argument, aided by the French incurring five penalties in that period to the home side’s none.
Eventually Bordeaux secured a penalty from Welsh referee Ben Whitehouse, but Botica was off-target with his 50 metre attempt.
In the 24th minute Botica had a much easier chance and this time he made no mistake to put his side on the scoreboard but this was soon nullified by a third penalty from Biggar after hooker Sam Matavesi was tackled high by Bordeaux lock Guido Petti.
Cordero made the first line-break for the French but Mahamadou Diaby could not take the scoring pass and it was left to Botica to bring the sides level at 9-9 at the interval with two penalties in quick succession.
Three minutes after the restart, Saints were back in front courtesy of a fourth penalty from Biggar after Bordeaux’s replacement lock Jandre Marais had been penalised for a high shot on Rory Hutchinson.
The French then incurred another two penalties in quick succession but this time Saints opted for an attacking line-out at which the visitors’ flanker Cameron Woki was yellow carded for dragging the drive down.
In the 54th minute the visitors introduced Jalibert in an attempt to provide some spark to their game and their cause was helped by Saints’ failure to take advantage of Woki’s absence.
Woki returned but a stamping offence from Bordeaux scrum-half Maxime Lucu saw the French again reduced to 14 players.
A mistake from George Furbank – he kicked the ball dead when under no pressure – presented Bordeaux with a platform in the Saints’ half and when the home side compounded the error with a scrum penalty, Jalibert had a chance to bring the scores level.
Jalibert’s kick rebounded back off a post but Cordero was first to react to collect and score, with Jalibert’s conversion ensuring Saints suffered another defeat.
Comments on RugbyPass
Average AB captain by recent standards. Speaks to the wider issue
7 Go to commentsWholesome lad, but no longer test level. At all
7 Go to commentsThis game was always going to be close, Canada have such a dominant pack and the Black Ferns have come unstuck in that area against teams like France and England in the past.
2 Go to commentsA distinct discomfort with the officiating they were probably selected from the local IRA narcos branch along with the commentators bloody fly tippers.
1 Go to commentsWow, never thought I would read that
2 Go to commentsExcellent match. Great to see Keenan and Ryan back for Leinster. Super result for Ulster. Season is turning around.
1 Go to comments“We need eight or nine new players, who are hard-wearing and durable and experienced Premiership performers”. So why are they scouting a retired fullback who himself admits that his “body is broken”?
1 Go to commentsBrumbies hand, knocked a Crusaders hand. Therefore, knock on in goal. Crusaders, goal line drop out should’ve been awarded. most likely after that 24 each at full time, so extra time would’ve been the right an entertaining outcome. Act Jim
1 Go to commentsSpeell cehck
1 Go to commentsColeman is gaawwwwnnn.
1 Go to commentsnext SA head coach?
3 Go to commentsGreat try by van Poortvliet.
1 Go to commentsThey have been cruelled by injuries but almost nobody (Sevu Reece and Fletcher Newell big exceptions) has played above himself which regularly happened before. Surely Scott Robertson had maintained the recruitment programme and it looks like a reasonable squad. Last in this competition will stall a lot of careers. Penny seems likeable. But it’s not enough even though this was better. We haven’t been good enough and it’s not helped by the “it’s been 15 years since… “etc “after nearly every match. Seems somehow a soft gifting of something once valuable. Kieran Read giving comments last week almost choked describing the easy surrender of possession by the forwards. I’d love to think that the senior players some of whom are back can show enough pride in the jersey to test the Blues next week.
3 Go to commentsWho will Joe select for the back three with so many in form candidates? Just hope he doesn’t get shafted like Dave Rennie and to a lesser extent Deans.
8 Go to commentsAlways reluctant to blame a coach when losses rack up, but Penney must go. The backline is dysfunctional and the coach must carry the can. No cohesion, no idea and in many cases, minimal skill. The trains out of Roma St depart faster than the ball from Crusaders’ set pieces. Wouldn’t be surprised if the forwards went on strike.
3 Go to commentsAdding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
8 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to comments