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Bielle-Biarrey strikes twice as Bordeaux-Begles win Champions Cup opener in S.Africa / Photo: © AFP
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Bielle-Biarrey strikes twice as Bordeaux-Begles win Champions Cup opener in S.Africa
Winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored twice as holders Bordeaux-Begles began the defence of their Champions Cup title with a 46-33 comeback win over the Bulls in South Africa on Saturday.
France's Bielle-Biarrey crossed either side of the break as the Top 14 club trailed 33-22 at half-time in Pretoria.
Lock Boris Palu, fly-half Matthieu Jalibert and replacement full-back Salesi Rayasi then touched down in a devastating 24-0 second-half for the French club who go top of Pool 4.
"At half-time we said we had to keep our cool," Jalibert told reporters.
"We had to impose our gameplan and things would open.
"It's a good team win considering what happened in the game," he added
The Bulls raced to an impressive lead at the interval before going scoreless in the second-half and claimed a bonus point for scoring four tries or more.
Sebastian de Klerk, Reinhardt Ludwig, Akker van der Merwe, Canan Moodie and Jeandre Rudolph guided the hosts to their half-time lead.
Palu powered over eight minutes into the second-half before an outstanding solo try from Bielle-Biarrey, as well as efforts from Jalibert and Rayasi, claimed the victory.
Four-time winners Leinster hammered a second-string Harlequins 45-28 in Dublin to underline their status as leading contenders for the title.
La Rochelle eased past Leicester 39-20 as France prop Uini Atonio made his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury in June.
Challenge Cup winner and English Prem leaders Bath thumped Munster 40-14 and Bristol held to edge the Scarlets 16-17 in west Wales.
Three-time winners Saracens opened their campaign by routing visiting Clermont 47-10.
The English club pinned back their French visitors, three-time losing finalists.
The hosts took the lead after 10 minutes when Elliott Daly's kick bounced nicely for Argentina centre Lucio Cinti.
Clermont stopped a second Saracens try on 20 minutes at the expense of a yellow card for flanker Anthime Hemery.
They survived the numerical disadvantage but then cracked, leaking three tries in seven minutes as Saracens locked up a bonus point by the break.
Cinti scooted through for his second. Max Malins, helped by a freakish bounce on his kick ahead, touched down. Hooker James Hadfield bashed over on the stroke of half time.
Clermont's 19-year-old fullback Axel Guillaud broke a limp tackle to score early in the second half.
With former England captain Owen Farrell pulling the strings and kicking the goals at fly-half, Saracens hit back at once as another 19-year-old, highly-rated English winger Noah Caluori, cut through the Clermont defence.
Harry Plummer squirmed over for a late Clermont try. Again that provoked a home reaction and flanker Hugh Tizard and replacement hooker Theo Dan touched down for the hosts.
On Sunday, French club Pau host last season's runners up Northampton as they make their first Champions Cup appearance since 2001 and record six-time winners Toulouse welcome the Sharks in the highlight of the action.
On Friday, Glasgow earned a bonus-point 26-21 victory at Sale as the Scots won in style while Stormers won 26-17 at Bayonne.
Q.Taylor--SFF
