Vintage Bordeaux set to test Ulster stomach for fight

It was little over 12 months ago when Bordeaux-Begles turned up to Galway to face Connacht in the opening round of the 2023/24 Investec Champions Cup and nobody was quite sure what to expect.

There was even a feeling that the visitors might just live up to the stereotype of a French side on the road in the early European rounds (see Stade Francais last weekend).

Connacht, after a positive start in the URC, loaded up with Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen and Finlay Bealham all starting, while Yannick Bru's side had lost all four pool games the previous season and lay seventh in the Top14.

While the visitors arrived with Maxime Lucu, Damian Penaud and Matthieu Jalibert, they rested France World Cup stars Yoram Moefana and Louis Bielle-Biarre for that trip to the old Sportsground.

The wind and rain had largely disappeared before kick-off, and two hours and six tries later, any suspicion that Bordeaux weren’t taking Europe seriously had also disappeared.

In the end, UBB just missed out on a semi-final after losing to Harlequins by a point in the quarter-final.

On the home scene, they made it all the way to the Top14 final but got caught under the wheels of a rampaging Toulouse side, who had already been crowned European champions.

Ulster, more than anyone, know how that feels. Richie Murphy’s men shipped nine tries last weekend to the six-time Champions Cup winners.

The target last Sunday was a bonus point of some description, with Ireland players, who were lightly raced over the autumn, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole, Cormac Izuchukwu and Nick Timoney on the bench.

Today, the big guns all start for their second Pool 1 clash (kick-off 3.15pm)

Murphy, under budget restraints and with a young squad, is playing the long game this season