Toulouse vs Bordeaux Bègles
The first semifinal in the Champions Cup sees the two French teams lock horns. These teams have very different European pedigree, Toulouse have won multiple Champion Cup titles while Bordeaux are in their first European semifinal. French derbies are usually very explosive and this one should be no different. The matchup that everyone will be looking forward to is at flyhalf where Bordeaux’s maestro Matthieu Jalibert is up against the player whose spot he took in the French national team, Romain Ntamack. The Bordeaux team bases their entire game plan around Jalibert while Toulouse has stars around the whole team. French teams are notorious for having strong forward packs but the Toulouse team certainly outweighs and out muscles the Bordeaux pack. Toulouse has the best halfback pairing in Europe with Ntamack and Antoine Dupont. Both these players can change a game within a second and they are further backed up by players like Cheslin Kolbe and new star winger Matthis Lebel who is the leading try scorer in the French league. There are very few teams that have dominant forwards with great handling skills and Toulouse possess this rarity and the interplay between the backs and the big men make it almost impossible to defend. Bordeaux struggled to beat an under strength Racing 92 team in the previous round, so the challenge of facing a full strength Toulouse team away from home will be one bridge too far for the brave Bègles.
TIP: The backline of Toulouse is electric and couple that with their powerful pack and you have a team that is the favorite to lift the Champions Cup. The danger that players like Dupont and Kolbe pose has opposition teams focusing too much on these super stars which allows Lebel to always have space and score tries. The home team also has incredible depth on the bench and can call on the like of Joe Tekori to control the game with his power. Bordeaux have been brave in this competition but unfortunately this is where their run will end as Toulouse will win this game comfortably. The bookies also have Toulouse as heavy favourites and these are the best odds on a Toulouse victory: Worldsportsbetting 1.14, Hollywoodbets 1.13 and Sunbet 1.16
HEAD TO HEAD STATS
Toulouse vs Bordeaux Bègles
- In the last seven meetings between the teams there has been just one Bordeaux victory.
- Toulouse has never lost at home to Bordeaux Bègles.
- The last time Bordeaux beat Toulouse was in 2019.
Latest results for both teams
Toulouse won their last match against Racing 34-16 while Bordeaux also won their last match against Racing 24-21.
PREDICTION
The experience and talent in this Toulouse team will have the beating of any team in Europe with Leinster probably the only team that can match them. Bordeaux have come this far because of superb performances by Jalibert both in controlling the game and being deadly accurate from the kicking tee. Toulouse forwards will make sure that he does not get good ball to weave his magic and if Toulouse succeed in doing this then this could be a land slide victory for them. The all-round superiority of the Toulouse team makes me believe that Toulouse will win this match by more than 15 points.
- Probable Starting XVs
Toulouse
15 Maxime Médard, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Zack Holmes, 12 Pita Ahki, 11 Matthis Lebel, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Jerome Kaino, 7 Selevasio Tolofua, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Richie Arnold, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Julien Marchand (c), 1 Cyril Baille
Bordeaux Bègles
15 Romain Buros, 14 Yoram Moefana, 13 Pablo Uberti, 12 Rémi Lamerat, 11 Ben Lam, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Lucu, 8 Scott Higginbotham, 7 Guido Petti, 6 Cameron Woki, 5 Jandré Marais, 4 Cyril Cazeaux, 3 Vadim Cobilas, 2 Clement Maynadier, 1 Jefferson Poirot (captain).
Odds for this bet
There are the best odds on the Toulouse victory:
Hollywoodbets 1.13
Sunbet 1.16
Odds comparison on Toulouse handicap victory
The complete odds on the Toulouse handicap victory are as follows:
Worldsportsbetting (-12.5) 1.90
Sunbet (-12.5) 1.89
Playabets (-13.5) 1.90
Predictions and Odds in details
The teams that have come up against Toulouse have found out that they have 15 players that can handle the ball like a backline player and this makes it so difficult to defend because they are constantly offloading the ball. The man that always seems to be on hand to finish the moves is the world’s best number 9, Antoine Dupont. He scores in almost every game and is a constant menace around the rucks and most impressive is his speed and eye for the tryline. The Toulouse scrum is the strongest in the competition and the Bordeaux front row will do well not to concede penalties at scrum time. The odds on the Toulouse victory are not great therefore I suggest Toulouse on the handicap victory which offers value to punters. The best odds on the handicap victory are at Worldsportsbetting (-12.5) 1.90, Sunbet (-12.5) 1.89 and Playabets (-13.5) 1.90
Sports crazy fan that follows all major sport but the game with the oval ball is my real passion. Was an age level rugby coach and a huge supporter of the Springboks and diehard Liverpool man. I’m an experienced punter and sports writer whose predictions/tips are sure to stir up the emotions. I love the occasional wager on the underdog.
