MORE EURO MISERY FOR SAD SCARLETS
THE Scarlets endured one of their most traumatic European days as they leaked seven tries against the runaway Top 14 leaders.
The Welsh side had played just once in the previous three months and it showed against opponents who were too strong and too sharp in all areas.
The hiding rounded off a blank weekend for the Welsh regions in Europe.
Cardiff, the Dragons and Ospreys had all lost earlier in the round, and the Scarlets couldn’t change the pattern.
It has to be said Bordeaux were outstanding, with flanker Cameron Woki, openside Bastien Vergnes, flyhalf Mathieu Jalibert and emergency scrum-half Santiago Cordero operating at a different level.
The French kept their boot on Welsh throats throughout, trying hard in the closing stages to ring up the 50 points with another try. Despite having Covid issues, they underlined why they lead the Top 14 by a country mile with just two defeats in 14 games.
But the Scarlets will still be disappointed.
Their lack of rugby was a big handicap to overcome, but their inaccuracy at the lineout made life difficult for them and they had no answer to the Bordeaux scrum.
They also made handling errors, missed tackles and couldn’t handle the excellent Cordero, who beat defenders at will.
Welsh tries came through Liam Williams and Gareth Davies, while for Bordeaux, Louis Bielle-biarrey posted a try hat-trick and there were touchdowns apiece for Woki, Geoffrey Cros, Maxime Lamothe and Nans Ducuing.
The French had turned around 21-0 ahead after proving an all-round cut above. They scored three tries in the second quarter, all executed with skill and precision. The first was the pick, claimed by the big blindside Woki after brilliant interpassing between half-backs Jalibert and Cordero. “Have the Harlem Globetrotters come to Bordeaux?” the BT Sport TV commentator asked.
Before the Scarlets had time to answer, full-back Bielle-bierray sliced through suspect tackling to claim the second touchdown.
And then wing Cros had no bother passing Steff Evans out wide for the third.
Under pressure at the scrum and with an unreliable lineout, the Scarlets couldn’t get into the game. Johnny Mcnicholl contributed the odd bright moment, but Liam Williams was carded and there was little to cheer head coach Dwayne Peel.
The second half didn’t prove wildly different. Everything Cordero touched turned to gold as he continued to befuddle the Scarlets defence.
On 56 minutes he gathered a kick ahead from Rhys Patchell and ran through the defence over 45 metres before sending out a scoring pass to replacement hooker Lamothe.
Bielle-biarrey had scored his second before then, the touchdowns sandwiching a try for the visitors from Williams, who profited from an intelligent kick by Patchell.
The replacement fly-half was one of the few Scarlets players who emerged with his reputation intact from a sobering afternoon.
Gareth Davies bagged a trademark interception score before Ducuing and Bielle-biarrey rubbed salt in.
The match always looked a tough one on paper for the west Walians.
But it proved even more challenging than many would have expected.