Jalibert kicks Bordeaux into first semi-final

Top 14 champions Bordeaux-Bègles will travel to current league leaders Toulouse in their first European Champions Cup semi-final after both triumphed in their all-french quarter-finals yesterday.

Bordeaux beat Racing 92 24-21, while Toulouse won 21-12 at Clermont.

Matthieu Jalibert secured Bordeaux’s win, kicking all their points with penalties, his eighth sealing it.

A Maxime Machenaud penalty and Antoine Gibert drop goal, either side of a Jalibert penalty, saw Racing lead 6-3. Jalibert registered two more to put Bordeaux ahead, then Machenaud scored one to make it 9-9 at half-time.

Machenaud twice edged Racing ahead with penalties, with Jalibert responding each time. Jalibert’s sixth came soon after, but Teddy Iribaren was able to level again. Jalibert put Bordeaux in front, before Iribaren made it 21-21 in the 79th, but Jalibert had the final say .

Romain Ntamack also kicked all of Toulouse’s points, while his opposite number, Morgan Parra, was also successful with the boot, with four penalties in the heavy rain, but it was not enough.

The game itself was evenly matched, with both clubs exchanging penalties, until the 62nd minute, when Ntamack kicked his fifth to edge Toulouse in front, while Clermont committed a number of offsides, which allowed the visitors to stretch their lead.

La Rochelle will host Leinster in the other semi after both triumphed on Saturday.

Champions Cup quarter-final results

– Yesterday: Bordeaux-bègles 24 Racing 92 21, ASM Clermont Auvergne 12 Toulouse 24; Saturday: La Rochelle 45 Sale 21, Exeter Chiefs 22 Leinster 34.

Challenge Cup quarter-final results

– Saturday: Leicester 39 Newcastle 15; Montpellier 31 Benetton 25; Northampton 27 Ulster 35; Friday: Bath 26 London Irish 13.