Saracens’ last dance will not end in European glory after comprehensive defeat

French contenders run in six tries to sweep aside English champions to book Champions Cup quarter-final against Harlequins

The last dance will be confined to the domestic stage for Saracens after Bordeaux-Bègles dismissed them to set up a Champions Cup quarter-final against Harlequins at Stade Chaban-Delmas.
While Mark McCall’s men gritted their teeth and defended proudly for the first half hour, they could not contain an intoxicating blend of power, pace and attacking verve. As the hosts cut loose in the last 20 minutes, with a pair of devastating wings in Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud threatening constantly, two pressing questions came to mind: who can stop Bordeaux and how long will it take Saracens to challenge for this competition again?
There’s no stopping Louis Bielle-Biarrey from there 💨@UBBrugby are running away with it now.#UBBvSAR | #InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/xfHWGYVmjU
With Owen Farrell and the Vunipola brothers poised to move on, McCall faces the end of an era and a significant rebuild. Bordeaux, meanwhile, are on the up. Matéo Garcia, the 21-year-old fly-half who bagged a brace of tries as a stand-in for Matthieu Jalibert, personified as much. Saracens were insipid at this venue in January in a 55-15 battering.
Another heavy loss took it to a round century for Bordeaux against them this season. Even if it was not quite as grisly here, Jamie George conceded that Saracens “opted out of the fight” in the second half. That is a scathing assessment.
Bordeaux do not yet possess collective experience of high-stakes occasions. George appeared to play on this, keeping his colleagues together in a huddle before kick-off. When the action did begin, there was a nervy fumble from Tevita Tatafu in the back-field.
Bordeaux recovered, and almost scored within five minutes when Bielle-Biarrey skated after Maxime Lucu’s kick and was just beaten by the touchline. A second near-miss followed. Lucu had his clever chip recovered by some powerful breakdown work on the chase but Ben Tameifuna spilled as he attempted to bulldoze through Elliot Daly.
The assault was fearful. Bielle-Biarrey beat Daly on the outside with a jaw-dropping feint, yet the move was called back for a pass from Penaud that was adjudged to have drifted forward. Saracens escaped again. Then, at the end of a one-sided first quarter that, somehow, remained scoreless, Alex Lewington clipped a 50:22.With that field position, Alex Goode’s delicate grubber almost fashioned a score.
Moments later, Bordeaux had a third try ruled out for obstruction in midfield. They came back for a penalty and Mako Vunipola forced a turnover with a clattering tackle. Saracens continued to hold out, and it was a compliment to them that Lucu opted to kick a penalty to register Bordeaux’s first points in the 30th minute.
Nicolas Depoortère cantered through to dot down a fourth disallowed try, though this one featured a blatant knock-on that was always going to be identified. Five minutes before half-time, a slap-down from the returning Maro Itoje derailed a probable line-break. Frank Murphy brandished a yellow card and, despite Theo McFarland almost nabbing the subsequent line-out, a surge from Romain Buros allowed Garcia to slip over.
Lucu converted from the touchline, giving Bordeaux a 10-0 advantage to take into half-time. To say their dominance deserved that would have been a gross understatement. Saracens had attempted 133 tackles in 40 minutes, Bordeaux precisely 100 fewer. But they were in touch, just, and Mark McCall’s bench, featuring Theo Dan, Juan Martín González and Tom Willis, could give them a shot if Itoje’s sin bin did not bring any more damage. That was the theory.
Nick Tompkins, dogged as ever, mucked in with a turnover to begin the second period. From another penalty in quick succession, 45 metres out, Goode, in for the injured Farrell, hit the post. Nobody could suggest that Bordeaux did not deserve some luck, and Garcia had a brace when Tatafu’s flicked offload rebounded to him off Ben Earl.
At 17-0 behind, any prospect of a comeback was bleak. Dan injected dynamism, though, and Lewington might have snuck in at the corner had he held a looping pass from Goode. On the hour-mark, Bordeaux eradicated any remaining doubt with a third try that was all too easy. Directly from a scrum, Garcia went to gain-line and fed Penaud, who sliced through before releasing Depoortère.
“DEADLY”@UBBrugby are too hot to handle for the Saracens with another try extending their lead to 24-0 💪🏉#UBBvSAR | #InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/0SY32Oszan
Bielle-Biarrey glided onto the scoreboard following a fortunate ricochet before Depoortère’s second finished a lovely close-range move. Lewington and Tom Willis, against his old side, got Saracens on the board, but Bielle-Biarrey’s second arrived between those two. Goode delayed his last conversion for the clock to tick to 80 minutes, which said it all. McCall’s charges now have a week to lick their wounds before Premiership action – and their bid to send-off loyal servants – resumes.
Scoring: 3-0 Lucu penalty, 8-0 Garcia try, 10-0 Lucu conversion, 15-0 Garcia try, 17-0 Lucu conversion, 22-0 Depoortère try, 24-0 Lucu conversion, 29-0 Bielle-Biarrey try, 31-0 Lucu conversion, 36-0 Depoortère try, 38-0 Garcia conversion, 38-5 Lewington try, 43-5 Bielle-Biarrey try, 45-5 Garcia conversion, 45-10 Willis try, 45-12 Goode conversionBordeaux-Bègles: R Buros; D Penaud, N Depoortère (P Uberti, 73), Y Moefana, L Bielle-Biarrey; M Garcia, M Lucu; J Poirot (L Kaulashvili, 51), M Lamonthe (R Latterrade, 59), B Tameifuna (C Sadie, 54), C Cazeaux (T Jolmes, 65), A Coleman (K Douglas, 56), A Miquel, P Samu, T Tatafu (G Petti, 61)Saracens: E Daly (M Vunipola, 68); S Maitland (O Hartley, 66), L Cinti, N Tompkins, A Lewington; A Goode, I van Zyl (G Simpson, 57) ; M Vunipola (E Mawi, 51), J George (T Dan, 51), C Judge (M Riccioni, 51), M Itoje, H Tizard (González, 51), T McFarland, B Earl, B Vunipola (T Willis, 61)Referee: F MurphyYellow card: Itoje 35