Salesi Rayasi scored a hat-trick as Bordeaux Begles ran in nine tries and thumped Leicester 64-14 in the Investec Champions Cup at Stade Chaban Delmas.
The first-half rout got under way when Maxime Lucu slotted a sixth-minute penalty and they followed it up with the first of five first-half tries in the 20th minute when Cameron Woki crashed over from close range to make it 10-0.
The floodgates well and truly opened and Bordeaux ran in four tries in the space of 12 minutes before the break, firstly when Rayasi zoomed over the whitewash before Lucu ran in under the posts and further efforts from Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Maxime Lamothe to make it 36-0 at the halfway stage.
Tigers got themselves on the board three minutes into the second period when Izaia Perese ran in under the posts following a careless pass but Ben Tameifuna brushed off the challenge of a few defenders to make sure he restored the hosts’ 36-point advantage.
Tigers showed great spirit in the second half to grab another try, this time Leicester worked it right and substitute Billy Searle walked in the simplest try of the contest.
That was all the joy Leicester had though, and Bordeaux scored three more tries courtesy of two Rayasi efforts which earned him a hat-trick either side of Arthur Retiere’s try, which wrapped up a convincing 50-point victory to book their place in the quarter-finals.
They’ll face fellow Top 14 side Toulouse in a blockbuster meeting of two French heavyweights.
PA
