The Vodacom Bulls saw a strong start slip away from them when two costly yellow cards opened the door for Bordeaux-Bègles to claim a 46-33 Champions Cup victory in Pretoria on Saturday.

It was a fast, high-impact contest from kick-off, with both teams showing attacking intent. Supporters barely had time to settle before the French visitors dotted down twice to take an early lead.

The Bulls answered immediately, turning the first half into a try-fest with five scores of their own through Sebastian de Klerk, Reinhardt Ludwig, Akker van der Merwe, Canan Moodie and Jeandre Rudolph. Bordeaux stayed in the fight with a third try and a penalty, but the hosts still went to the break ahead at 33-22.

Everything changed after half-time.

A dip in discipline put the Bulls under pressure when David Kriel and Handré Pollard were sent to the sin bin in close succession. Playing short-handed for long spells, the Pretoria side struggled to contain Bordeaux’s momentum as the reigning champions ran in four unanswered tries in the final stretch.

The Bulls pushed hard to recover in the closing minutes, but the comeback never materialised, leaving them to walk off the field frustrated after letting a promising position slip away.

Bordeaux’s late surge sealed the result, while the Bulls are left with valuable lessons about discipline and defending under pressure.

Scorers:

Vodacom Bulls 33 (33) – Tries: Sebastian de Klerk, Reinhardt Ludwig, Akker van der Merwe, Canan Moodie, Jeandre Rudolph. Conversions: Handre Pollard (4).

Bordeaux-Begles 46 (22) – Tries: Damian Penaud, Louis Bielle-Biarrey (2), Maxime Lamothe, Boris Palu, Mattieu Jalibert, Salesi Rayasi. Conversions: Jalibert (2), Maxime Lucu (2). Penalty goal: Jalibert.