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Gloucester Rugby back Billy Twelvetrees
Gloucester Rugby travel to Union Bordeaux-Bègles in Round 4 of the Heineken Champions Cup on Saturday, when both sides will be looking to recover from heavy defeats last week.
Gloucester fell 14-49 at home to Leinster Rugby, while Bordeaux lost 32-3 at Cell C Sharks to leave both sides’ qualification hopes for the knockout stages in the balance.
The French side, without a win so far in this season’s campaign, are second-bottom of Pool A on two points, three behind ninth-placed Gloucester, who will be heartened by their victory in the reverse fixture at Kingsholm Stadium last month, 22-17.
The match kicks off at 4.15pm local time, and can be watched on beIN SPORTS, France TV, BT Sport, SuperSport and FloRugby.
THE FINAL POOL STAGE ROUND 🚨
And the last chance to qualify…
Which #HeinekenChampionsCup R4 game will you be watching this weekend? pic.twitter.com/KALKTqE1qn
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 18, 2023
Union Bordeaux-Bègles
- UBB were shown four yellow cards in Round 3 – more than any other team in a single match this season.
- Clément Maynadier is the only player to have won two counter-ruck turnovers.
- UBB have scored three tries – the fewest this season so far. They also have the worst lineout success rate at 74 per cent.
Gloucester Rugby
- For a player whose primary position is neither scrum-half nor fly-half, Billy Twelvetrees has made the most passes in the competition with 50.
- Gloucester have missed 70 tackles in the tournament, the most this season so far, and have the lowest rate of tackle success (84 per cent).
- They have been awarded two penalty tries as a result of their maul – more than any other team.
- They have also conceded the most offside penalties (10).
George McGuigan scores a try for Gloucester Rugby in their vital Heineken Champions Cup Round 4 win against Union Bordeaux-Begles
Gloucester Rugby hooker George McGuigan was the hero as he dotted down twice in a 26-17 win over Union Bordeaux-Bègles on Saturday to earn a place in the Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16.
A recent signing to the club, McGuigan powered over on the back of two well-worked lineouts, while No.8 Albert Tuisue also crossed the whitewash in an exceptional performance away from home. George Barton added 11 points with the boot.
Jules Gimbert and Ugo Boniface notched for Bordeaux who were beset with ill-discipline for large portions of the contest, earning three yellow cards in crucial periods.
We're not going to be volunteering to stop @AlbertTuisue from 5m out… 😰
There was no stopping the big Fijian as he gave @gloucesterrugby the lead 💪#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/gIh6BCMWvp
— Heineken Champions Cup (@ChampionsCup) January 21, 2023
Bordeaux opened the scoring in the opening two minutes in a frenetic start by the hosts – Matthieu Jalibert booted through a penalty from the tee.
The French international fly-half would be in the thick of the action once again on 15 minutes as he brought in a kick before offloading to Santiago Cordero, the Argentinian in turn finding Gimbert in a breathtaking move down the Bordeaux right.
Gloucester, however, enjoyed the majority of possession and territory in the latter part of the first half, and notched their first try on 24 minutes. Hooker McGuigan rolled on the back of maul off a lineout and broke through the centre to dot down.
The hosts were then reduced to 13 men late in the first half following successive yellow cards – Mahamadou Diaby and Boniface committing a late tackle and deliberate knock-on respectively.
Gloucester took advantage of the yellow cards early in the second half to take the lead. A scrum deep inside the Bordeaux 22 provided dividends when Tuisue released from the back and broke two tackles on the way to the try-line.
Bordeaux responded in emphatic fashion with a try of their own. Boniface was the man to eventually go over after a series of pick and goes, all set up by the frenetic pace injected by the standout Jalibert.
Jalibert was then sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on of his own and Gloucester took advantage with a trio of penalties from the boot of Barton as the hosts lost their discipline.
Gloucester then produced a carbon copy of their first try of the afternoon, McGuigan again the scorer as he rumbled over on the back of a lineout maul.
Bordeaux bow out of EPCR competition for the 2022-23 campaign with their defeat, with Gloucester taking eighth place in Pool A.
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