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Biarritz Olympique will be keen to kick on in Round 4 after keeping their Amlin Challenge Cup hopes very much alive with a last-gasp win at Worcester a week ago. - 11/12/2013 12:01
Biarritz Olympique will be keen to kick on in Round 4 after keeping their Amlin Challenge Cup hopes very much alive with a last-gasp win at Worcester a week ago.
The 2012 tournament winners secured a vital success at Sixways thanks to a try from flanker Tanguy Molcard with the final play as they piled on the pressure on Pool 1 leaders Sale Sharks.
Biarritz battled back from a 12-0 deficit in the Midlands to run out 19-15 victors and claim their second straight win since the opening round reverse against the Sharks in Salford. With Sale already having registered a bonus-point win at Worcester in Round 2, Biarritz looked to be heading for a hammer blow defeat when a Chris Pennell penalty had seen a 14-12 lead wiped out, but they dug deep and headed home to France with what could be a huge four points come the return clash with Sale in Round 6.
They will be hoping for a better showing on home soil than they managed in their last outing at the Parc des Sports Aguiléra, though, with Bordeaux-Begles denting their Top14 survival hopes at the venue a fortnight ago.
As for Worcester, Molcard’s late intervention robbed them of a first home win of the season and a maiden triumph of any sorts in either the Amlin Challenge Cup or the Aviva Premiership. It effectively ended their chances of quarter-final qualification and left them without a win at Sixways in nine months.
Bouncing back from that disappointment with victory in Biarritz would seem unlikely given their nightmare start to the season but their one success this term in the LV= Cup did come on the road, at Cardiff Blues last month.
And their previous visit to France saw them come agonizingly close to a memorable victory when they led Oyonnax 9-6 late on before a Conrad Bernard strike ensured they had to settle for a share of the spoils.
Deux doublés de Lesgourgues et Thomas offrent une victoire bonifiée aux Biarrots face à Worcester (33-25). Ils restent ainsi en course dans cette poule 1 où tout se jouera en janvier. - 12/12/2013 22:15
Teddy Thomas scored two second-half tries to clinch a thrilling victory for 14-man Biarritz Olympique.
The young wing added two tries to a first-half brace by Yann Lesgourges as the Basque club came from behind yet again to beat Worcester Warriors.
And replacement Benoit Baby then kicked a last-minute penalty that not only secured the win but denied Warriors a losing bonus-point.
That was tough to take for Worcester who had suffered a late defeat to Biarritz a week earlier at Sixways and led for most of the return game at Parc des Sports Aguilera following tries by Jeremy Su’a, Max Stelling and Paul Warwick. Ignacio Mieres also kicked 10 points.
The result saw Biarritz overtake Sale Sharks, who face Oyonnax on Friday night, at the top of Pool 1 and leaves Worcester still awaiting their first win in Europe this season.
Su’a handed Worcester a stunning start when he reacted quickest after charging down a kick by Paul Couet-Lannes and scored just 19 seconds into the tie. Mieres converted but scrum-half Su’a was caught off guard on the blindside and opposite number Lesgourges crossed for Julien Peyrelongue to equalise.
Mieres kicked two penalties before Lesgourges squeezed over for his second on 32 minutes to cut Worcester’s lead to 13-12 at half-time.
Peyrelongue kicked Biarritz ahead for the first time on 42 minutes but Worcester looked to have seized control when they struck twice in the space of ten minutes either side of a red card for Biarritz prop Thomas Synaeghel.
Stelling finished Ben Howard’s break before Synaeghel, who had been binned in the first half, received a second yellow card for collapsing a scrum. Warwick made the most of Worcester’s advantage but Mieres was just wide with the conversion.
The 14 men of Biarritz then produced a storming comeback, first through the boot of Baby and then with two tries by Thomas to clinch a bonus-point win.
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