Jun 19, 2025 04:29 PM IST Bordeaux-Begles ‘underdogs’ earlier than #Top 14 semis regardless of Champions Cup triumph Bordeaux-Begles might have received the Champions Cup final month however for prop #Jefferson Poirot they continue to be “underdogs” for Saturday’s French #Top 14 semi-final with Toulon. HT Image Poirot’s facet completed second within the league desk on the finish of the common season having claimed their maiden main crown by powering previous Northampton on May 24. They head to a sold-out Groupama Stadium in #Lyon to face four-time French champions Toulon, who hammered Castres 52-23 in final weekend’s play-off. “I think you have to forget it altogether,” former #France captain Poirot instructed reporters on Monday. “It would be very dangerous to think that because we have the Champions Cup we’re owed something in the league. “Right now within the #Top 14 we’re nonetheless underdogs, we have not received something. “We’re playing Toulon who have historically left their mark on the competition, unlike us,” he added. The 32-year-old Poirot will make his first look because the ultimate victory over Saints after being handed a two-week suspension for his function in a post-match incident with the English membership’s back-rower #Henry Pollock. “I was really scared of not being able to play,” Poirot stated. “I would have had a lot of regrets if I wasn’t able to help the team in a moment like this one,” he added. Poirot is about to return up towards good good friend and former team-mate in Toulon scrum-half #Baptiste Serin on Saturday. The pair used to share rooms on away journeys earlier than Serin headed to the #French Riviera in 2019. The half-back’s reverse quantity would be the equally influential #Maxime Lucu, who acts as Antoine Dupont’s stand-in with #France. “They are two important players for their teams,” Poirot stated. “I think we have a little Lucu-dependance and they have a little Serin-dependance. “They management the sport however not in the identical approach. “Max will get the team playing more, Baptiste will be a bit more of a catalyst,” he added. In the opposite last-four tie, #Toulouse play Bayonne who received each dwelling recreation this season to safe fourth spot and a first-ever look within the #Top 14 post-season play-offs. #Toulouse, in the meantime, who final season clinched a 3rd Champions Cup/#Top 14 double, want to keep away from only a second trophyless season since 2019. The document 23-time French champions have been knocked-out of this marketing campaign’s Champions Cup within the semis by Poirot’s Bordeaux-Begles however ended prime of the league desk scoring a document 891 factors. “We wasted a bullet,” #Toulouse scrum-half Paul Graou instructed newspaper La Depeche du Midi this week. “We have another title to defend,” he added. Graou has been #Toulouse’s first-choice quantity 9 since celebrity Dupont suffered a severe knee harm in March. “Antoine is an exceptional player,” Graou stated with Dupont not anticipated to return earlier than not less than October. “We can’t wait to have him back but it’s up to us to take control and make sure the team plays as well as possible,” the 27-year-old added. Fixtures Friday #Toulouse v Bayonne Saturday Bordeaux-Begles v Toulon iwd/bsp This article was generated from an automatic information company feed with out modifications to textual content. Stay up to date with the most recent sports activities information, together with newest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, the place Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all of the motion from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, observe your favorite soccer groups and gamers with the most recent match outcomes, and get the most recent on worldwide hockey tournaments and collection. Stay up to date with the most recent sports activities information, together with newest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, the place Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all of the motion from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, observe your favorite soccer groups and gamers with the most recent match outcomes, and get the most recent on worldwide hockey tournaments and collection. See Less

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