World Footy News

It has to be said that the Bordeaux Bombers have always played to their best when at home. This has always made them a formidable opponent for all visiting teams. Nevertheless, when the reigning premiers go down to the Bombers, it is a significant event, and a significant upset.

It can always be argued that road trips are always at the mercy of how many of a squad (and who) can make the journey. But that problem occurs for all teams across the season – games still have to be won on the day, and that is what the Bordeaux Bombers did. They played a brand of football which saw their nine players better than their opposition across four quarters.

Bordeaux got away to a good start and by half time had already moved out to a 25-point lead. Not an unassailable lead – especially for a team stocked with as much talent and the Cockerels – but it did mean that the Paris team had to outscore the Bombers by more than four goals in the second half, and that would prove a tough ask for any team.

As things turned out, the Cockerels did mount a second half challenge, at times gathering enough momentum to challenge. However, this is where the Bombers showed their true grit and held the attacking Cockerels at bay with their own attacking. The Cockerels had clawed back to within five points at three-quarter time. But, by the end of the match, the Bordeaux Bombers had held on for an important 15-point victory against a quality team. After a shaky start to the season, with little luck, the Bombers have now put themselves back into the mix for finals action next year.

The Cockerels are good enough to absorb the loss, both statistically and professionally. But they also learned a valuable lesson – on their day, any team can bring their “A” game and cause an upset.

Final Score: Bordeaux Bombers 12 14 86 d Paris Cockerels 11 5 71